Thursday, September 1, 2016

Happy 80th Birthday!

The last time I posted here my mother had had a serious stroke and was admitted to hospital. 

 I'm happy to say she was discharged to her home last Saturday.  We spent a few extra days visiting and making sure she was settling in okay,drinking adequate fluids and eating.


She is currently on a pureed diet and on gel like water flavoured with honey and lemon.
She likes the flavoured water much better than the plain old thickened water they had at the hospital.


On August 31st we were able to celebrate her 80th birthday. It was a real joy to see her be able to mark the occasion and in her own residence.

We usually have a dinner and cake and a few family members gather with her to celebrate.  We planned to do the same this year but had to forego that idea for now because mom cannot eat a normal meal. In fact, we were not even sure she would make it to her birthday.  We are pleased with her progress and have promised we will have a proper dinner and cake when she is stronger and able to eat regular food. For now we had the very small cake with candles so we could sing "Happy Birthday" and take photos.

When I arrived at the care home I was so surprised to find mom dressed, sitting in her wheelchair and driving herself.  She had also had her hair done by the in house hair dresser.  Last Sunday evening when I left her she was lying in bed and we didn't know if she would be able to drive or feed herself. She is now doing all of the above.

Mom is not yet able to speak clearly on a regular basis.  She does put several words together into short sentences and can often do so in two different languages. She can also say some things very clearly at times.  I was surprised she could do this at all because it is her left brain that has been affected.  The left side of the brain deals with thinking and speaking (language).  She does have days when she is tired and cannot communicate very well and evenings seem more difficult in general. But she also has other days where she is almost her old self.  In fact, my very first day with her in hospital she was alert, talkative, funny and cracking jokes. I was simply amazed.

Several close family members made the  32 hour round trip to visit with her while she was in hospital.  She was very happy and I'm sure it aided in her recovery.  She really loves to see all her relatives at any time but most cannot visit very often.  The journey is so long and expensive and there is no way to fly directly from where they live to where mom lives so a road trip is the primary way to visit. 

My brother was at the hospital the entire time mom was admitted and making sure to advocate for her since she could not speak for herself.  By the time I joined him, he needed a bit of rest.  We both stayed until mom made the transition back to her residence but I took over the visiting and dealing with hospital and residence staff while he did his thing,  relaxed and updated people.  We are both very pleased with her progress so far and will be checking in on her again soon.

Your kind comments, prayers and wishes of support for my mother and I are very much appreciated.
All your words and well wishes meant a lot.

Sadly, just as my mother was getting better, the mother of a very dear friend in Kenya is going through the same thing with his mother.

His mother's name is Eunice.  She is in serious condition in hospital several hours away from her home. 
I humbly ask for prayers for Eunice and her family members all of whom have gone through an awful lot this past year.

Many blessings to all of you.

14 comments:

affectioknit said...

Happy Birthday to you Mum!...and prayers for Eunice...

Melanie said...

Happy Birthday to your mother and how nice that she is able to be home for it. I know that thickened water is not the most tasty stuff so I'm glad you found some flavors to make it more appealing. Such pretty flowers and a cake! I'm sure that all the family members coming to see her made her feel very special and aided in her recovery. Have a blessed day.

Joanne Noragon said...

Dear Joy, you know I, too, had a massive left brain stroke. When I regained consciousness, I had no nouns. Speech is a problem when all you can say is "I want..." I said "I want..." and drew a sketch of note paper on the menu. My daughter brought me a notebook, and I spent my time in the hospital writing down every word I thought of. Give Mom a tablet and a pen. It may help. Happy Birthday.

Jo said...

Oh NO, Penny; I've only just read your previous post and followed up with this one. Praise God that your Mom is improving and able to be discharged. What dedication from you and your brother. May you both be blessed for caring so well for her. I also lift Eunice up in prayer. Strength and prayers for you too, my dear friend. Jo

Jo said...

Apologies: Happy Birthday to your dear Mom. What a great age. Blessings Jo

Cloudia said...

Best wishes to the whole family!

Red said...

Great to hear that your Mom is doing well. All the best for full recovery.

Mari said...

That's wonderful news! Praying she continues to progress. Happy Birthday to her!

Stephanie said...

Happy Birthday to your dear and beautiful mother! What a joy to celebrate 80 years. Praise the Lord that she is doing better....I pray she continues to recover, dear friend.

Happy weekend! Hugs!

Jeanie said...

I am so grateful to hear that your mum has rallied and doing better. I'm sure you were all on needles and pins and it certainly sounds like a wonderful blanket of support was wrapped around you all. Sending very big Happy Birthday wishes to her. I'm sure that day was a gift to you all.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Happy Birthday to your Mother. Such a joy to know that she is recovering day by day. May the Lord continue to bless her with His comfort and care and renewed strength.
Very sorry for your friend Eunice. May the Lord undertake her every need as well and give comfort and strength to those around her. May God give you peace and rest now as well.

Mary said...

Beautiful post, I will pray for your mom and your family. :)

Barb said...

Happy Birthday to your Mom! The resolve of the human spirit is amazing. I'm happy she's improving day by day.

Jeanna said...

A very happy birthday to your brave mom. Best wishes and prayers from the midwest.

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