One year ago today, I sat with
many supporting family members and friends for hours in the hospital while Mom
had open heart surgery. I went into that day without any sleep because Mom
wanted someone to stay up with her. We ate everything under the sun from about
8 pm to midnight, because that is what normal people do when they are told not to eat after a certain time. Then, we sat up and talked
about absolutely everything, from plans if things didn’t go well to why we
decided to eat all of that food.
Very early in the morning, it
was time to head to the hospital. As I sat in the warm car waiting for everyone
to get in, I watched Mom slowly walk over from the back door. It was the
first light dusting of snow for the year and I watched as she ran her hand
across the sleeping snow and took in the brisk air. And, I knew what she was
thinking.
We made it to the hospital and
they started getting her ready to take back. We all stood in a tiny room while
much of our massive family filed in to pray and send her along. I hugged and
kissed her then stood with my sisters as they wheeled her off into surgery.
The next eight hours were
possibly the longest hours of my life. Nurses kept coming in and out to give us
updates. Then, we were told she was out and everything went well.
Once she was in the ICU, I held
my sisters’ hands and walked in to see her. Mom had warned us beforehand that
she would not look like herself and would be very cold, but not to be worried.
We stood in the room and listened to the nurse recall all of the details. I had
one sister holding my hand, while going to grab Mom’s just to jump and panic
over her temperature and I had another sister with her eyes fixed on the ground
and her arm pulling mine toward the door.
A few hours went by and Mom
decided it was time to wake up. Thankfully, Laura was in there right when she
did. She kept her calm until the nurses came in and could take care of the
ventilator. Even though she wasn’t supposed to talk, she kept begging us for
water and to hold her eyes open. (Mom, as much as I love you, don’t ever ask me to
hold your eyes open. It’s not going to happen.) She finally quieted down and
fell asleep for a few hours.
The next four nights were
sleepless and exhausting. I specifically remember the bed holding me up while I
fanned her at 3 o’clock in the morning. Between filling water cups, dealing
with food, helping with walks, assisting in moves, and playing with break-away
ice packs, the nurses were convinced I was a nursing student. And, they knew not to get in my way.
I can’t believe it has been a
year and what a year it has been. Although Mom isn’t 100% up to health codes,
she is doing significantly better. I learned many things those days I spent with her in the hospital:
1) Coffee does not equal water. When coffee is the only thing in your system for roughly 30 hours, you start to hurt. very. badly.
2) Dry shampoo is not always the best solution, but does keep a patient looking fresh and less hospital smelling.
3) Even when the doctor says the patient has to be on a low sodium diet from now on, it's still okay to sneak taco bell in at 1 a.m. because she's finally hungry enough to eat.
4) Hospital wi-fi is better than college wi-fi.
5) No matter how irritating a parent can be, always be appreciative of the time you get to spend with them. This day could have gone much worse and this post could be significantly more depressing and I praise God every day that it is not that way.
Mom,
You are the strongest woman I
know. (and quite possibly the most stubborn, but we’ll save that for another
time.) You’ve taught me everything I know and I can’t thank you enough for
giving everything you have to always help the three of us. You’ve always been
there, even when we aren’t the best people to keep around. Although your valve ticks like a clock on a
regular basis and sounds like a bomb is about to explode when you get mad, I’m
very glad you’re still around to sing with me, make random food with me because we ran out of corn starch for our original plan, and always support me in everything I do. Do keep in mind, however, that when I begin to have
children 10 years from now, you will be the one fanning me at 3 in the morning
and getting me ice chips when no nurse can be found. Husband-shmusband. That's on you now.
I love you to the moon and back,
Mom. Always.
