Rehabilitation

On Tuesday, we got approval for a rehab/transitional care facility that had an opening and could facilitate mom's needs. She's been officially moved in and is settling into her new surroundings comfortably.

From the minute we got there, they started to take care of her in the manner I was hoping for. The first thing they did was actually get her situated and hooked her up to her oxygen. As the nurse was doing this, she said she'd be right back because she had to add water to the tank. She educated us that sometimes if you don't add water that it could bring on nosebleeds and it would be highly unpleasant. I swear at that moment, I swear heard angels singing and saw a halo above her head! LOL.

The nurse did her due diligence and we went over everything about mom's care, even the smallest of details and how to work around any potential issues that may arise. I could tell she was caring, genuine and most important, competent! I felt like they could do what I've been doing for the past eight months and that was a big deal.

She also explained that in order for mom to start feeling a bit better and walking again, she'd have to put in some hard work. She said mom would be doing two physical therapy sessions a day for six days a week with rest on Sundays. I was almost taken back by the commitment because mom has been in bad shape but was pleasantly surprised when mom said she'd do what it takes. The nurse had brought in a temporary walker in the room and mom even told her she wanted to see what she could do now even though her first PT was tomorrow. She got up with some assistance and walked! She really surprised me and the nurse. At that moment I was truly proud of her. It did take a lot out of her but it shows me she's not willing to give up quite yet. There's some drive in her that wants her to feel human and normal again regardless on the outcome.

The past few days, she's had some good and bad moments. Obviously, she's been battling with all the cancer-related symptoms and the cancer progressing but we're doing our best to manage it. I'm hoping she can stay here long enough to walk normally again. Since rehab counts are treatment for her condition, the insurance company will cover 70% of costs. We pay 30% -- it still isn't cheap but it's worth it to make her feel better.

Another plus of the new place, is they happily welcome pets to visit. So I am planning on taking turns to bring my pups. It's been quite a few weeks since mom has seen her grand-dogs :)