Joanne and I took Eleanor to the Nebraska Pain Clinic on Thursday for a steroid injection in her back. She has had injections before and sometimes they help and sometimes they do not. Our appointment was at 2 p.m., so we went to Perkins for an afternoon meal before returning to Heartland. She had two eggs, French toast, bacon, and hash browns; I was amazed at the amount of food she ate. We returned to Heartland, and we iced her back and drank some Gatorade to try to keep her sodium levels up.
I have spent quite a bit of time the last two days with Eleanor to monitor her sodium level and make sure that she isn't showing signs of confusion. Hopefully we have been proactive enough that she won't have to have a sodium infusion, and getting the pain shots won't be so traumatic for her.
I left for home at 3 p.m. today before she went to dinner. Eleanor just called to tell me her friend Evelyn Garske had fallen and broken her hip. Evelyn is mom's closest friend at Heartland and she really enjoys her company. I am sure that this will be depressing for Eleanor, as this is the second good friend at Heartland that has had a broken hip. When Eleanor moved into Heartland she became good friends with her neighbor,Lois Geisselman; Lois broke her hip and died about three weeks later. Another friend, Irene had a stroke about two months ago; Eleanor and Irene used to crochet together when Mom lived in independent living.
I'm sure that Mom will be saddened by the loss of another friend. In coming to Seward, she left all her friends from Mississippi, but Mom has always been outgoing and able to connect with people. It is difficult to lose ones friends, and being in assisted living hasn't made getting out and meeting people any easier for Eleanor.
Please keep those cards and notes coming, as they remind her she isn't forgotten or alone.
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