As many of you know, Margaret has had some serious health issues for the past few years. Sabrina very thoughtfully put together this summary e-mail. Margaret is in the hospital again (Barnes-Jewish in St. Peters) after having just been released from St. Joseph's West yesterday (Saturday, July 19 2014). Here is Sabrina's summary:
"My mom had a titanium ankle put on her right leg in 2009. A few months ago it started to cause her some pain so the doctor removed some screws from the ankle that were no longer needed. With this, she began to have more pain and the wound from removing the screws wouldn’t heal. Stef took her back to the doctor and he decided they also needed to remove the steel plate in the ankle that also was not needed. The screws and the plate were there to help the artificial ankle attach to the bone, which it did. We knew there was risk with this because she would be put under anesthesia and we were concerned about her mental state. Stef scheduled the surgery and right before she was supposed to go in for surgery Mom woke up in the night with what presented as a heart attack. That was July 2nd.. She was taken by ambulance and admitted to Barnes St. Peters hospital and after many tests the doctors said there was no evidence of a heart attack. However, she her seizure activity increased and she had to stay in the hospital until July 6th so that they could make sure she was stable enough to go home to Stef’s house. She finally had surgery on her ankle this past Tuesday, July 15th and was sent home. During the night that same night she started running a fever and her ankle was swollen and red, which indicated an infection. She was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph West (because that’s the hospital where the orthopedic doctor practices) in Lake St. Louis and given strong intravenous antibiotics. She has been very confused since this all started but this past week has been the worst. We weren’t sure if it was because of the medication or being in unfamiliar surroundings or if her dementia has worsened and we still don’t know. She was sent home yesterday afternoon with a picc line so that Stef could continue giving her antibiotics intravenously. She still remains in a state of confusion and early this morning when Stef went to check on her and she had pulled her picc line out. As Stef waited to speak with a nurse and figure out what to do, Mom started turning blue. She was taken by ambulance to Barnes St. Peters as this is the hospital that her primary care doctor works out of. The paramedics said her oxygen levels were in the low 80’s.
At this point, that’s all we know. Please pray for our family. We are at a loss for what’s best for Mom right now, except we know she needs to be in the hospital. Beyond that, when she is well, we aren’t sure what to do. Stef and Dan have been rocks through all of this. Without them Mom would’ve been in an extended care facility a long time ago. We all do what we can to help out and it’s been hard on all of us, however, it’s been toughest on Stef and Dan because they are with her 24/7. Pray for Mom to get well and pray for our family to handle what comes our way with grace and gratitude for the love Mom always has given us.
Aunties, edit what you want. Just ask for prayers please. I love you both to pieces."
"My mom had a titanium ankle put on her right leg in 2009. A few months ago it started to cause her some pain so the doctor removed some screws from the ankle that were no longer needed. With this, she began to have more pain and the wound from removing the screws wouldn’t heal. Stef took her back to the doctor and he decided they also needed to remove the steel plate in the ankle that also was not needed. The screws and the plate were there to help the artificial ankle attach to the bone, which it did. We knew there was risk with this because she would be put under anesthesia and we were concerned about her mental state. Stef scheduled the surgery and right before she was supposed to go in for surgery Mom woke up in the night with what presented as a heart attack. That was July 2nd.. She was taken by ambulance and admitted to Barnes St. Peters hospital and after many tests the doctors said there was no evidence of a heart attack. However, she her seizure activity increased and she had to stay in the hospital until July 6th so that they could make sure she was stable enough to go home to Stef’s house. She finally had surgery on her ankle this past Tuesday, July 15th and was sent home. During the night that same night she started running a fever and her ankle was swollen and red, which indicated an infection. She was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph West (because that’s the hospital where the orthopedic doctor practices) in Lake St. Louis and given strong intravenous antibiotics. She has been very confused since this all started but this past week has been the worst. We weren’t sure if it was because of the medication or being in unfamiliar surroundings or if her dementia has worsened and we still don’t know. She was sent home yesterday afternoon with a picc line so that Stef could continue giving her antibiotics intravenously. She still remains in a state of confusion and early this morning when Stef went to check on her and she had pulled her picc line out. As Stef waited to speak with a nurse and figure out what to do, Mom started turning blue. She was taken by ambulance to Barnes St. Peters as this is the hospital that her primary care doctor works out of. The paramedics said her oxygen levels were in the low 80’s.
At this point, that’s all we know. Please pray for our family. We are at a loss for what’s best for Mom right now, except we know she needs to be in the hospital. Beyond that, when she is well, we aren’t sure what to do. Stef and Dan have been rocks through all of this. Without them Mom would’ve been in an extended care facility a long time ago. We all do what we can to help out and it’s been hard on all of us, however, it’s been toughest on Stef and Dan because they are with her 24/7. Pray for Mom to get well and pray for our family to handle what comes our way with grace and gratitude for the love Mom always has given us.
Aunties, edit what you want. Just ask for prayers please. I love you both to pieces."
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