I’ve had several calls from mum’s Care Home this last couple of weeks. I think that the first was to tell me that mum had fallen, but apart from some bruising, she was ok. Another call, a few days later was to tell me that mum’s blood iron levels had been dropping significantly over a period of time and this was PROVEN by the most recent test following her fall.
The doctor had contacted our local hospital to enquire about a blood transfusion and Cilla had phoned to discuss this with me. Neither of us thought that this would be a good thing for mum, especially in the middle of a virile global pandemic, where hospitals are seen to be a source of virus transmission. We further agreed that given the state of mum’s dementia, she would become confused and agitated. Rightly or wrongly, we (and I advised the family too) agreed to let sleeping dogs lie.
This week’s phone calls have been far more serious.
I was phoned on Sunday (I think, it might have been Monday) to be told that the home had recorded its first case of Covid-19. As a result, all of the residents were tested (they were already tested monthly) and mum’s test had proven Positive. Well, that was a worry, but mum was reported as being well and not showing any symptoms. Fair enough. Various calls during the week assured us that mum was still eating and drinking as normal and showing no signs of Covid.
Then on Thursday I got a call to say that mum had fallen and broken her hip. And, that paramedics were with her. She was in a lot of pain and they were going to take her to hospital. I would be kept informed!
On Friday I had a few calls from the hospital: I first spoke with a Sister who assured me that all was well and that the doctors were considering an operation; I then spoke with a nurse from mum’s ward, who assured me that mum was eating and that she had a little pain, but she was comfortable; and then finally, I was called by a doctor who said that mum had had a blood transfusion to boost her immune system and that all being well (that everything stayed as it was) they would operate on mum in the morning.
I called the Family Help-Line earlier today and mum had been pushed ‘up the list’ as she was refusing meds and had pulled her cannular out. I called later and was told the operation had been successful and that mum was ‘in recovery’. That’s it for now.
UPDATE: I wrote the above on 14th November 2020. On 26th November, mum died. See: https://saturdaywalks.wordpress.com/2020/11/26/covid-19-fuck-you-2/
Failing to remember 