Mama Week

I’ve had a very rewarding time with Mom. Last Sunday she felt well enough to go to church. But Monday brought the beginning of a decline. She just felt very weary and tired. We went to the cardiologist on Tuesday. She was still in atrial fibulation (A-fib- where the heart flutters instead of beating regularly) and they thought that could be causing her fatigue and being out of breath all the time.

They scheduled another Cardioversion on Thursday. Wednesday she slept a lot. We hoped that Thursday would bring a new lease on life. Her heart did go back into regular rhythm after just one shock. So that was good news. And she said her muscles felt stronger. However the medicine they put her on to keep her heart in rhythm did not agree with her.

Some of the side effects are fatigue, muscle weakness, ataxia (can’t walk well) and tremors. Mom had them all. By Friday morning she couldn’t get herself out of bed. We used the walker as a wheel chair with Mom sitting on the seat and me pushing her.

Robert with his pharmacy wisdom helped me understand the drug options. Basically all the drugs for this problem are in the same family and all will likely cause the same symptoms. Indeed, perhaps her fatigue last week was not due as much to the A-fib as it was to the drugs she was taking.  Cynthia called the doctor on Saturday and the Dr. on call said stop taking the med!

Mom said being on this medicine was worse than having the A-fib. She actually started improving by the evening. I got up with her the first few times she needed to go at night, but then she was able to wheel herself into the bathroom. And by this afternoon, she could push the walker down the hall to the living room. She’s still tired, but she can do a lot more for herself. So we are grateful!

Kathy will be coming on Monday evening and I will fly home on Tuesday.

Even amid helping Mom, I have been able to get work done. I finished my Heating and Cooling newsletter and sent it off. I wrote two article for my Executive Coach and got those off. I had two mastermind meetings online— missed one, listened to the other. I had a Skype call with Motley Fool UK- a financial newsletter company. We are in talks with my writing a sales letter for them. And I’ve done some work on some of the Start Up companies.

Thursday after Mom’s procedure, Cynthia stayed with Mom and allowed me to go off to the temple. It was a delight to be there. I was able to do an endowment plus some other work. And then Cynthia came over after her church on Sunday and I was able to attend my services.

I was able to get some of my church work done long distance. I arranged for missionaries to be fed at their interviews and updated my secretary. I called two of my ward Relief Society Presidents to give and receive information and sent a report to the stake president.

It’s awfully nice to see Mom doing better. Our hope and prayer is that she will stay in rhythm without the sickening medicine. Second best- she goes into A-fib, but it’s tolerable without medicine to make her ill. Third option, a procedure to burn the offending electric impulse places and then put in a pace maker to even out the heart beats.

She and I have both felt her encircled in the arms of Heavenly Father. Thank you all for your prayers.