Heidi to the Rescue

Sisters are great - aren't they?? Tonight I was reminded that mine is wonderful!

A bit of background -

Last night around 10:00, a man came into mom's room to draw blood to check her antibiotics levels. She is on a high dose of antibiotics and she has to have the levels checked so she doesn't turn "toxic." The man was not the calmest person I have ever met. He was tall and dark headed and didn't speak English in the same dialect that we do - so he was difficult to understand. I had been out of the room to walk Daddy to his car and then I came back up to the room with things from home for Mom.

The man said he had been in there a long time (impossible - because we were not gone long), and he was getting very impatient. He would begin to get Mom's hand ready to draw blood and just before he would stick her with this huge needle she would jerk her hand away and whisper "NO!" as loudly as she could. The policy - and maybe law- is if the patient refuses to give blood - they cannot take it. So after about 45 minutes, two nurses, bribery, and threats, the man retreated and rushed off to find all of the patients that he was in a hurry to get to.

The man was really scary, though. He paced the room, talked extremely quickly and almost yelled that he needed this test done right now because doctors and other patients were waiting on him. The nurses and I were watching him and trying to be calm for Mom. Nothing worked. Then, we got Mom quieted down and the man came back a second time to try again. He had me convinced that they could only run the test last night and if she didn't get it she could be very, very, very sick. Well, I was on pins and needles anyway with the clots in Mom's leg and Mom being on bed rest. I didn't need the extra worry. She didn't take the test and the man left. The only thing it taught Mom was that - she could refuse and there was nothing that we could do.

You might think Mom is refusing because the needle was big or because she was afraid it would hurt. When I asked her it was because she didn't want to be stuck again. She wanted to be left alone. "All they do is wake me up, turn on the lights, and STICK me!" (This is what she continues to tell us.)

In the morning (5:00 am) another man came to draw the blood for the same test and Mom didn't give him any problems. She was hardly awake until after he took the blood. Lucky for him. I heard about how he woke her up and didn't even say anything - all morning. He did say something, I just don't think she was awake to hear it. At least the test was done.

Fast forward through surgery to prevent the blood clots in her legs from breaking off and getting to her to tonight.

Daddy was here all day with his older brother (Uncle Bobby - from Kansas) and Dad's nephew Spencer. I went home in the afternoon after surgery to get a shower, see my family, and take a nap to get ready for tonight.

Daddy left around 8:30, I think from the hospital. He was going to wait until I got there. He encouraged me to not get to the hospital before 9:00. I got here about 30 minutes late - so we missed each other by about an hour. I am not sure why he left early. He did tell me when he called to tell me they left - that Mom refused to take her blood thinning shot. (This is a shot I had to give myself twice a day during my pregnancy with Luke. I was frustrated. Yes, it burns - but if I can do it - she can.) I promised to call him when I arrived at the hospital and was safe inside Mom's room.

I get here and the nurse meets me in the hall. Not only does she not want to take her blood thinning medicine - she is refusing to take her insulin. It is not a horrible sugar level - yet - but it is not good that she is not doing what she needs to do.

Well, at this point I feel pretty helpless and it gets worse. I called Daddy to tell him I was at the hospital and Mom wouldn't take her insulin either and ask if he had any ideas. That is when Daddy told me he was under I-20 and Hwy 67 and Uncle Bobby had a flat tire and they were trying to change it without a wrench. Needless to say - Dad told me to tell Mom to take her medicine and not to refuse it. He was frustrated, too.

I called Ethan and about 5 minutes into the conversation Daddy calls back and says, "Hand the phone to your mother." I do and he tells her just a minute of something and the phone goes dead. His phone. Daddy told me earlier that Uncle Bobby doesn't have a cell. So I am imagining my dad, Uncle Bobby, and Spencer on the side of the road at night trying to change a tire with no phone. I called Ethan.

Ethan tells me not to go looking for Dad. They are three men all over 6 feet tall. They can do this by themselves. I really think they are in two cars anyway. If they need something, they can go in Dad's car to get it and then come back. Ethan told me to stay at the hospital because I really cannot do anything. He couldn't do anything either. Avery and Luke are asleep and Avery has been sick all day.

So, after talking to a friend - I decided to call Heidi. Who else to help make Mom take her medicine. Heidi talked to me for a bit, asked me to talk with the nurse again, and then talked with mom. Between the two of us (it was mostly Heidi) - Mom took both of her shots.

Then I told Heidi to call Dad and text me when he got home. Daddy is not home quite yet. She did talk to him. He must have just had a bad connection earlier and now is fine. He got Uncle Bobby's car fixed and is now on his way home.

As you can see - I have no idea what to do or how to help my parents. Many of you ask what you can do to help us - and I have no idea. I don't even know exactly what I am supposed to do. Thank you for all of your support. The prayers, calls, cards, and all of the help has been amazing. I have also noticed that sometimes - even when I didn't know I needed something - I turn around and just what I need is there - like a snack in Mom's room, dinner for Ethan and the kids on a night I was up at the hospital, money for parking...

You guys have been amazing and we wouldn't have the strength to do what we are doing without you. Thank you so much for your help. Please pray that Mom decides to be more cooperative and that Daddy has better luck with everything he does.

Happy Valentine's Day!