The last two weeks!

It was a grueling week! But I will discuss the last two.

My mom came to NC for a visit. She was at my house for 3 1/2 days and then went to Sondie's house for 3 1/2 days. She didn't look good. I noticed right away her face was swollen and full. She thought it was a side effect of one of her medications. I sang "funny face I love you" to her. While she was with me her blood sugar was out of control. It has never been out of control. She could hardly get up and move and she slept a lot. Almost all the time.

On Tuesday she got results to blood work and found out she was in kidney failure and she needed to see a specialist. She refused! She told us "NO DIALYSIS!"

Last Thursday she left to go back home. On her way she fell at the rest area. She couldn't get up and asked my niece to call an ambulance. She dislocated her left shoulder. Later we found out that it was also broken. Sondie and I took off to help my niece at the hospital. They were about 3 hours from all the family. My niece had two children (4 and 7 years old) in addition to my mother. What a grueling day for her! She was torn between wanting to be with my mom and not leaving the girls in the waiting room. My sister, Donna, fell that day at the same time. Donna and mom were both in emergency rooms, different ones, at the same time! (side note: Donna is the sister who lives and takes care of my mother)

Mom was released from the hospital in Mt. Airy, NC on Friday. Sondie and I continued on to WV to assist my niece in the trip. Mom couldn't hardly get up. We weren't sure what to do. Saturday she stopped urinating very much and Sondie had noticed in the hospital her urine was strong and cola or tea colored with sediment in it. By Sunday my mom was in terrible pain and we were worried she had dislocated her shoulder again. We called an ambulance and took mom back to the hospital. That was a week ago today. Saturday (last week) seemed like a death watch. We ordered a hospital bed and tried to keep mom comfortable. It was awful. So when we followed the ambulance out of the "holler" we felt like it was mom's last ride. It was awful. I thought I was over reacting because of losing daddy.

At the hospital we found out that mom was in full renal failure. Acute Renal Failure. WOW! Sondie and I drove home to NC on Sunday evening knowing we were going back the next day. I researched ARF and found out the survival rate was bleak. I spent two hours at work on Monday and then took off to WV. Donna had called at 7 to let me know she didn't think mom was going to make it.

We tried a few things medically to jump start her kidney's but to no avail. On Tuesday we went to comfort measures so mom could die.

Mom passed away on Thursday, April 2 at 10:15. Less than a year since my daddy died. We didn't see this one coming, but we did get to spend mom's last 4 days with her just like we did with daddy. There are more details but I am exhausted and can't share them in writing right now.

All I know is my mom and dad are both gone and I am only 38 years old. HOW did this happen already. My mom was only 69!

The doctors decided the cause of her Acute Renal Failure was the auto immune disorder she had been fighting. She had Pemphigus Bolus and Linear IGG. It is rare and attacked her immune system. Her kidneys, thyroid, diabetes.....etc.... her last blood work showed this.

Sondie and I have talked about daddy spending his last Easter in NC with us in 2008, but little did we know it was Mommies last Easter too! Mommy and Daddy's last trips were to NC to see us. You see Daddy and Mommy couldn't come to my house last year.... it was on the market! Funny... it still is, we just moved on... Thank God... because this time mommy could visit me!

GO REST HIGH ON THAT MOUNTAIN MOMMY! YOUR WORK ON EARTH IS DONE!