Unexpected Time with Great Grandma Key

My parents as well as my sister and her family left on Sunday for Miami. They were all headed on a 10 day cruise through the Panama Canal. While we were invited to go as well, we all know that Shane is not a huge traveler and that I probably need to break him in on a cruise by taking a shorter cruise than ten days. And, not to mention that we are saving for our trip to Disney. My parents came in on Friday and spent a little time with us before they headed out on Sunday. Prior to leaving, my dad gave me the phone number not only to where Grandma Key lives, but also to his siblings - just in case something transpired with her while they were gone.

On Monday morning, I received a phone call from Brookedale (where Grandma Key lives) informing me that it appears her temporal arteritis is flared up again and she is having really bad headaches. They scheduled an appointment for her that afternoon in hopes that the doctor would increase her Prednisone again to get her arteritis back under control. My parents had not yet left on their cruise when I received the call, so I called and informed them just so they were aware. After her appointment, the nurse at Grandma's facility called to tell me that they indeed increased her Prednisone, which is the proper treatment. I informed her that if she needed me, to just let me know.

On Tuesday morning I received a call from the nurse telling me that Grandma was not doing well and she felt I should go and check on her if I was able. She said she always seems to cheer up when she has visitors and was hoping that me coming would help. She said they had a hard time getting her to follow commands and that she did not eat breakfast well. They said she also was still having headaches and appeared to be in pain. I contacted my aunt and uncles and informed them of what was going on with Grandma and headed to Kerrville after Shane got home from a dentist appointment. I arrived in Kerrville while she was at dinner with her tablemates. She was holding her food, but not really eating her dinner. I, along with her tablemates, had to coax her to eat nearly every bite. She did not appear to be in pain, however she definitely was not herself. After dinner, I wheeled her up to her room and we visited and talked to the boys via FaceTime. She was sound asleep in her chair when I left her at about 9:15. I knew the staff would be in shortly to get her ready for bed and I didn't want to mess up their routine.

A little FaceTime with the boys before bed time

The next morning when I arrived, she had already made her bed and was up sitting in her chair. They brought her breakfast to her room, which she ate a lot of, and then I helped her get dressed. We hung out in her room until lunch time, and then I wheeled her down to her table. All of her tablemates were there and she appeared to be eating well, so I left her there and went to the store to get her some honey and then picked us up a treat. I headed back to Brookedale and she was just getting ready to head back up to her room. I asked her if she wanted a chocolate shake I brought her, and without hesitation she said, "Why yes!" She LOVES her ice cream - guess I know where I get it from. We enjoyed our chocolate shakes, visited a bit more, and then I headed back to Cypress. She was much improved and the staff and myself all felt like she was on the mend! I musts say I was so blessed to be able to spend this time with her!!!

On Thursday, Shane and I had taken the boys to the movies to see 'Sing!' While the previews were playing, I received a phone call from Joy (one of the med aides at Grandma's that has been there since Grandma arrived there). She called to inform me that after lunch, Mel (one of Grandma's tablemates) and Grandma were getting off the elevator to go to her room and Grandma turned wrong and fell and was complaining of left hip pain. They had called the ambulance and Grandma was on the way to the hospital. I went ahead and finished the movie, knowing it would take a bit to get her there and get the x-rays. When we got out of the movies, I contacted the hospital in Kerrville and spoke with a nurse in the ER who informed me that Grandma did indeed fracture her pelvis in 3 places. They were uncertain as to what the next step was, but she was thinking that Grandma would be transferred to San Antonio due to her age (which she will be 99 on Christmas) and a decision made there as to whether they would operate or not. After a bit, the nurse called me back and let me know that they were indeed transferring her to San Antonio. I again, contacted my aunt and uncles and let them know of the situation. It was decided I would drive there to be with her until my Uncle John from Nevada could get there, which a flight would not land until after 1:00pm on Friday. So I packed up another bag and headed for San Antonio Military Medical Center. When I arrived around 8:00pm, Grandma was in a room in the ER flat on her back with a C-collar on awaiting a decision from the trauma team and orthopedic team. After speaking with the doctors, it was determined that most likely they would not operate due to her age and the loss of blood could be detrimental to her heart.  They instead would allow her to heal on her own with the help of PT and pain medication. Fortunately, Grandma was in good spirits and remembers the fall, saying "It was really hard!"We finally got in a room sometime after 11:00pm. Grandma was restless through the night, but at least she rested.

The next morning another team of doctor's came in and informed me that they had decided not to operate. The type of fracture she had was a acetabulum fracture, which was rare for someone her age. Generally someone her age fractures the head of their femur, however she actually fractured her pelvis. Since it was not causing any damage to any of her organs or pushing on any nerves or vessels, surgery did not have to be performed. What a blessing for Grandma. The doctor said she would have to be in a wheelchair for at least 6 weeks while getting PT. I did ask if he felt she would ever get out of the wheelchair and the doctor did not seem overly optimistic since at her age, a few days of no walking would cause her to decondition quickly. He did say stability wise she should heal where she could walk, but just wasn't certain since she would be in a wheelchair for an extended period of time. One of the many good things about Grandma is she does not like to be just laying in bed and even said to me that laying in the bed all the time is not good for her. So hopefully, she will keep a good attitude and do everything she needs to do to keep moving.

I spoke with the nurse where Grandma lives that morning and talked to her about Grandma returning to the Skilled Nursing section and got that squared away so when it was time for her to be released from the hospital, she would have a place to go. Once my Uncle John arrived (and we got over a small scare with Grandma not being very responsive despite her vital signs being excellent) I headed back home to be with my family for Christmas.

I am so thankful I have a husband who is more than willing to watch the kids and entertain them so that I could go and take care of my Grandma! This time with her meant a lot to me and I was glad I was able to be there with her.