Day 4 of March

What a very hectic day. Why is it when you have a plan, something always happens to change it. So much for being organized.
First thing this morning I received a call from Mom. She sounded chipper and I asked what she was up to. "I bashed in my head" she said. Now it's not that I didn't believe her but like I said she was chipper and laughed when she told me. So she put the nurse on the phone, Bruce. Seems Mom took a topple in the kitchen and she fell and hit her head. Bruce was pretty sure she was going to need stitches in her head.
I rushed over to the seniors center and sure enough Mom was sitting in her chair - big bandage on her forhead; side of her head and her hand. Took her to the near by clinic and bless their hearts, despite being booked solid, a nurse came out and told the receptionist to slip us in.
Seven stitches later;----- I finally got the story straight from mom. Seems she had just finished potting plants and was coming back to clean up her mess. She noticed dirt on the floor and bent over to clean it up and that's when she lost her balance. The doctor figures she must have hit her head on her eye glasses first because the gash on her head was done with something sharp. When mom lifted her head off the floor she was bleeding quite a bit. She called for help, but of course the walls are not made of paper in this place. Finally after about 10 minutes (in mom time) she scooted on her butt over the to door and pryed it open. This time when she called for help, seven nurses came running.
As sad as this story is; it is a blessing to know this is the first time she has had to have stitches. I think she has fallen a couple of times in the past ten years. And thankfully, she didn't trip over her air tubes; they seem to always get in the way.
The sad part of the story has nothing to do with Mom's physical health. As we were waiting in the doctors office, mom and I were discussing a few things and I realized how much her memory was going. She repeated a story she had told me for the third time; commented about a poem I returned to her, that she lent me and she couldn't remember ever seeing it before; and I had sent a picture to mom in the mail. She didn't recognize anyone in the picture - including me and my cousins. thankfully I had the good sense not to argue with her or remind her of these things she didn't remember. Out of concern I did ask her if she new what day it was today - and she did. I guess for 87 she's doing pretty well. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for families to watch loved ones who have to deal with dementia or alzheimers at an early age.
My goal is to make sure when Mom does have flashbacks, we make the most of what she can remember.
I called Mom to see how she was feeling tonight. What a trooper. She's doing fine and the nurses will check on her every hour.

"Memories, like the corners of my mind.
Misty water colored memories.......
Of the way we were......"

Night
S