#386 Ouch, That Hurts - Another Jane Tale

Wednesday afternoon, I received a call from my brother. His mood was less than cordial. More like a no nonsense, this important. He demanded we do an audio chat. I immediately signed on to our IM and we had the following discussion.

• He had had very little sleep since 0530 the previous morning.
• Around 0130 that morning he had been up because mom fell and had to be taken to the emergency room.
• She had a broken shoulder.
• The orthopedist could not operate on her to set the shoulder due to her age(94).
• The routine blood work indicated her white cell count was higher than they liked, but since they did not have any other tests with which to compare it, they were not sure why the count was that high.
• Her platelet count was out of usual boundaries, too. Same scenario as above, nothing with which to compare it.
  
• Another blood test will be taken on Monday next.
  
• She was released and he brought her home.
• For the rest of the night she would be up to go to the bathroom. He would have to be up with her to help steady her.

I had already made plans to be there next week. Now we will have some chores to get done. I know my brother will appreciate someone to give him some respite. Mom isn't always the easiest person to get along with. She is still going to the bathroom without his help. The scary part is her instability. He is really concerned that she will fall again and break something else. The bad side to that is the pain she will undergo. The good side to that will be the potential for hospitalization. That may sound rather harsh, but she will have fresh folks looking out for her. My brother would be able to get a good night's sleep too.

Mom's sleeping patterns have been erratic. She goes to bed when she is tired. Lately she spends most of her time in bed. And, she is going to continue with that "schedule".

I look forward to getting more of her stories about her life. I also plan to read back to her the stories she has already provided and shared with you. (See the label, Jane.)

#386