Our two wonderful hospice nurses just left. They very efficiently got mom all cleaned up and into some fresh clothes (including one of my freebie T-shirts from an internet security company--the nurses wanted something that would be looser on her than her teeny little shirts). They changed the bed and set it up so it will be easier for us to change her position to avoid pressure sores.
Both RNs are pretty sure that mom's severe hip pain is due to one or more blood clots. They saw evidence of bruising around her knee and thigh that evidently could be a clot dissolving. Denise said that with mom's vastly fluctuating Protimes, she is surprised that it didn't happen sooner. They also said that this could be why her condition went downhill so fast...that there could easily have been other clots in other areas--her lungs or her heart, etc. And now that I think about it, on Saturday she did decline very suddenly from sitting in her chair having lunch, to not being able to stand or hold a water glass at 9pm that night, and that night is also when she complained of "feeling weird" and speculated that maybe she'd had a small stroke. Huh; maybe she nailed it.
They put on a small medication patch to help with the pain, and they told us that it lasts for three days. Mom groaned in pain when they had to move her to get her cleaned and dressed, but she is now resting very comfortably and seems relaxed. A little while ago she was making some sounds, so Bill and I went in there and we asked her if she would like water. She barely indicated yes, so we gave her a little via an eyedropper that the nurses had left for that purpose, and that seemed to have been what she wanted.
The nurses say that she could hang in there for up to a week, but they don't think it will go that long.
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Prayers are with you.
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