Not PG related... There have been better days than this

At about 3 am this morning, my sister called to tell me that my mother had to be taken to the hospital. We thought it had been related to her diabetes as when her blood sugar is off, she can get a little off herself - something we have dealt with a few times before. My sister (and DH) saw no need for me to go to the ER at 3 am considering I am PG and until we knew exactly what was going on.

Fast forward to 6:30. I am showered and getting ready for work (4 kids in my family - we do hospital stays in shifts - there have been quite a few in the recent past if you know my family) I call my sister back to learn that mom had a heart attack. Thing is, it has not yet been determined exactly WHEN it happened. She had a stress test on Thursday and I suppose that could have led to it, but then again, Mom has heart disease, has had surgery and has been diagnosed with CHF multiple times.

My sister told me that mom was not in pain, she was able to communicate, she wasn't scared and she was being well cared for. They were preparing her for an external pacemaker to determine if she would need an internal one later.

I initially freaked and then I got numb. Then I pulled it together, went to work and visited Mom afterwards. She seemed like her regular self - just in a hospital bed in ICU complaining the way anyone in cardiac ICU would. She asked questions about the baby and still remained excited rather wallowing in her own self pity. These are all good signs.

My gut tells me that she will make it through this. Her care is good and thats all we can ask for. I will be taking the day off tomorrow to be with her. My brother, who is currently in Europe on business, is on his way back home to be with her on Wednesday. By then we will have more information.

There is no question in my mind that the reason why we are able to take of her so well is because both she and my late father instilled a serious sense of responsibility in us. They taught us how to plan and make good decisions and work together. I am blessed to have been raised well with intelligent siblings who know what to do to help family. This is what family does.

That being said, I think we all owe it to our parents to accept their good life lessons and teach our children how to "do the right thing." We also owe it to ourselves as women, daughters, wives, mothers and future mothers to take care of ourselves. Go to the doctors. Get check-ups.

Thanks for reading this. I hope some good comes out of this for someone.

Diabetes and heart disease really su cks.

Message edited 4/28/2008 11:36:56 PM.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

I know how hard it is to have a sick parent. I have been taking care of my mom since I was 16. I hope she does better. This is so stressful to go through especially being pregnant

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Oh NO Leslie!!!!

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Leslie, your mom is in my prayers!!! I hope she has a speedy recovery & that you have the answers you need shortly...

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

I'm so sorry you have to go through this right now, I hope everything is OK.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Hope your Mom feels better.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

I hope your mom feels better soon. I know this must be hard for you to go thru at this time, you are in my prayers and thoughts.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

i hope she feels better soon. you will be in my thoughts

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

I hope your mom gets back on her feet quickly!

But, I couldn't agree more. The life lessons parents instill whether it be etiquette, respect, responsibility, or independence are the most important lessons to ever learn.

I can only hope and strive to be that role model. The role model that sets such important examples to my children to in turn be carried through life and passed on.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Leslie, I hope your mom is doing well. I will be sending my good thoughts her way.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

leslie i am so sorry... i hope your mother will continue to improve! you are 100% right - it is our duty to instill a sense of family, caring, responsibility, and right vs. wrong in our children - i am looking forward to it.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Leslie I hope your mom is doing better and your questions are all answered. You sound like a wonderful family. I am glad to hear you have the help and support of one another.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

so sorry mom is down..hopefully she will be up on her feet soon and life will go on.

I couldn't agree more with you. My parents have taught me what family means. We are all in it together.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Leslie.. glad to hear your mom seems to be doing okay. I remember the feeling when we got the call from my mother that my dad had a heart attack, they are scary business. Let me know if there's anything I can do.

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Your mom has taught you and your siblings well and she is strong for you guys as you guys are strong for her!!!! I hope she gets better quickly!!!!

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

im so sorry you are going through this... i hope your mom has a speedy recovery and can come home soon

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Re: Not PG related... There have been better days than this

Thank you ladies. Visiting hours start at noon and I will be there most of the day until one of my siblings comes to relieve me. I'll have a Blackberry to check in every once in a while.

Unfortunately this "is what it is" when you have an elderly parent. There are tons of doctors appointments of all kinds, hospital visits, afternoons that one spends placing medications into strips for upcoming weeks and hoping that they live happily past an expected time frame.

I will be the same age my mother was when she had me - 38. Except now, we know so much more about preventative medicine and how a current lifestyle can have an effect on our future.

Mom never told me that she had GD with me until I was already PG. She had been overweight when she was PG with me. Her diabetes, came back later in life and she has been a type 2 diabetic for a number of years now. This is rather common to see how someone with GD gets diabetes when they are older. With diabetes, comes heart disease. Mom is basically a textbook case, though if she were compliant with meds and treatment, much of what ails her could be a lot less stressful on her as well as the rest of us.

I made a pact with myself a few years ago that I would try my best not to allow this to happen to me. I CAN keep this from happening to me and have already started making sure of it as a number of her medical issues are in fact hereditary. Mom is grateful that she has us as medical advocates who bascially have kept her on this earth a lot longer than if she had children who were not knowledgeable and/or didnt care. But there is no way I want my children to ever have to go through this if I can avoid it. I am far from perfect, but these experiences have left a permanent impression on me and I owe it to my children to do better.

What motivates Mom now, is this little angel I have growing inside of me. There has been very little keeping her happy since our wedding as Dad, her husband of 49 years, passed away shortly after we were engaged. She is as enthusastic for this grandchild as she has been for the other 5 grandchildren she already has. She is planning afghans and baby sweaters to crochet. She wants to hug and kiss her and spoil her to death and I will allow her to. This is her joy and I am very excited about it.

What hurts me right now is the idea that my daughter might have lost another grandparent before she had a chance to know them. I missed out on that and I always felt that something was missing by not having relationships with them.

That being said, it is my responsibility to stay as calm and cool as possible in order to keep myself and Ed-lie healthy while we help mom become as comfortable as we can.

Thanks again and sorry for such a long post.