This post is mainly to update family - although I think only one person occasionally still reads my posts. Which, I must admit, have gotten scarce lately. I had gotten off track of what I wanted this blog to be. In fact, I think since 2013 my entire life has been turned upside down and spit out due to other people's insecurities and accusations and comments. It wasn't a normal spit it out and let's move on, it was hateful. And very damaging to my very soul.
But I have moved on past that and even this morning as I reflected on how I have worked my way back to living life again, I know I still have a ways to go. I recently finished reading a book titled Without Rival by Lisa Bevere. I saw myself in some respects in it, and yet, not really. What am I talking about? The book talks about comparing yourself to other people. Is there a special list you want to be on and you don't make it - does it upset you? Is there someone's attention you really want and someone else gets it - is that a problem for you? (I'm not talking parent/child here). What about if you see someone who seems to be more "spiritual" than you, or more "athletic" than you, or more " (you fill in the blank) " than you..... how does that make you feel? Are you comparing your abilities, skills, and yourself to this person's abilities, skills, and standards? DON'T! God made you in His image, gave you specific gifts, (yes, it is your responsibility to develop them) and He is the one who has good things planned for your future. Anyway, I reflected on how in the past I always wanted to be like my little sister, because I thought she was funny and beautiful. God showed me years ago that I was doing that - and I shared that with her. THAT didn't go over good - that I wasn't going to do that any more. Anyway - on to my story from last weekend.....
Last Friday, one week ago from today, on my way home from work (as usual) I called my older sister, J. I called numerous times on my way home, and got no answer. I shrugged it off and thought maybe someone had taken her out to dinner. Monday on my way home from work, I again called J, and again got no answer. I called numerous times with no response. Not that I was worried, but I was concerned, for this sister lives alone. I called her son to go check on her; he didn't answer his phone. I called again. No answer. I called my younger brother, no answer. Called my sister again and still no response. Called my little brother again and got him. I expressed my concerns about J and asked that he run by and check on her.
Well, he had something else going on, he'd have his wife call her (like I had been calling her for nearly an hour with no answer!!) and would get ahold of her son, who wasn't answering his phone. By now I had arrived at home. I texted my older brother to see if he had talked to J over the weekend - nope, it had been over a week. I text my little sister to see if she (since they are not 'friends' I doubted it, but I was grasping at straws)had heard from her over the weekend. No one was volunteering to go immediately go over to check on her (granted it was 9PM) - two said they would go if I thought they should. Again, this was Monday, and I had no answer on Friday, and was getting no answer on Monday either.
Long, long story short..... My little brother got ahold of J's son, and he went to the apartment - where he found her on the floor in the bathroom. He called 911 and she was transported to the hospital, where she still is today. She is to be moved to rehab, if all her tests come back ok.
Seems she went to the bathroom just before I called on Friday, fell, and didn't have the strength to pull herself back up. She laid on the floor for four days - Friday until Monday evening - before she was found. Without food, without water. She did have enough sense to flush the toilet, get her fingers wet to keep her lips and tongue from drying out. And, yes, she did make a huge mess on the floor. AND, from what I understand, she had a cane in the bathroom and banged on the walls and floor, trying to get attention from anyone. No one heard her - and her floor is destroyed and I assume the walls are too. I believe that her keeping her lips and tongue at least wet kept her alive, although I don't think she would have made it another day. She had been without all of her medication for four days; no food, and no water to drink. She had been spending most of her days in bed anymore, watching TV, so she had lost muscle tone in her legs and had to strength in them to even stand up. I'm sure she crawled TO the bathroom, and when she fell, she couldn't move. Her lack of medication over the four days also made her incoherent, as well as lack of fluids.
The first day I called her in the hospital she was still incoherent and hallucinating. She would say things you knew were totally off the wall - she was not in Tennessee, she was not doing this or that - we would have to let her talk, then bring her back to the subject. The second day I called she was better, but still incoherent at times. Finally she said, "I've got to go - I've got stuff to do". I have no idea what that was about. Yesterday I talked with her and she seemed to be overly drugged. Not sure if I could explain it. She had been without her meds for four days, the hospital did a medication reconciliation (meaning they checked to see if she really needed the drugs and if they worked together or against each other), and I don't know if they are giving her the regular meds or something different. We didn't talk long.
She is to go to rehab today, and I will call on my way home from work tonight to see if she made it. She will probably need to move to an assisted living location, or at least get a "help me I've fallen and can't get up" button.
What is really sad is that she commented Wednesday night that I was the only one who ever checked on her frequently. I try to call Monday-Wednesday-Friday on my way home from work. Occasionally I will call on the weekend if she texts and says "call me". Usually it's something she has seen on the news and wants to tell me about.
So that is my story. I don't know if she will ever completely recover from this, but my prayer is that she will accept this as a second chance, a 'do over' and will start being active and being involved with life. She wasn't taking care of herself, she just didn't care. I am sure I will hear at some point she wished I had let her die there. But I'm glad I pursued getting someone to check on her, even though I wasn't confident something was wrong. One day we don't talk is no big deal (then), but when it was a Friday-Monday, I was concerned.
Do you have someone in your life that you haven't touched base with for awhile? Pick up the phone or send an IM to check on them, on their well-being. You just may save their life. I'm grateful God used me, 1800 miles away, to check on my big sister.
Blessings!
1 comment:
Good Job Mom!
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