What a Difference!

I'm still amazed at what a big difference a pacemaker has made in my Mom's energy levels! She has gone from the "old lady" Mom that I constantly worried about to a younger version of herself. It's really made a great difference.

Mom is doing well. We went to Rush for the first follow-up pacemaker appointment last week. They check Mom's scar and deemed that it's closing up and healing just fine. No infection. Halleluiah! Mom has strict orders to stay away from the catbox and the basement in order to avoid contamination. As you'll recall, our basement flooded recently and I'm worried that she will touch something and get bacteria on her scar. So, she is forbidden to do any more laundry. Those are now my chores (additional!).

We'll return to Rush for a second follow-up visit in which they will test the pacemaker to ensure it is functioning properly for Mom. That appointment is at the beginning of October. They are also supposed to show her how to use the phone to report in or test the pacemaker. That should be interesting.

Mom's coumadin levels have returned to normal. We had to make a few trips to Rush as her levels were slow to build back up again after being off coumadin for her tooth extraction and pacemaker procedure. Now, however, things are normal.

The day we went to Rush for her pacemaker follow-up appointment, we also stopped at the other building to have her coumadin levels checked. There was a fire drill that day (or someone pulled the alarm) and we had to evacuate the building and stand outside for about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the clinic is on the 5th floor, so Mom (and LOTS of other mobility challenged patients!) had to walk down 5 flights of stairs to evacuate the building. If there would have been a real fire, we might have burned! But Mom did a pretty good job of navigating the stairs while others were trying to pass her and evacuate. I'm proud that she didn't panic or get frustrated. She just kept on going and did what she had to do.

What a good lesson I learned that day - no matter what... just keep moving forward and do what needs to be done. Mom is still teaching me every day!