Waiting....

We are now waiting for mom to get a bed at a Skilled Nursing Facility.   Her Doctor officially wrote up discharge papers yesterday, but one SNF didn't have a female bed available (the place of choice), so now they have been working with a few others to see their availability.   Mom is mentally ready to get out of the hospital and move onto the next phase of recovery.   It's amazing how ones perspective changes when the recovery is happening.  She was so sick for days and days and at that point she was DONE.   Now that her symptoms have been showing some improvement and she is starting to eat "anything she wants", her attitude has improved also.

Today the Doctor told me she could have anything she wanted and to feel free to bring her whatever she wanted because he wants her to eat.  At this point it's not a matter of good foods, bad foods - he even made a joke about her use of the word "Salt"..often.   Yes, she is a salt addict and at this point, that's fine.   We have a Harper family joke- I think we are the only family I know who will sit down with 3-4 salt shakers at the dinner table with 8 people at the table! 

Mom seems determined once again to beat this and get back to her apartment, to her bingo games and to a point where she can go out and have FUN again.   Today I spoke of a coffee shop that I stumbled upon in Redwood City that I think would be a perfect hangout for her.  Told her where it was downtown (next to our favorite Mexican restaurant) and explained that it looked like it had the same atmosphere as "Tiffany's" that she would visit daily in her old neighborhood.   She seemed intrigued by the idea.  I know that she yearns to be out socializing with different people, all ages, all walks of life - not just the Senior Community and I just need to help her break the ice to do this. 

As of now, we should get word tomorrow on her next place of care and hopefully we can get her settled in her new place easily.  Then hopefully she won't be there very long.

This has been one crazy journey and I honestly don't think I would be nearly as sane if I didn't have this outlet to voice my feelings, my fears, my thoughts, my hopes and dreams.  I'm now starting to see and realize that my blogging is also helping others who are facing or have faced similar situations and they in turn have been helping me with their private messages and sharing their stories and own challenges with similar situations.  I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you- you know who you are.  I feel as though some friendships or acquaintances have graduated to new levels because of this common bond.