Prayers

Some of you coming to this blog may already know that my mother is in the hospital.  It's hard to believe she's "only" been there 4 days.  It seems much longer.  The days are blurring together and I struggle to figure out what it was I had intended to do over the long Thanksgiving weekend.  But that weekend has come and gone now.

Mom wasn't feeling well last Tuesday (fatigued, chills) but Wednesday she seemed to bounce back even saying how she feels so much better.  On Thursday morning though she still wasn't feeling well so my sisters and I told her to go back to bed and we'd get dinner ready.  The reality is that she had already had everything prepared and had even put the turkey in Thursday morning.  So we just needed to follow her list and take care of the few things that were left.  Mom got up and joined us for some conversation and then some time at the dinner table but she tired easily and so went back to bed.  She rested most of the day but by evening as we prepared to leave, she was shaking.  Independently and together we all came to the conclusion that we could not leave her alone.

We weren't sure whether what she had was a simple flu bug but we were most worried about dehydration because she hadn't drank or eaten much over the past couple days.  We called a friend who is a nurse to review her symptoms who confirmed we should take her to the ER to be checked out.  This is where she was diagnosed with double pneumonia.  She is currently in the ICU and I won't go into a lot of detail here.  We have setup a CaringBridge page (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/patjasmin) because Sunday was not a good day and we all felt the need for prayers for Mom so we reached out via social media.  Mom has many friends and family and the CaringBridge page was the best way to keep everyone posted on her progress.

I myself prayed for Mom, feeling that God owed us one after last year.  I know that's not how it works, but I asked anyway.  I asked Mike and Ed to come to Mom in her sleep to calm her down so she was less anxious and her breathing would less labored.  If the two of them can't be with us, I felt that they had a purpose on the other side and now was the time to come through.

It is weird to be in the ICU.  Mom is in the exact same room that Ed was in.  Several of her nurses are the same nurses Ed had.  They remember me.  They remember Mom.  I think this calms Mom a little because she "knows" them.  I just pray that our outcome is totally different.

So we continue to pray because it is only Mom's determination and our prayers that will pull her through.  The doctors are giving her the medical treatment she needs, but the rest is up to her.  And so I will continue my prayers and I ask that you do as well.

Mom and me with her friends Donna and Sandy on Friday, Nov 21st.  Dinner before the Singing Priest Concert.