femalenynjazfan Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 It sucks seeing a family member ill. My mom has been in remission from leukemia (cancer) since 1997. Seeing that was horrible. I wish you and your family all the best through this horrible time in your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted February 22, 2004 Author Share Posted February 22, 2004 Thanks, all. I appreciate your thoughts & prayers, and your offers for help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Nieuwy, I'm glad she's doing better . Hang in there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Wow. Things just took a horrible and bizarre turn last night. Mom was back in the hospital again (!) for a few days because she had started vomiting blood. Turns out she has 2 ulcers on her esophagus. That's apparently easily treatable, and after 3 days, they sent her home yesterday afternoon. I had spent the night at the hospital Sunday night and left early yesterday morning to go to work. So my Aunt and the caretaker take her home. They pull up in the driveway and before the two women even got the car doors open, Mom, who was sitting in the back seat, got out and headed down the driveway to the mailbox. She tripped, fell hard on her face (apparently she didn't even get her arms out to block the fall) and bloodied her face badly. They called the paramedics who took her right back to the hospital. At first it looked like she had only broken her nose and they were going to just fix her up and send her back home. But when the Xrays came back, they found that she had broken her neck in 2 places! The neurosurgeon came and told my Mom very frankly that if she even tried to move her head, it could kill her. He said that fractures like this are usually seen in car accidents where a lot of force is involved, and that usually they are fatal. One vertebra is out of place - tilted forward, so they can't even go in and do surgery. They have her in ICU, sedated, and will keep her there a few days. Once the swelling goes down they will do some more Xrays. They are hoping that the vertebra will slip back into place, and if it does, they will then consider doing surgery. But her age and mental condition are against surgery. She will never be able to go home again. She will need round the clock care. She may be in the hospital a long time, but we really don't know what to expect. This is such a shock and has thrown us all for a loop. We thought we had things at least a little under control. Now all is chaos. I kept thinking about her all night and wondering if she was afraid, and aware of how seriously she's hurt, and what's she thinking, and on and on. 7 short weeks ago her life was normal. We can never know what might change in an instant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinscurvy Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 So, so sorry to hear that Nieuwy. I'll for you and your mother!!!! God bless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarDew Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Oh my stars Nieuwy...what a strange set of events...PM me her name and I will have her added to prayer lists...friends have me on lots so they will have no problem with a friend's mom albeit virtual friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 My prayers are with you and your family, Nieuwy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallasdevil15 Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Wow that's horrible you all are in my prayers. I really hope everything works out for the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 (edited) So sorry, Nieuwy, for your Mom, you, and your family. We'll keep praying for you and we're here if you need support. Edited March 10, 2004 by poohbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Prayers for your mother and family, ML. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deviledeggs Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 My prayers are with you and your family!!!! GODBLESS!!!!!!!!1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted August 23, 2004 Author Share Posted August 23, 2004 I haven't updated you on my Mom in a long time. She's actually doing pretty well, all things considered. The vertebra did finally slide back into place, so the doctor took off the awful collar, since it couldn't do anything more. The vertebra have not mended, though, and likely never will, so she's still in the same danger from any sort of fall. Her overall health has improved, she's not on as much medication. Her mental health seems pretty stable although there is some deterioration, which we know will just keep happening. But she's much more content without that neck collar. Her caretaker is still with her M-F and we still take turns on Saturdays & Sundays, but all together, it's a lot better than it was a few months ago. --------------------------------------------------------------- This past week, however, was the week from hell! Monday our older son was in a really bad car accident several hundred miles away from home. Thankfully, he only ended up with 2 broken ribs & a small bruise on his lung. He spent the night in the hospital, and has been staying with us since he got home. But he's doing well enough that he's moving back to his apartment tonight. But when they did all the x-rays at the hospital, they found he has a growth on his thyroid. He's going to have blood tests done in a couple of weeks to see what that is, and what needs to be done. On Thursday morning, my niece gave birth prematurely to a baby boy, whose lungs weren't developed enough for him to be able to breathe. He lived a couple of minutes after birth. He was only 23 weeks along, and weighed 1 lb 3 oz. They say he was beautiful, and perfectly formed. His name was Caden James Gutierrez. His funeral is today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langsgirl Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 I had only started posting around the time of this original post so i am sorry about your mom and I am sure by now you are learning how to deal with it but my advice would just be patience. My aunt would never remember anything recent but she would always ask if her brother ron was coming... ron had died when he was 17.. about 70 yuears earlier.. very weird how it works.. I am so happy to hear that your son is ok, that must be a parents worse nightmare.... and im sorry to hear about your nieces baby, my prayters are certainly with all of you. Its sad when anyone passes, but children just break my heart even more Hang in there, and keep the memories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 (edited) Good news about your mother I was worried when I saw this bumped. Trauma news about your son -- thank goodness all is as well as we could've hoped!! So sorry about your grand nephew Now that I've been through pregnancy I understand he had a valuable little life and was as alive as alive can be even before the few minutes he got in open air! Though only here for those precious few minutes he'll be remembered. I think it's so strange how when I was a kid I'd think "why does great gramma STILL have a picture of her first child up -- she died when she was 6 months." As if that made her life less significant. How did I not get it? Edited August 23, 2004 by Pepperkorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 That was, as you said, the week from hell. Glad to hear your Mom is doing better and that your son's injuries are the best you could hope for (not that you ever hope for ANY). Hope he is fully recovered soon!!! So sad about the baby. These days they can keep so many more of them alive that they could not keep alive before. My brother actually invented the latest test to tell if a baby's lungs are developed enough to survive outside the mother. They had a test for the chemical that would be present if the baby could survive but it was very long and difficult and didn't always give reliable results. He said that you should be able to make the chemical foam if it is present. That was his thesis for his masters degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Awww, Nieuwy - hope your son and niece see better days really soon. Glad your mom's improved a little at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarDew Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Nieuwy...peace and calm to you and your family...you could use it...glad mom is feeling better...you and her are still on the list Glad son is faring well...sorry about the little soul...angels over you and your loved ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Prayers are with you Nieuwy, sorry to hear your news about your grand niece. Speedy recovery for your son and good progression for mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted August 24, 2004 Author Share Posted August 24, 2004 Good news about your mother I was worried when I saw this bumped.Trauma news about your son -- thank goodness all is as well as we could've hoped!! So sorry about your grand nephew Now that I've been through pregnancy I understand he had a valuable little life and was as alive as alive can be even before the few minutes he got in open air! Though only here for those precious few minutes he'll be remembered. I think it's so strange how when I was a kid I'd think "why does great gramma STILL have a picture of her first child up -- she died when she was 6 months." As if that made her life less significant. How did I not get it? Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts & prayers. My niece got to hold the baby, and they kept him in the room with them for about an hour, so they all (parents & grandparents) got to spend time with him before they had to give him up. I know that helped my niece a lot. It would have been horrible if she had not even gotten to see him or hold him. Sue, the doctors said that if the baby had gotten even one more week further along (24 weeks) he would have had a chance to live. He just didn't quite make it. My niece has endometriosis, which apparently causes the mother's body to "open up" and drop the baby early, which is what happened to her. Sometimes, if they catch the process in time, they can stop it, sew up the mother (!), put her to bed, and give the baby enough time to develop so that a healthy birth is possible. My niece is 37 though, so I don't know if she'll want to try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 I'm glad to hear that your niece was able to spend that time with the baby, I'm sure it did help her. It would have been terrible if she had not been able to see him at all. One of my closest friends has a cervix that just doesn't work. After several miscarriages they did sew her up and she stayed in bed for months and delivered her first child nearly full-term. We thought she would be sensible and not try again, but a few years ago she did. She didn't want to stay in bed, so she wasn't sewn up. She had the baby at about 24 weeks. She was DAMN lucky. After a few months in the ICU and several months of physical therapy, it appears that little Erik will not only survive, but have no obvious physical or mental problems. She doesn't know how angry we all are with her for this, though...it was damn selfish of her to put the kid at risk like that. It's just pure luck that he's healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
point Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 I rarely look at off-topic, so I just came across this thread. Nieuwy25, My prayers are with you and your mother. My wife's mother died last August, while she was living with us. She had been suffering from a number of maladies. My wife is still getting over the loss, I know. My father has a very bad memory, and has difficulty putting sentences together, but I know he follows conversations, he just can't get his thoughts out. It has been very hard on my mom, but they get around. Again, we are praying for your mom too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 An update on my son . . . it has taken 3 weeks and several tests, but they have finally decided that he does have thyroid cancer. He is to speak to the surgeon today, so I would assume they'll remove the thyroid all together, and put him on synthetic thyroid hormone. He has 2 growths on it - one of which came up quickly. His thyroid may not have been working for a long time - I doubt they've ever tested it before. Hopefully removing the thyroid will take care of it, and no further treatment will be necessary. Please pray for Nathan. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Nieuwy, I will be keeping your entire family in my prayers, including yourself, your mother, and your son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Add me to your prayer circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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