I've just heard that my Mum's been rushed into hospital. She's got really severe headaches and all sorts of other pain in her neck and shoulder. Apparently she's very confused and muddled and really not with it at all. Her blood count is raised but the doctors don't know where the infection is.

She's up the other end of the country, well in Aberdeenshire in fact. Someone from her church has very kindly been with her today, and is now with her in the hospital. My sister who leaves nearby to her is in Korea at the mo until Sunday, and her husband can't just leave work and get to her because his car is 40 miles away at a station car park in the middle of nowhere where they live (if that makes sense).

I just feel sick with worry. I feel so far away, yet my brother-in-law and the friend from church both say it's best if i stay here, and that they'll take care of her till my sister gets back on Sunday night. I've sent flowers and a card, but it's no substitute to being there.

And I've got to keep it all together here because I've still got another client coming this evening, who's in some considerable distress herself. I know I will be strong enough for the session, but right now I just feel very scared and anxious.

It doesn't seem so long ago since my husband was in Intensive Care with his head injury, so the fact that it's Mum's head that's the problem is bringing all those memories back.

Sorry. Just needed to splurge.



Ambs
x

I am so sorry to hear this, I hope things get better for you soon.

*hugs* Ambs, those feelings are natural, I know you're doing the best you can xx

I'm so sorry to hear this, best wishes to you and your family.

Sorry to haer that Amber.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Many thanks for your kind wishes. I've managed to get some food inside me, and now I have to put it out my mind to concentrate on my next client, who will be turning up before too long.

Fingers crossed that it isn't something serious and awful. It's so easy to imagine the worst isn't it. But it's a good thing that she's in hospital and people are able to watch over her. Also she'd never have managed to take all her various medications at home with the degree of confusion that she has.

One bit of nice news - Nils was taking his Grade 3 Drum exam this afternoon, and David has rung to say it went well. So that's good.

Oh well, best I get on and prepare for work.

Many thanks again

Ambs
xxx

Glad Nils's drum exam went well

Hugs from me too, Amber. Hope you manage to keep yourself together.

Hoping all will be OK, Amber *fingers crossed*

So sorry to hear the news, Amber. *hug* Will be praying for you all.

Big big hug Amber - I hope all goes well over the next few days - it's easier said than done, I know, but try to keep calm - no amount of worry will help your mum ! Will be thinking of you - I know what distance feels like when those near to us are unwell.

Likewise - best wishes and prayers for a speedy resolution to all this. Don't beat yourself up because you're not there. Sometimes it just isn't possible and it sounds like she's in good hands. Hopefully you'll be able to get to see her soon.

Take care of yourself.

Oboist

So sorry for you.. Best wishes.

Sorry to hear that news Amber. It sounds like your Mum is being well looked after, so try not to worry too much. I hope she is a bit better soon

Amber, I'm so very sorry to hear about your Mum. You just have to keep strong, and remember that there is nothing you can do for her at the moment, she is in caring hands in the hospital and they will do their best for her. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious...thinking of you and of her.

Very sorry to hear about your Mum Amber.

My best wishes to you, your Mum and all your family, hope things look up for all of you very soon.

thinking of you!!!

Sending get well wishes to your mum. Thinking of you too xxx

Thinking of you Amber and Amber's mum

Hugs to you all. Hope Mum is better soon Amber. She is being well looked after and be assured that even if you were there, there's not much you could do, although I bet Mum would like a hug and to know you were there.

Thinking of you all.

Hope your mum is getting better, Amber! Hang in there!

Sorry to hear that, Amber. We'll pray for her.

*Hugs*

Thank you everyone. I rang the hospital today, as did my brother-in-law and my niece all round about the same time - ooops! (The hospital have politely requested that just one person call and then ring round the rest of the family!) The doctors couldn't get round to Mum this morning because they had a couple of cardiac arrests on the ward, but hopefully they will be able to see her this afternoon.

Their thinking in terms of her pain is possibly arthritis, plus a possible repetitive strain injury caused through Mum's sewing vast quantities of Children's Aprons for the Red Cross! (Honestly, you couldn't make this sort of stuff up!)

The confusion they're still not sure about either, and apparently it has got worse this morning. However they have detected low sodium levels, which could possibly account for it apparently. I know she has always used lots of salt on her food, and cut it out about a month ago because we told her it's not good for her high blood pressure. So whether that's what's causing it I don't know. We did suggest she cut back gradually, more to help her taste buds adjust rather than because of any health risk, but Mum being Mum decided to stop using it altogether. If anyone has any knowledge of this sort of thing I would be grateful for your comments.

So I'm cautiously optimistic that whatever is going on is treatable and not life-threatening, but I'm keen to hear what the specialist has to say.

Fingers crossed, plus legs, arms, eyes etc.

Thank you all so much for your very kind and caring comments. I felt really touched when I read them all. It's been rather a tough day generally for the family, because we discovered this morning that my other niece's IVF treatment has failed yet again (their 4th go at it). So your lovely kind comments have helped, thank you.

Ambs
xxx

PS. I think I need chocolate!

Hope everything goes well for your Mum Amber, it's always difficult when someone you care for is ill.

Hope all goes well with your mum, Amber. My mum was a long way off as well, and I know how difficult it is when you can't be there as much as you would like. My thoughts and prayers go to you and all your family.

*more hugs and chocolate*

Hope everything turns out ok Amber.

Yes, hope that things improve.

hope everything get's better soon Amber,
i know how you feel, my cousin wa in a head on collision with a coach the day before yesterday and eveyone is on tenderhooks waiting for news...
my thoughts are with you, and sending a big hug
xoxox

So sorry to hear that Chevvy. What an awful thing to happen. I shall hope and pray that your cousin will be ok. Please let us know the news.

Amber
x

How is your Mum getting on Ambs?

She's still in hospital. The MRI scan shows that she's had a lot of "mini strokes". It's normal apparently to have had some by the time you reach 80 yrs, but abnormal to have as many as she has. I've talked to her on the phone and she just doesn't seem completely with it. I think she's following what I'm saying, then she'll say something which makes me realise that she's either instantly forgotten what I've said, or really hasn't understood. It's awful. My sister says she's aged too in appearance over the past few days.

What with hubby being out of work still, with no job prospects on the horizon, it's rather difficult coping with anxieties of the head (i.e. how are we going to afford to live) as well as anxieties of the heart (is Mum going to recover, or is this the start of a very downhill slope)?

All in all, life's a bit grim right now.



[looks round desperately for her sense of humour]

Where is it? I know it's here somewhere. I knew I shouldn't have tidied up, you can never find anything afterwards.

Ambs
x

Has it got mixed up with the sheet music? On the piano? In the stool?


[Just trying to make you smile, it must be very difficult for you right now, hope something good happens for you soon xx]

sorry to hear about your Mum Amber hope she is doing a little better. It can't be easy for you at the moment, fingers crossed things go better soon 07 is a new year a time for changes especially for you.

Oh Ambs I don't know what to say *hugs*

I really, really hope that things look up for you and your family very soon Amber.

Big hugs from me too.

For what it's worth, after my great-nan's funeral my nan went completely doo-lally - denying that her mum had died and even that her dad had died (he died in 1997). She had no short-term memory, kept repeating the same things over and over again and drank advocaat willingly (she hates it)!

She's now back to her normal bubbly self and it's hard to believe that anything ever happened, but just to let you know that sometimes the mind plays strange tricks. I'm sure your mum will be fun, she sounds like a tough character.

Hope things start to look up for you Ambs *hugs*

Well Mum was discharged from hospital yesterday. She's been allowed home with a special dispenser for her medicines, which is refilled by the pharmacist each week. All she has to do is to open the little drawers for the different days/times of day, and if there's medicine there she needs to take it and if it isn't there then it means she has taken it. If that makes sense.
Mum herself is not making too much sense, which is a bit alarming. It's a bit disconcerting to attempt to hold a phone conversation with her.

And she must have asked my sister to take her in some Christmas cards to write when she was in hospital, because we have received some. BUt she's sent my husband and I a separate card each, and that's a bit odd.

Still she's home, and she's glad to be there. But, typical Mum, having complained considerably about the other people at the hospital, now she's home she's missing them!

She needs to go back to have a Specks(?) scan to determine the blood flow to the brain, and an xray on her neck to see if she needs physio. But she can attend those as an outpatient.



Ambs
xx

Glad your mum's well enough to be at home, Amber. I hope she continues to improve. Could it be the drugs that she is on that are making her feel not "with-it"? Hope things look up for you and your family too.

Pleased to hear your Mum's out of hospital Amber- I hope she continues to improve.

Hope your Mum carries on getting better Amber.

So glad to hear she's home, Amber, and hope she continues to improve and get less confused.

Best wishes to you all.

Glad to hear your mum is out of hospital now.
I wonder whether it is a PET scan?

http://www.petscan.org/frames_neuro.html

Hope she gets better soon

Hope your Mum continues to get better, and you have less on your plate soon.