It Continues

I thought I'd let those who are interested know what is happening with our great aunt. We have spent every day this week at the hospital with her and everyone is very tired.  She has a  spot of pneumonia in one lung, and they found a little staph in her blood. So, she is on IV Levaquin and another anti-biotic I don't know the name of. Where that staph came from is anyone's guess. I felt she had the beginnings of pneumonia earlier, and expressed my belief to the nurse that she was getting a wet cough , but was shot down. Hm, well I'm not as stupid as I look, eh?

They've had to move her IV several times, and today her arm was so swollen I asked them to do something about it. They decided to place a PICC, which is similar to a central line or port. It is in her arm, just above the elbow, and the line is supposed  to travel through a vessel, over her shoulder to her chest, and into a larger vein there. Michelle can explain it better I'm sure, but that's a layman's description. Problem was, her vessels are blocked in places, due to being crimped from age, and other issues, so it took the nurse three tries to actually get it far enough into a vessel to work. It's not over her shoulder, much less to her chest. But, it will allow them to draw blood, and inject medication and hook up the IV, without having to stick her any more. Her poor hands and arms are horribly bruised.

Doing this really threw her for a loop. It hurt, it frightened her, we couldn't be in the room, and she just didn't understand what was going on. She has enough presence of mind that she knows what you are saying, but doesn't always understand it. If that makes sense. I explained why they did it to her twice, but she just didn't understand. I felt so terrible, she was so miserable and frightened, and we had to leave right after that. What she does understand makes her fretful and she worries herself sick about it. She keeps replaying what she has gone through over and over in her mind. It makes her restless at times.

SR and I are so confused. At this point, we don't feel she will be ready to leave the hospital, even if it was to go to a nursing home, for a while yet. We don't know if she is in her last days, or if this is something she can come out of. And I guess we aren't supposed to know, because God has it all well in hand.

Her doctor asks me as many questions as I ask him. He seems to think I have a better understanding of what is happening than he does or something. But, he seems sincere in his attempts to help her recover and is not ready to throw in the towel yet. 

I have a feeling that we will be spending Christmas Day at St. Vincent. And if so, that is ok. I refuse to allow her to be alone on that day, and I also refuse to allow my husband to be there without me on that day.  This has been the strangest Christmas I have ever experienced, but I know God has a plan and there is a reason. He is teaching me to rely on Him, and trust Him to give us all what we need when we need it. It's kinda hard realizing you are actually living out scenarios that you have only read about or been told about. And you think it won't be hard to rely on God during these times, but it is, and I have to keep reminding myself over and over..... You are God. Work Your will. I trust You. Give us what we need, when we need it. Glory be to God.