My Mama

My mama has had some really rough times lately. She has very bad diabetes and is in the final stages of kidney failure. On Sept. 18, she had surgery where a fistula was created in her left arm in preparation for dialysis.

Today, I got a phone call that chilled me to the very core. I saw on the caller id that it was my mom's cell phone, so I answered quickly. However, it was not her on the other end. It was her boss and close friend, Georgianna. She was calling for my mom. She said, "I wanted to call and let you know that we have a problem." I completely expected the next sentence to be that my mom's blood sugar had dropped. That was not it.

"Mrs. Thelma fell in the parking lot and hit her head really badly. She did not lose consciousness. Her sugar is very high and her blood pressure is really high. The EMS is here."

"WHAT!?!"

"Her hand is skinned up pretty badly too."

"Which hand?"

"Her left hand."

"What about her arm? Is her arm ok?"

"I don't know. I don't think that she hit her arm."

"I need to know if her left arm is ok. That fistula has not had enough time to heal. If it tears, she will bleed to death in a matter of minutes. I need to know now, please!"

The EMS checked her fistula site and decided that it was not damaged. (An appointment to the surgeon is scheduled for 9 am tomorrow for an ultrasound to ensure that it is not damaged.) Two of her co-workers drove her home because she is hard-headed.

I called my aunt to see if she could go and stay with her until I got home from work. She had to work and could not go. So, I called Tommy and asked him to go and stay with her until I got there. I left work at 4 to get home early.

Oh my goodness what a site she is! She has a huge goose-egg above her left eye. Her eye is black and blue and swollen. The skin from a huge portion of her cheek is missing. Her left hand is scraped up very badly. Not to mention how sore she is going to be in the morning.