My mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2010. This is a blog about coming to terms with her absent mind.

Monday 8 August 2011

24 Hours

What a difference a day makes....

Ma is in hospital after falling in the kitchen and fracturing her hip.

Looking back on it there was a moment when I could've prevented this but she can be so arsey about me 'doing things' for her and she was determined to take her lunch tray out to the kitchen so I let her do it. I should've been my usual bossy and controlling self.

30 seconds later she was calling me to help her up off the floor. She says that she fell over the dog but the dog was sitting behind me on the chair at the time. I suspect that either she clattered over her own slippers (she gets tangled and they are not a snug fit) or she's had another TIA. The latter would be my favourite. I helped her up off the floor and once I could see that she wasn't willing to take any weight on her left leg I rang for an ambulance even though she kept saying that it didn't hurt. The paramedics strapped her into a chair, offered gas and air and whisked her off.

At the hospital she looked frail and old and was still saying that it didn't hurt much but she was very restless. The A&E Doctor was pleasantly dismissive about Ma needing to be there for much longer after examining her but obviously x-rays are needed to rule out any other problems. We went to X-ray, then after what seemed like a very long time we had the extra bonus of an ECG and some blood taken. Then the A&E Doctor came in to say that it had come as a surprise to them (her?) to learn that Ma had a broken hip and that she must have really good pain resistance. Or perhaps she has dementia, and yes I did tell them several times, and the fact that this means she can't always process how she feels into a neat reply and tell you.

We had a scary hour or two when there wasn't a bed to be had and she could've ended up pretty much anywhere in Lancashire, Cheshire or Greater Manchester. Thankfully the orthopaedic ward clearly shuffled some poor sod off home and Ma has a bed.

Surgery tomorrow is a definite maybe.

Will keep you posted....

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In the midst of posting this, talking to people on the phone, sending emails and replying to texts I suddenly had a nosebleed. Crikey!  Stressed much? Or maybe just some weak capillaries.

4 comments:

  1. Bloody hell, and here was me moaning because I had to take mum to the dentist! Hope ma is ok and dont even think of blaming yourself x x

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  2. If it was a TIA it would have happened whatever you'd done Bee so don't beat yourself up about not preventing it. I do so hope the hospital gets its act together and sorts her out quickly. And you need to give yourself some space to recover from the shock. Have a cyber {hug}

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  3. Bee x x x x. hope all goes ok and kick some arse in the hospital, Hope it will teach the a and e doctor to look beyond the surface with her other patients. take care xxx

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  4. Thanks all for your comments. I'm doing ok actually and confident that Ma is in the right place. Worried about what is to come though, of course.

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