As everyone now knows and has thus been filled in on B's hospital visit, I'm just going to recap the events of Friday night so we have them logged and the facts are clear for future medical reference. It was a close one, glad she is ok.
On Friday night, technically Saturday morning at around 1:40 am I awoke to Earl knocking on my door. B had fallen in the walk space next to her side of their bed, whether she fell getting into or out of bed remains unclear and I do not know for sure if she bumped her head or had a seizure at this point in the night. Both seem possible to me. I found her lying on her back, she was conscious though foggy, and entirely unable to move herself. I got her back up on the bed, with some difficulty (I don't know what would have happened without help there, there is no way Earl can lift her on his own at this point) she was conscious but totally groggy, said she needed to get up to use the bathroom, but we both were hesitant to move her.
After about five minutes she got herself up (you all know how stubborn she is) and with aid of the walker we took her into the bathroom. I sat in with her, still unsure of her condition, talking to her and asking her if she was in any pain, asking her if she remembered how this had happened. She was pretty unresponsive and started hunching over and at this point I got pretty scared. I got up and held her hand asked if she could feel me squeezing her hand. Asking if she could hear me. All she would say was "I'm tired." Looking in her eyes there was some response, but she still didn't answer any of my questions. She then looked down at the floor completely unresponsive and started shaking (like a tremor) for about 5 seconds (which the Doctor later said was most likely a "mini seizure" not a stroke) and simultaneously lost control of her bowels. I screamed for Earl, I seriously thought we had lost her for a minute. I held her hand and told her I loved her. Earl started talking to her and she started responding again. I went and called 911 and returned to the bathroom. She was conscious from this point onward but couldn't squeeze my hand or hold her head up for a while. She kept saying her neck hurt and she wanted to go to bed.
When she realized that the ambulance was coming she tried to get up. I sat her back down. She tried to get up again, I pulled her pants back on and sat her back down again. She was trying to escape (stubborn old BB). The medics came in, I stayed with her as they took her vitals (which seemed normal), still in my pajamas, explaining to them just what had happened. I gave them the all the pills she has been taking and alerted them to the concern about the Furosemide/Potassium balance we discussed in her recent visit with Alana documented below. She refused to go to the hospital and in her weakened state became combative with the medics. Somehow I was able through humor and persistence to get her to agree to go. I lifted her up off the pot (she wouldn't let the medics touch her) and walked her to the stretcher and she got on and was buckled in. Stayed by her side till they shut the ambulance door and got in Earl's truck to go to the hospital.
We made it there at the same time, and I was right there when they rolled her out and in to the emergency room. The nurses hooked her up to a heart rate monitor and took her vitals again. Her blood pressure was low, lower than when they took it in the house. She told them that she was there because she had "eaten too much chocolate." And we explained what had actually happened, first to the nurse staff, then to Dr. Joplin once he came in. They took a blood test and asked Earl and I to sit in the waiting room, where we hugged and cried and appreciated each others company. I seriously don't know how either of us would have coped without the other there. At about 4 am the doctor came back with the blood test and everything was relatively normal with the exception of her low blood pressure. We decided that she should stay in overnight just to be safe.
That was the great night of no sleep. Earl and I got up at about 8 am, neither one of able to sleep a wink. I personally was half delirious at this point but somehow managed to drive us back to the hospital after tearing up part of the lawn backing the car out. We laughed it off. B was asleep when we got there but was delighted to see us when she awoke. She tried to escape then but had all the wires hooked up to machines. Again laughing it off. The doctor came back in, took her blood pressure (which was back to normal now) said she should sleep some more but could go home after lunch time if it was still testing out alright. He also removed the Furosemide from her medicine regime as a precautionary measure. Earl and I went back home, and each of us passed out in our recliner chairs.
We went back to the hospital and picked her up. She was dressed and waiting for us already and was acting as if nothing at all had happened. I gave her her sunglasses and wheeled her out to the car. She was desperate for pizza as the hospital food "was just horrible." Always the firecracker. When we got home she immediately lit a cigarette, and accompanied it with a fudgesicle. She was really recovering quickly and falling right back into her routine of insane compulsive behaviors. She then tried to make me promise that I wouldn't tell any of her children about any of this, which I vehemently denied, and she threatened me with crude ramblings that made absolutely no sense. LOL. She was back to her good old nasty self.
The rest of the day she had energy but was pretty out of it memory wise, all she knew was that she was "going to be in trouble" for going to the hospital and kept focusing on this thought alone. She stopped using her walker and became combative when we kindly reminded her of its purpose. I opened another box of fudgesicles when she finished the first simply and only because I was glad she was alive (normally we cap it at one box in the freezer per day and when they're done they're done). We got some pizza and tried to make the most of what was left with the day. Aunt Becky called after dinner and BB answered it herself and proceeded to speak with her on the phone for an hour without divulging any of the previous nights events. She almost slipped up when she told her how I had had a rough day and was exhausted and when asked why blamed it on me and Earl "going shopping" (a total fabrication, no I'm going to say a straight out lie, and with the full on intent to lie to cover her butt) and cleverly hung up just as I tried to get a chance to talk as well. Sneaky sneaky.
So today, Sunday. Still a bit tired understandably. Took it easy today, we watched Giant (B's favorite movie) which I had rented from the library. And she kept asking us over and over "who's that?!" "that's Rock Hudson"... "Who's that?!" "That's James Dean"... "Who's that?!" "That's ROCK HUDSON!!!" Over and over and over again. Sometimes I don't know where we get the patience, but we do. You can only laugh it off. Plus she kept telling me that I look "exactly" like Elizabeth Taylor, which to me absolutely solidifies her crazy, but is still nice to hear even for the 20th time. She's crafty that BB.
Had to remind her several times today to use the walker so she wouldn't fall again. At one point she came out of the bathroom with it turned backwards, pushing it like a stroller instead of using it for support, dead serious in her intent. She got mad at me when I corrected her in holding it but I still I couldn't help but laugh. The rest of the day she used it without needing reminding. She told me she was starving and asked me to cook dinner at 4:30 which is more than an hour too early, but I kindly obliged, then she decided she wasn't hungry and just picked at her plate, eating nothing. She didn't even eat her okra, which was seriously shocking to me. She then proceeded to eat 4 fudgesicles in a row right after dinner, and has somehow gotten into the habit of pulling the stick out entirely before eating them and sucking the contents out of the wrapper. Earl and I tried to explain how the stick is an important element in eating a popsicle but it just made her really mad at us. She ended up spilling one all over her shirt and told me she'd just sleep in it anyway. I got her a fresh shirt and discovered, as I was helping her get it on, that she still had 4 electrode stickers stuck to her chest and torso form the emergency room more than a day before. She got really mad at me and fussed when I removed them, said that she needed them and insisted I replace them with new ones.
A lightbulb went off over my head and I asked Earl about her bathing habits, something I have (up until this point) allowed her the dignity of handling herself as she has told me several times she showers in Earl's bathroom and doesn't need assistance. Earl told me that she has never once used his shower. Sweet Jesus!!! I intend to have a conversation with her about this tomorrow. She needs to start bathing regularly, and I am seriously growing tired of her lying to me and continuing to lie to me. Each day a different struggle with handling the basics here, and that will be tomorrow's I'm sure.
We have another doctors appointment in the morning, at 9:15, to do a sonogram of her neck and arteries. Then a follow up with Dr. Joplin later in the week to check on how she is doing. We are also meeting with Paula, the lady Vivian has recommended for in-home care, tomorrow. Uncle Greg and Earl both spoke with her today and we found out that she used to work for BB's best friend Eveline before she died. Despite the excellent references and personal connections B was and is still extremely resistant to having anyone come in to help. This is not a surprise, but it is still disheartening. Let's all try to be excited and encouraging when speaking to her about this, like Paula is an extension of the family. I will try to fill you all in with what I can regarding these events tomorrow.
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