So it has been over four months now since my mom was hit by a car after leaving work. I thought it was time for an update about what's happened since.
For anyone who didn't see the original post, it can be found here. There are four parts, links at the bottom of each post.
First of all, after I returned to Iceland it was very difficult getting back into my routine. My Icelandic classes were about to start again and I didn't feel ready to go back to work (but of course I had to in order to pay my rent). Every time a customer complained about their coffee being too cold (or worse, too hot), I wanted to scream and throw the drink over them. Seriously, never complain about minor things, you never know what it going on in someone's life. There were even people complaining that I'd put the drink in a take away cup but they wanted it in a mug, and demanded that I make the drink from scratch again. THIS. IS. NOT. A. SERIOUS. ISSUE.
I also had an email from a journalist asking to promote the Crowdfunder, I asked permission from the police liason officer as I didn't want to give any information to the press if it would interfere with the investigation. Annoyingly, the liason officer wasn't really interested in talking to me once I'd returned to Iceland. She stopped sending me updates and started to ignore me.
Not so long after I returned to Iceland, mom was no longer deemed to be in a critical condition and was moved from Intensive Care to another ward. Her memory was still fuzzy but a few weeks after that she was deemed well enough to be moved to another hospital (Sandwell and Dudley). She had seemed pretty good when she moved, but within a few days her memory deteriorated again. One time I called her and she didn't even believe that I was her daughter! Sandwell didn't know what to do and admitted that they weren't made aware of just how serious her condition was. They had to call the QE for advice, the QE suggested tilting her bed back so the fluids stay in her head. They tried it and within a few days she started to return back to the way she had been when she came to Sandwell. At some point at Sandwell she tried to get out of bed, she fell but a nurse spotted it and caught her before she hit the ground.
I visited her when she'd been in Sandwell for a few weeks and I was a little shocked. To me she actually seemed a little bit worse than she was on my last visit. She struggled to put sentences together and didn't understand some things. She seemed very dazy, especially on the first day. She looked physically different too. Last time, half of her head was very swollen where the skull had been removed, this time the skin was sunken down below where the skull should've been. It looked very scary as she only appeared to have half a head! We asked one of the nurses if her broken ribs had healed properly. She looked at us blankly and didn't know what we were talking about. She asked when had mom broken her ribs. I couldn't believe that no one knew about the extent of her injuries. The hospitals hadn't communicated well.
I returned to Iceland admittedly a little upset as I didn't feel that she was in the best place (that being said, the nurses and cleaning staff at Sandwell are fantastic! I really appreciate everything that they've done for mom). It seemed to me like she was regressing and I wanted her back in the QE as soon as possible. We were told that she couldn't return to the QE until she was having surgery to put the metal plate in her skull. It was so frustrating and I felt that no one was taking my mom's case seriously anymore (and honestly those feelings haven't changed, I still don't believe it's being taken seriously). The hardest thing was, again, returning to work in my customer service job. My lease was almost up and I had the stress of moving again to think about too. I also found out about some new changes that would be taking place at work soon, regarding new management and staff. For the first time ever, I really needed consistency but there was none.
Over the weeks mom's condition seemed to be at a stand still, no better but no worse. I was planning to visit again for a little bit longer this time. I managed to get the time off and came home for a week to visit. It was so much better this time! My mom seemed to be back to herself, just missing half of her skull. She was chatty and happy, but getting bored of being stuck in bed. She couldn't remember anything from the last few months of being in hospital and still couldn't believe what had happened. Although she told me that she was nervous, she desperately wanted her surgery so that she could start rehabilitation. Before I returned home on 17th May, she was told her surgery would be on 25th May.
The day I left she was moved back to the QE to be prepped for surgery as it had been brought forward! Then they cancelled it and rescheduled, it was cancelled again and she was told by 25th May she will have the surgery. The 25th May came and went - still no surgery. It was decided that she could learn to walk to the toilet with the help of a zinger frame and a nurse. Although I knew that mom would be happy to be able to get out of bed, I didnt like the idea of her getting up with half of her brain unprotected.
Her condition worsened, she was starting to act a little bit funny again. The doctors discovered that she'd contracted MRSA and she was put in a side room alone. She hates that, she has no one to talk to and she can't people watch. Infuriatingly, the nurses also can't keep an eye on her so well. She got out of bed to go to the bathroom, alone. She fell. No one noticed her getting out of bed.
The surgery was cancelled yet again, this time the doctor informed us that this appointment was never for the surgery, it was a visit to the neurological centre. Mom can't leave the hospital until she's had the surgery so it wasn't a good excuse.
A few days ago mom had a seizure. She hasn't had one before. The hospital says that they don't know what brought on the seizure but she should be in surgery this week.
I don't feel that I can believe them anymore.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the Crowdfunder, I raised £1200 to visit mom over the coming months!
I know that I been a pain over the last few months cancelling plans at the last minute and struggling to keep in touch. Thank you everyone for being patient with me. It really means at lot. ❤
Loppy x
For anyone who didn't see the original post, it can be found here. There are four parts, links at the bottom of each post.
First of all, after I returned to Iceland it was very difficult getting back into my routine. My Icelandic classes were about to start again and I didn't feel ready to go back to work (but of course I had to in order to pay my rent). Every time a customer complained about their coffee being too cold (or worse, too hot), I wanted to scream and throw the drink over them. Seriously, never complain about minor things, you never know what it going on in someone's life. There were even people complaining that I'd put the drink in a take away cup but they wanted it in a mug, and demanded that I make the drink from scratch again. THIS. IS. NOT. A. SERIOUS. ISSUE.
I also had an email from a journalist asking to promote the Crowdfunder, I asked permission from the police liason officer as I didn't want to give any information to the press if it would interfere with the investigation. Annoyingly, the liason officer wasn't really interested in talking to me once I'd returned to Iceland. She stopped sending me updates and started to ignore me.
Not so long after I returned to Iceland, mom was no longer deemed to be in a critical condition and was moved from Intensive Care to another ward. Her memory was still fuzzy but a few weeks after that she was deemed well enough to be moved to another hospital (Sandwell and Dudley). She had seemed pretty good when she moved, but within a few days her memory deteriorated again. One time I called her and she didn't even believe that I was her daughter! Sandwell didn't know what to do and admitted that they weren't made aware of just how serious her condition was. They had to call the QE for advice, the QE suggested tilting her bed back so the fluids stay in her head. They tried it and within a few days she started to return back to the way she had been when she came to Sandwell. At some point at Sandwell she tried to get out of bed, she fell but a nurse spotted it and caught her before she hit the ground.
 |
| Helping mom to write again during my first visit. I think she did pretty good! |
I visited her when she'd been in Sandwell for a few weeks and I was a little shocked. To me she actually seemed a little bit worse than she was on my last visit. She struggled to put sentences together and didn't understand some things. She seemed very dazy, especially on the first day. She looked physically different too. Last time, half of her head was very swollen where the skull had been removed, this time the skin was sunken down below where the skull should've been. It looked very scary as she only appeared to have half a head! We asked one of the nurses if her broken ribs had healed properly. She looked at us blankly and didn't know what we were talking about. She asked when had mom broken her ribs. I couldn't believe that no one knew about the extent of her injuries. The hospitals hadn't communicated well.
 |
| She is still missing half of her skull, and will be until her surgery |
I returned to Iceland admittedly a little upset as I didn't feel that she was in the best place (that being said, the nurses and cleaning staff at Sandwell are fantastic! I really appreciate everything that they've done for mom). It seemed to me like she was regressing and I wanted her back in the QE as soon as possible. We were told that she couldn't return to the QE until she was having surgery to put the metal plate in her skull. It was so frustrating and I felt that no one was taking my mom's case seriously anymore (and honestly those feelings haven't changed, I still don't believe it's being taken seriously). The hardest thing was, again, returning to work in my customer service job. My lease was almost up and I had the stress of moving again to think about too. I also found out about some new changes that would be taking place at work soon, regarding new management and staff. For the first time ever, I really needed consistency but there was none.
Over the weeks mom's condition seemed to be at a stand still, no better but no worse. I was planning to visit again for a little bit longer this time. I managed to get the time off and came home for a week to visit. It was so much better this time! My mom seemed to be back to herself, just missing half of her skull. She was chatty and happy, but getting bored of being stuck in bed. She couldn't remember anything from the last few months of being in hospital and still couldn't believe what had happened. Although she told me that she was nervous, she desperately wanted her surgery so that she could start rehabilitation. Before I returned home on 17th May, she was told her surgery would be on 25th May.
The day I left she was moved back to the QE to be prepped for surgery as it had been brought forward! Then they cancelled it and rescheduled, it was cancelled again and she was told by 25th May she will have the surgery. The 25th May came and went - still no surgery. It was decided that she could learn to walk to the toilet with the help of a zinger frame and a nurse. Although I knew that mom would be happy to be able to get out of bed, I didnt like the idea of her getting up with half of her brain unprotected.
Her condition worsened, she was starting to act a little bit funny again. The doctors discovered that she'd contracted MRSA and she was put in a side room alone. She hates that, she has no one to talk to and she can't people watch. Infuriatingly, the nurses also can't keep an eye on her so well. She got out of bed to go to the bathroom, alone. She fell. No one noticed her getting out of bed.
The surgery was cancelled yet again, this time the doctor informed us that this appointment was never for the surgery, it was a visit to the neurological centre. Mom can't leave the hospital until she's had the surgery so it wasn't a good excuse.
A few days ago mom had a seizure. She hasn't had one before. The hospital says that they don't know what brought on the seizure but she should be in surgery this week.
I don't feel that I can believe them anymore.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the Crowdfunder, I raised £1200 to visit mom over the coming months!
 |
| Hitting £1000 on Crowdfunder! |
I know that I been a pain over the last few months cancelling plans at the last minute and struggling to keep in touch. Thank you everyone for being patient with me. It really means at lot. ❤
Loppy x
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