A mix of photography, recipes, personal thoughts, faith, and lots of family stuff, but not necessarily in that order.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Waiting game...

Today was a full day of appointments for my mom. 
We were at the clinic from 8:30am - 4:00 pm.
These follow-up appointments were related to a stoke she had 3 weeks ago.
She has not been cleared to drive yet and things are still a little fuzzy in her head so, 
I was with her for support and to hear what all the people had to say,

I've been a nurse at Mayo Clinic for 35 years, so it's strange for me
 to be on the "other end" of things... the waiting game.
 
Waiting is never easy but I refuse to complain!
 I know for a fact that the waiting is not because the staff is 
eating bon-bon's behind the desk or just sitting around picking their noses.
I Know how busy it is at the clinic and how things don't always go as planned for the thousands of consecutive appointment that the clinic manages a day.

So we are grateful for this top rated institution that is right here in my home town, 
with expertise and abilities that some will never know. 
I'm always amazed at the grateful hearts of the "out-of-towners" who verbally acknowledge and appreciate Mayo for all that it has to offer...they just seem to get it. 
Perhaps they have seen the alternative, and therefor can appreciate the difference?
(not to say Mayo is the only great medical facility, I know there are plenty of others in the US)

 While waiting for mom to exit from an appointment, 
I stood looking out the window on the 17th floor of the Gonda building. 
I am not thrilled of heights and this was just a little to high for me...gulp

While waiting for another appointment, 
mom was glad to see that her favorite soap opera was on in the waiting room. 
 I remember her watching this when I was a little girl, 
some of the characters have not changed.

Next appointment.... cardiac monitoring

The Body Guardian, 
a little strip of tape equipped with electrodes and gel, with a small transmitter attached which transmits mom's heart beat to a smart phone which in turn sends to the Mayo Clinic.
It's a little intimidating for my momma, but after a few days she'll have the hang of it.
The doctors still haven't figured out what caused mom's stroke. So the last ditch effort is to have her wear a monitor for 30 days to see if they can "catch" a heart arrhythmia which may have caused a little clot to form and break off, and then go to her brain.... we shall see.

and most importantly.... My new earrings
Have you ever left the house without your jewelry on?
This morning I left without the essentials.  
I always feel naked without my earrings and wedding ring, 
so while waiting for another appointment to finish, 
 I went to the hospital gift store and bought me some new earrings, 
I decided I would be patient and just wait till I got home for the wedding ring  :)
After all I had been "waiting" all day, what's another few hours  

12 comments:

  1. Deb Gjere10:17 PM

    Tell Mom I say hi and sorry to hear she had the stroke! We need to stop over and see those 2 again one of these days. Where does time go? Glad for your blog so I can "stay in touch" in some way with my favorite neighbors and family!

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    1. They would love a visit Deb, Bring your mom and Jim along too!

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  2. Thanks for all the help yesterday daughter.

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    1. Oh we had so much fun mom....let do it again :)

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  3. Mayo dealings can be daunting for anyone, but if there's medical issues to be dealt with it's a 'must' to have those second ears.....and trained ears at that!!!! The Gonda bldg was brand new when I was schooling in Rochester ('99) and were able to get a tour. Those structures are way too tall for me, too, but space upwards is "cheap space" once the footprint is in place. So glad you are there for her. Yes....waiting is "the pits"!!!!!

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    1. The day went pretty fast for me, seemed like we always had someplace to be. I work on the 8th floor of Gonda, that's even too high for me. I just try not to think about it :)

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  4. Thank you for all you do to care for your Momma, Jackie! Love you both!

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  5. That is a long day of waiting. I hope the cause of your mom's stroke can be determined. You are such a loving and caring daughter to be with your mom when she most needs you. I would expect nothing less.

    Not being fond of heights is another thing you and I share. You got some great shots, though. I found that my camera helps me in situations where I'm uncomfortable.

    Beautiful earrings!

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    1. She was lucky, it could have been so much worse. I was glad I could be with her, we had a good day hanging out together! I 'm glad you like the earrings, I'm enjoying having a new pair :)

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  6. I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed your unique shots for telling this story, like the feet angle.

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    1. Thanks friend, I knew you would appreciate that :)

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