As soon as I saw the x-ray, I knew it wasn't good. But, nothing could prepare us for the news that was to follow.
Mom had a bad cold through the holidays that she couldn't seem to shake. We were all preoccupied with the busyness of the season and dealing with the impending loss of My Mother-in-law, Mildred. After Mildred's passing, I insisted Mom get to the Doctor and get treated for that horrible cough. She was active and busy and finally agreed to make an appointment. After some strong medications and lots of fluid and rest, the Doctor told her the bronchitis should clear and she would be back to her old self. Not one to succumb to "a little cold", she forged ahead trying to maintain her usual activities, but, she just didn't have the strength.
After a particularly bad weekend of coughing and fever, I insisted on going to the doctor with her to find out what was happening. I'll avoid the tirade of what happened on that visit-- that is for another story of being sure your elderly parents are receiving appropriate care from their physician--after a few minutes, the nurse came out and told me I should bring my Mother to the ER for an x-ray, that there might be some fluid on her lungs. Apalled by how she was treated, I quickly took her from the office to the ER.
Mom has never been sick and the thought of going to the hospital was upsetting to her. But, I assured her that we needed to get to the bottom of this and she needed some tests.
The initial diagnosis in the ER, was that she probably had pneumonia and would need to be hospitalized. She was terrified. I promised her I would stay with her every step of the way, and that we needed to get her treated.
The Doctor's were asking questions, that made me realize, we were dealing with something much more than pneumonia.
Then, I saw the x-ray.
In less than an hour's time, our world's were rocked.
It has been a year since Mom was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer.
I will be posting about this journey. My hope is that, others will learn from my journey, the importance of listening to what is happening to their elder family members and being aware of the need to designate someone as their eyes and ears as they navigate their healthcare journey.
1 comment:
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