Tuesday started out pretty normal. Since mom is down with her back (still), and dad doesn't have a drivers license (never has, by choice), dad needed me to take him to work. (He cleans houses ...) Had my carpool kids at school by 8 and headed to mom and dad's house, to have dad at work at 9. I asked mom when her MRI appointment was because I knew last Thursday when we were at the Convenient Care Clinic (aka CCC) the Dr had ordered one. She said she had not made it. I had not thought about it since when I had to have an MRI appointment for when I broke my nose, the appointment was some two weeks out. Knowing it needed to be made if that was the case, when I dropped dad off I drove across town to her Dr office to make the appointment. (It's one large building with multiple departments, including radiology).
They said they could do one in an hour, or two hours, or later in the day. WOW! I chose the two hour one and flew off to my house. I cut apples, oranges, packed notebook paper, markers, got the "Bag of Barbies", a book I've been encouraging Jackson to start .... I got three large bottles of water, my notebook, my magazine, a Fiber One bar (I had not had breakfast!)- I was going to go prepared! It was enough surviving five hours with Hannah, but we had Hannah AND Jackson that day ;)
They could not complete it because when they got started her pain level was so high she could not lay in the machine. The tech said they got one image and it was enough to know she really needed to get it done, that she needed to have it done at the hospital where they could sedate her and get it done. Leaving mom and the kids in the foyer waiting room, I:
Go to the radiology department to find out what we needed to do, to make the hospital (aka FMC) MRI happen. Need to go to CCC and have Dr C change the order for it to reflect FMC / sedation. She's not there, but Dr H changed it. Go back to radiology department to make the appointment. Learn the nearest appointment was June 10th (this was the 2nd). Make the appointment, but what about her pain?
Go back to CCC and tell them the appointment is June 10th, ask about pain (she was at a 8-9 sitting still). They said that was ridiculous, check her in CCC to consult with Dr H, see what he can do. Dr H cannot do any better than what I accomplished, but he did say I needed to be with mom at her appointments from now on, "it's that time ...". He says we can try her neurosurgeon, or go to the ER/ED. As far as meds, they've done all they can, she has the best they can do. (ER can do better).
Go to neuro, he's at hospital in surgery, going out of town the next day. (Mom says he's always out of town.) Nurse says best bet is go to ER, maybe with her being there they'll go ahead and go the MRI. It's a coin toss.
Are you still with me?
It's after 2 by now, we're hungry, so we go eat. I start calling to explore childcare arrangements, cause the kids are off the hook by now. "To the ER they will not go" says Yoda. My aunts pick them up at the restaurant, and agree to get them to soccer practice that night too (WHEW). We head to the ER, and within an hour and a half of being there, the Dr has ordered the MRI, and they have her hooked up on IVs with morphine. (Yay!)
She indeed has a bulging disk, so shes looking at surgery, this will be #6. She's 68. (I'm wondering with Nationalized Health Care if she would be denied this surgery? Lets pray we don't go down that road, that's scary!!). They sent her home with 5 days of Percoset, which is what I had when I broke my nose, after that surgery. It works. (If mom says that doesn't help I'm going to start thinking part of this might be in her head!)
So please pray for her. I'd really, really appreciate it. She tends to be really hard on dad when she's not doing well, that's just unnecessary, ya know?
I sure am glad I'm getting a break today to clean house *g*
Yesterday we weren't home either, you'll have to stay tuned!
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