One night in March of this year, I popped over to my Grandma's house to see her after learning that she hadn't been feeling too hot in the few days before, that she had fallen, and was really having a hard time. Being close to her, I wanted to see for myself. What I saw when I walked in the door was not expected at all. She looked like my grandma - but not really - and she sort of sounded like my Grandma, but even that was debatable. Something was wrong! Turns out that after 3 trips to the ER, countless calls to her regular Dr, and an MRI of her head and neck, the problem revealed itself. She had been having strokes. Not just one, but at least 4! One of them had done some pretty significant damage and was the reason for her neurological symptoms which had previously been chalked up to a pinched nerve. With the problem now known, we could begin a course for rehabilitation. A little background.... To know my Grandmother is to know that she is about as stubborn as a mule having a bad day. She will tell you her mother was the most stubborn woman to live, but her sister Belle has confirmed that my Grandma Lila is in fact the winner of the title. She does it with grace and dignity. But I learned early on that she didn't take any bull, and standing about 5 foot tall she can still grab me by the ear to get my attention if she wants to and I'm not taking my chances on that one. So, when I heard her telling me things like "I've outlived my usefulness" and other thoughts she was having shortly thereafter while in the skilled nursing facility, I fought back some serious tears. Call me selfish, but I wasn't ready to lose her from my life! This was a woman who had lived through some incredibly difficult times, and from where I stood it looked like a mole-hill rather than a mountain. Eventually her outlook improved as she began taking steps again and being able to do more and more for herself. Occupational, physical and speech therapists worked with her daily. She was regaining her resilient spirit with every week. I knew that my aunt had been a care-taker for her quadriplegic ex-husband for about 20 years, and that she was more qualified than most to step into the job, but that she would need "me" breaks. So, I signed up to take a couple days a week in the evening so that she could get out and do things while Grandma needed 24 hour care over then next few months. A couple months back on one of my regular Monday night visits to see my Grandma, enjoy her company, and hang out so my aunt could take a break and get to her bible study class, she and I got to talking about something in October. Her response was "I might not be here"... Ummmm, excuse me? Where would you be going? Why? Did you talk to the Dr and get a prognosis I am unaware of? Turns out the reason was quite simple. My aunt who lives with Grandma full time has been planning a cross-country road-trip to see her kiddos and grand-kiddos in the midwest and it was looking like there would be 6 weeks where Grandma was going to be uprooted from her home. Perhaps I'm nuts, but my immediate response was to ask her, "Is that what you want to do"? At the time she honestly did not see any other options. Only one of her kids had a house that had a ramp to get in and out, grab-bars in the shower and an extra room for her to stay in. I gave her another option - I could come to her house and stay there with her so that she could stay at home. At first she argued because she knows that I have a full plate, but eventually decided it was the best option. And that's why earlier this month, I moved in with my grandma.
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AuthorI'm Michelle, and I've got a full plate! As a full-time dietetics student, step-mom, wife, study coach, and tutor in my late 30's, some days I'm barely scraping by. But, no matter what is on my plate, it's always gluten free! Categories
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