A Mum Update
By Belinda
I arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon. I had already picked up a message on my cell phone from Paul saying that Mum's night had been better. As I climbed to the third floor of the large open plan hospital I looked down to the food court on the ground floor and waved to Paul's brother and two sisters who were sitting there, having a bite to eat. That was a good sign, I thought.
When I got to her room though, I could hear sounds of distress. Mum was lying with her eyes closed, obviously dealing with pain. Her nurse came in and explained that when she had turned Mum over for a bed bath, it seemed to trigger the pain she was suffering.
Mum characteristically put on the best face possible when the nurse came to check on her, but I told her, "This is 'British stiff upper lip,' she is in a lot of pain."
Before too long, Paul arrived with the rest of the family, and shortly after an assessment by the nurse manager on duty, we all made way for a flock of blue uniformed nurses--a critical care team from the ICU as they defibrillated her heart which was beating erratically. They decided to wait until tomorrow for a procedure that will relieve pain from her gall bladder.
If in our stress we questioned anything that a nurse did, Mum said a variation on, "No, no, no, she is doing her best. She's all right. Be nice," keeping her family settled and setting the example that we love her for.
In all of this there is much to be grateful for. She truly is getting excellent care. Had she not had the stroke last week that brought her to the hospital, this attack would have happened at home and she may have suffered much longer not knowing what it was. She might have ended up on a stretcher somewhere waiting for a bed. But God had her right where she could get the best of care.
Small details such as my arriving just when she was in great distress and no one else knew are all God's doing. Even though I couldn't take the pain away, I was with her, praying.
Thank you to those who are praying, for your loving support.
I arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon. I had already picked up a message on my cell phone from Paul saying that Mum's night had been better. As I climbed to the third floor of the large open plan hospital I looked down to the food court on the ground floor and waved to Paul's brother and two sisters who were sitting there, having a bite to eat. That was a good sign, I thought.
When I got to her room though, I could hear sounds of distress. Mum was lying with her eyes closed, obviously dealing with pain. Her nurse came in and explained that when she had turned Mum over for a bed bath, it seemed to trigger the pain she was suffering.
Mum characteristically put on the best face possible when the nurse came to check on her, but I told her, "This is 'British stiff upper lip,' she is in a lot of pain."
Before too long, Paul arrived with the rest of the family, and shortly after an assessment by the nurse manager on duty, we all made way for a flock of blue uniformed nurses--a critical care team from the ICU as they defibrillated her heart which was beating erratically. They decided to wait until tomorrow for a procedure that will relieve pain from her gall bladder.
If in our stress we questioned anything that a nurse did, Mum said a variation on, "No, no, no, she is doing her best. She's all right. Be nice," keeping her family settled and setting the example that we love her for.
In all of this there is much to be grateful for. She truly is getting excellent care. Had she not had the stroke last week that brought her to the hospital, this attack would have happened at home and she may have suffered much longer not knowing what it was. She might have ended up on a stretcher somewhere waiting for a bed. But God had her right where she could get the best of care.
Small details such as my arriving just when she was in great distress and no one else knew are all God's doing. Even though I couldn't take the pain away, I was with her, praying.
Thank you to those who are praying, for your loving support.
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