Mom had another rough week...so did I.

This week has been crazy. C.r.a.z.y.

Monday was the 8 year anniversary of the death of one of my best friends. She died in a tragic car accident on Friday, July 13, 2001. The anniversary of her death has always been difficult for so many reasons - she was one of the closest friends that I've had and I loved her like a sister. My family loved her like another daughter and sister and our lives were forever changed when God decided to call her home.
The day before the accident, she and I had had a pretty nasty fight. I remember us both being very upset that morning on the 12th - I had gone to work later that day and ran into her at the store where I was a bakery clerk. I was on the phone with a customer, but we both waved and smiled, and she mouthed that she would call me.
The call never came from her.
The following day, I had gone to work an earlier shift than what I normally worked. I ended up coming home early, fighting a terribly rough migraine. My parents were at a retreat center out of the state that weekend, so I came home to my sisters. I was dating my now-husband at the time, and called him to come and hang out with the girls, playing video games until I rested. He woke me up about two hours after I came home, telling me that Ellen (my best friend) had died. Her younger sister, who is the same age as my younger sister, had called. The earth stopped and my world crashed. Frantic calls to my parents, finding neighbors, sitting on the new couch, eating ice cream. I have a scar on my wrist from something sharp in between the cushion and the arm of the new couch, as I had stuck my arm down there to get a dropped spoon.

My life forever changed on that day. And while the pain has lessened, there are still things that remind me of her - Reissen's candies, Clearly Canadian drinks, leopard print, Cheddar Chex Mix, Chocolate Teddy Grahams, Buicks like hers....and boas. We all wore boas to her funeral and the drumline from our high school band played outside, with her drum sitting silently and a single maroon baret on top.

God, I miss her.
I talk to her mom often, but not nearly as often as I should.

Tuesday, my mom was discharged.

Wednesday, yesterday, was a whirlwind of events.....
I went over to my parent's house about 11:45 to take mom to her appointment. I had tried calling earlier but she never picked up the phone. This caused a bit of concern but I figured she was in the bathroom or sleeping. When I arrived, I found that mom's home health nurse had been there with mom since 9 am. Mom was feeling crummy - light-headness, nausea, tingling sensation in both arms, flush feeling all throughout her body. She has been having these feelings after she takes her morning medications (which includes her blood pressure medications) since Saturday but she can usually get rid of the feeling after napping for about an hour.
The nurse left around noon, telling me to call 911 if mom's condition worsended or she showed signs of a heart attack. This made both mom and I nervous but I wasn't too worried at that time. We called mom's family doctor to see if they could give us any answers. The family doctor's nurse said that it was probably her medications and that she should space them out when she took them again the next day.
We moved her IV appointment to 2:30, to give her time to rest. She woke up around 1:30 and was worse than before napping. She was sipping ginger ale and crackers but refused to eat anything more than that. She continued to go downhill and called the IV doctor to ask to cancel her appointment. He called her back and said that she could miss a day but wanted her to call the insurance company to see if she could get in to a rehab facility until she could get stronger. This upset both of us but mom went ahead and called the insurance caseworker. She was very kind and answered mom's questions. She then asked mom her symptoms, which caused her to ask mom if she was having pain in her left arm, chest pain, pain in her jaw, shortness of breath - all signs indicative of a heart attack. At this point, the caseworker was the fourth person (the home nurse, the family doctor's nurse, the IV doctor) to ask my mom if she had these symptoms.
Mom and I both knew what the questions were leading to, and it really started to freak my mom out. The caseworker suggested that mom call her family doctor immediately. Mom did, and the nurses talked with the doctor and told mom to get to the ER immediately, so that they could do tests. I knew that I couldn't get mom in my car - she was too weak and neither my sister nor I have the strength to help her up if something was to happen.
So, I called 911 at the advice of the nurse. I knew that I couldn't get her in the car and if she WAS having a heart attack or heart problems, I would feel a ton better if she was with someone who could help her instantly between the house and the ER.
They sent two fire and rescue trucks from the local Fire Departmetn out to evaluate mom before the ambulance got there. Her blood pressure was initially 166, but went down to 144 by the time we left. They were all very very nice and calm, which is what we all needed. My sister got up quickly and got dressed (she had gone to the H.P Midnight showing the night before). I gathered up all of mom's discharge papers and lists of medications that she was given the night before, along with her walker and a few other items.
We called my younger sister at work, my dad and my husband. Dad met us at the ER, and my sister and husband met us at our house while we waited.
Mom got to the hospital around 3 and was discharged at 7. They ran a few tests, found out that her PICC line may have been pinching a cluster of nerves, which caused the tingling. She was/is very anemic and that was interacting with her blood pressure medication. I don't know if they gave her any fluids or anything while in the ER and I know that they didn't give her any blood.
On the way home, she praised me for holding up for her and staying calm. All three of us (my two sisters and myself) broke down a bit at various points of the day but are all okay.
Today, my youngest sister was going to take mom to her IV appointment and I know that they'll take great care of her - they treated me during my Hepatitis C treatment and were awesome. I'm sure they'll check her anemia today, as well as give her fluids and her antibiotics.

I love my mom and am so worried about her and her health. It's incredibly frustrating for all of us - we want her to feel better and to feel better soon. Her initial knee replacement was June 22...stitches out on July 2, ER visit on July 2, post-ER appointment on July 6, second surgery on July 7, a week long stay at the hospital, discharge on July 14, ambulance ride and ER visit on July 15.....

Please, Lord, make her well. Give her strength, patience and peace - allow her to heal and become the healthy and quick-witted momma that she is :)