Update From Room 2010

The last few days have been some of the most strenuous our family has ever undergone. Caring for Mom was proving to be more than Dad and I could do on our own. 

Yesterday Mom was taken by private ambulance from our home to the bone doctor. He said she should not have been released from the ER last Friday and so last night she was admitted into the hospital. 

the view from Mom's hospital window

A dear friend Cindy Witt spent from 10 pm last night to 2 pm today here at the hospital with Mom so that dad and I could rest and regroup. Cindy worked tirelessly to care for mom and interface with the many people who came in to her room during those 16 hours. 

When we arrived at the hospital a Christian from Senegal was in Mom's room praying for her. 

As odd as it may seem the hospital is struggling to find Medicare proof reason for Mom to stay here. Just having terrible osteoporosis and a broken leg isn't enough. She will probably be released on Saturday. 

The cast will probably be put on her leg on Friday. The bone doctor is a godsend. He is also reading More Than a Carpenter right now so keep him in your prayers. 

All of the medical staff here seem to be kind and well intentioned. But some are very competent while others are frighteningly not. The good ones are refreshing lights in a place like this. 

We are hiring a woman to stay with Mom in the hospital from 10 pm to 10 am. This will allow Dad and I to get a good night's rest and keep up with things at home.

A big thing to pray about. From what we have learned it sounds like the best place for mom to go when she is discharged is Page Springs Assisted Living. It is run by Christians who are friends of friends and they have a small group home which can give individualized care while also having two caregivers on duty at all times. (Other small group homes have only one.). The question is whether they are willing and able to care for someone with Mom's degree of needs. A person from PSAL will come tomorrow to the hospital to meet Mom and assess whether PSAL is a good fit for her. We hope that it is. She is not strong enough for a rehab facility. And with the hospital's strong push to get her moved out we don't have much time to figure it out. 

Mom's environmental allergies have bothered her here due to fragrances she is exposed to and she is having trouble eating enough. Having a bowel movement is the hardest, scariest and most painful part of the day. (Forget about building a better mousetrap and see if you can find a better way than a fracture pan to relieve yourself when all your bones are frail.) Pray also that they will be able to get the X-rays they need with a minimum of trauma. Moving her off her hospital bed is excruciating to her.

The long term picture does not look too rosy. Will Mom ever be able to walk again? There are a lot of things we don't know yet. 

What we do know is how profoundly grateful we are to you for the outpouring of love and prayers and concern we have experienced from you. Although I have not had time to respond to all of you personally please know that every one of your visits, notes, phone calls, emails or Facebook likes is seen and encouraging. It is truly amazing to find out how many people Jesus has put around us who care for us far more than we deserve. 

Also pray that we will have power to evangelize. It is harder for me than I expected. The natural inclination for me is to turn inward and forget about trying to minister Jesus to anyone other than myself. The hospital seems to be an amazing mission field. Many of the hospital doctors seem to be from other countries. One today was from Syria.