They are all still having a hard time with losing her, but very grateful for the full and wonderful life she lived. She was 95 and lived an amazing life.
Today was the funeral for Grandma. Russ said that it was really special and it was good to be with the rest of that side of the family. They are all pretty well spread out across the country so getting together often isn't easy, but I was so happy to hear that almost everyone was there. I was sad that I wasn't able to go. The dog is getting older and has been getting sick more frequently and has more trouble with being boarded, so we decided that I would stay here with him.
Hey guys, if you could keep my sister in your thoughts for a bit, that would mean a lot to me. I spent all night last night in the ER with her last night. She was seriously disoriented and verging on barely functional. When she got to the ER she just walked in and said she needed help, but couldn't tell them why or what was wrong. When I got there the Dr. wanted to talk to me and was explaining that she couldn't tell them what was wrong or answer questions at first. She could speak, and wasn't slurring her words and sounded normal, but said it was like she was having entirely different conversations with each answer. He was asking questions and she would answer with things like "Happy birthday is a song." and he would ask another question and she said "blue is a color, right?", but he said she appeared to understand what he was saying, she just couldn't answer.
They ran a bunch of tests and did a CT scan and it all came back clear, so they still didn't have an answer to what was going on. By the time I got there she was pretty much back to normal, but at one point, we were having a conversation and she just paused mid sentence and said "My car is stupid and trouble" so I asked her "didn't you just get this car?" and she said yes, so I asked why is it stupid, what is wrong with the car? She paused again, gave her head a nearly imperceptible shake and, looking extremely confused, said "nothing's wrong with my car." and looked at me like I had grown an extra head or two. I recounted the conversation and she had no recollection of it at all. She had no idea she had missed any of the conversation we were having prior to the exchange about the car.
The doctor said that they needed to keep her over night for observation and to run some more tests, but since it is just an emergency room, but has no in-patient beds that they would transport her by ambulance to their "home base" hospital about 20-25 minutes away. I told her I would stop by my parents house (at her request) that was on the way to the other hospital and get her phone wall charger and cord and be there shortly. As soon as she was loaded into the ambulance, I made sure to tell her doctor about the car conversation and that she had no idea it had happened and no recall of any of it. He said it was another piece of data to add to figuring things out.
At the other hospital they ran more tests and did a stroke screen panel (I forgot what they called it exactly) and said that the doctor would be doing rounds about 9 AM and that she should get some sleep. This was about 5 AM and I had been with her since midnight and I don't know what time she arrived at the first emergency room, but she was so exhausted and already falling asleep, so I told her that I would go and let her sleep, informed her that our mom was heading back (from northern Wisconsin) and would be coming straight to the hospital and that if she needed anything before mom got there, to give me a call or have someone from the hospital call and I could come back ASAP.
She was released to go home this afternoon and said that none of the tests found anything that really indicated definitively what had happened, but that the doctor said he thinks it was a mini-stroke and gave her a bunch of information and told her what to watch for and be aware of. So, that's what they think it was and hopefully it won't happen again.
It was a really scary night and I am still exhausted and I know my family is all still very shaken by the whole thing. My sister is trying to brush it off and put on a brave face, but she admitted last night that she was very scared. If you could keep my sister and my parents in your thoughts, it would really mean a lot to me.
Glencairn,Will do ! I can only imagine the horror you felt last night. Stress can really take a toll on a person- especially at such high levels as this- so please take care of your own health too! Get lots of rest and take your vitamins!
Nugget, Thank you! It was scary. I was talking to the Dr. at the ER on the phone when Quin came down to say goodnight and heard a bit about what was going on and I told her that I had to leave. She was adamant that she needed to go with and I wasn't up to fighting her on it. We got home a bit after 6 AM and she decided that she was going to go to school for college class for first period and then likely come back home and when I called my mom to give her an update, she and my dad both insisted that I not go into work and just go to sleep. Being the owners of the company, it was nice that they had the flexibility to be able to let me stay home and not worry about going in on no sleep.
Something happened again tonight. My mom said that she was taking my sister back to the ER (about an hour ago) and that she will update in the morning. I'm hoping that it isn't serious, but I'm sure my mom would have let me know if it was and if she needed anything.
Nugget, Definitely! I will pray and offer positive thoughts on top and everything else. If you want to talk about it, I am available and easily reachable on FB or if you want to actually talk, let me know and I'll message you my number.