Mom on Friday

This morning's platelet count was 27. Twenty-seven. As in almost tripling what her count was the night before! She did get another two units of platelets in the past 24 hours (I think her grand total is now at about 8 units of platelets since Tuesday). She jokes that she keeps hearing there's a nation-wide platelet shortage and here she is sucking them all down.  Everyone reassures her that she needs them, so she gets them!

 They weaned her off the blood pressure medication and her blood pressure dropped from what it was with it (125/85) to about 104/72, it's still on the good side.

She actually slept a little more today-- got a good nap in and got a couple more hours than than the night before.

Her color is more natural now-- not all yellow-ish. She's still pale, but she doesn't look like Death is waiting right next to her anymore.

She supposed to be moved out of the ICU tomorrow sometime- provided that her blood pressure stays up and her stomach doesn't start bleeding again.

My dad is still convinced she's going to be ok. I finally got a chance to talk to him about all this tonight after we left the hospital and he firmly believes that this visit, while scary, has been good because some things that have been wrong for a while are finally getting taken care of; things like her stomach hurting and throwing up blood, etc. His main complaint has always been that everyone (doctors) are so specialized that no one is really looking at the whole person and what's going on. The Huntsman surgeon has been giving advice the whole time that no other doctor will listen to and they get frustrated when my dad asks questions or makes the suggestions from the surgeon. My dad is very analogical and is good a "big picture" things and then being proactive to make end results happen. He's getting annoyed that the current ICU doctors are only looking at the next twelve hours and not what they can do now to help her in a week or a month.

Seeing her today does make me feel better. Right before we left her, Dad was in the hall talking to the night nurses and giving them some insights into what will make Mom comfortable and I got to talk to her. I got her all tucked in with her heated blankets and her sheets up to her chin and I rubbed her face. When I was little and couldn't sleep, Mom would come in and lightly trace her finger on my forehead and cheeks and chin and nose and quietly talk to me. It was a pretty instantaneous calming and it works on her, too! When she was in the hospital last fall and would be restless and couldn't sleep, I'd do the same thing to her and it had the same effect. It worked tonight as well.  I know that someday, soon or later, she'll be gone, and I don't want to have any regrets that I should have done more for her. She's an amazing mom and I actually have the opportunity to repay her in small ways for being so awesome my whole life. I'd be insane to miss these little opportunities!