dusting off the cobwebs — again!

So it's been three months since my last post which is pretty dismal considering all my plans to post more frequently. I have lots of excuses but there are two main ones. 

Firstly, not long after my last post, I woke up one morning and as I walked down the hall, I felt a clunk inside somewhere between my lower back and right hip. It stopped me dead in my tracks for a few minutes. From that point, my back pain worsened to the point of being debilitated. It was the type of pain that made it hard to focus on anything at all. I dreaded getting up or down as the pain was so severe. As my last CT scan had been 3 years ago, my doctor ordered another CT scan on my back which revealed severe multi-level disc degeneration (Osteoarthritis), substantial changes in facet joints in my mid to lower spine, narrowing of the spinal column (Canal Stenosis), and Spondylolisthesis (Slipping Discs). The Canal Stenosis is particularly worrying to me. My doctor wants me to see a Spinal specialist in the new year. Wish me luck.

Secondly, towards the end of October, my 86 year old Mum ended up hurting her back again.

 Photo taken of Mum in 2016

Three years ago, Mum fractured two of her vertebrae and recovered as well as could be expected with Osteoporosis. Mum was very stubborn though and felt she was okay to do all the heavy stuff again.  She ignored all our warnings, even doctors' warnings, and continued to do heavy stuff that she should not have been doing at all. Every time we visited, her lounge room furniture was changed around. I'm talking heavy recliners and solid pine tables, not to mention yard work.

 

Mum's back did get sore but she ignored it until it finally gave in and demanded her full attention. CT scans revealed that Mum had basically been crumbling her lower back away. One of the vertebrae had lost 75% in height, the others are badly worn down too, hence all her pain. The bad news is that her back will not recover and will gradually get worse. With Osteoporosis, there really isn't anything they can do except manage her pain.

 

It was clear that Mum needed assisted care so, the only decision that could be made was for Mum to go straight from the stay in hospital to a Permanent Aged Care facility where all her medical and care needs would be met. Mum is angry at herself and deeply regrets not listening to all our warnings. She misses her home and her little dog, Teenie, who is now with me. That said, she has come to terms with her situation and understands it is necessary.

[ Added next day — I should clarify that Mum was a big part of the decision-making process regarding her going into Assisted Care. She was actually afraid to go back home and said she knew she could no longer cope alone. She needs daily medical assistance, unfortunately. Despite that, it was a big change for her and she still had to come to terms with it all. They allow pets to visit the Assisted Care Home but Mum hasn't wanted Teenie to visit as yet. Mum misses her but wants what is best for Teenie. More on Teenie in a later post. Mum admitted that she was having trouble caring for Teenie properly prior to her recent back injury. She is so happy that I have Teenie and it has given her peace of mind in that regard.

My sister takes her dog in to visit with Mum and Aaron, my son, took his little dog in the other day. I think, in some ways, even though Mum misses Teenie, she is relieved not to have the responsibility for caring for her any more. ]

 

Teenie is 10 years old, a Pomeranian, and adorable! She already knew us so has settled in very well.

 

After a few weeks, Mum's back seemed to be doing a little better where she was able to move about with a walker. although she was still reliant on regular pain medication. Just over a week ago, Mum injured her back even more when she participated in a group activity which involved dancing to Christmas songs. She had fun but overdid the dancing and is now in agony and being given stronger pain medication (Opioids). It's been very hard to see her in so much pain. It's like she is back to the pain severity of when she fractured her back.

As you can imagine, it's been an emotional roller-coaster ride for me regarding my Mum and also dealing with my own back plus hand pain issues. I keep praying for Mum's pain to ease while she screams out for God to take her. It's been bloody hard I can tell you but I keep hoping she will improve.

Taking all of the above into account, on top of daily responsibilities, I haven't felt like posting.

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Have I been doing any sketching? Barely!

 

Back in October, I did manage a rough, incomplete, pencil sketch of Aaron's miniature poodle., Scarlett. I will be doing an acrylic painting of her soon.

 

My Kindle has been my best friend over the past few months. I met my Goodreads annual Reading Challenge. I elected to read 40 books for 2021 and exceeded that. Currently, I'm at 46 books. YAY!

Sorry if this post has seemed like a bit of a downer but that has been my life of late.

Things are also getting scary as our Government opened our State and International borders a couple of weeks ago and our Covid case numbers have risen dramatically. I can't wait to get our 3rd booster. We wear our masks whenever we're out in public and sanitise regularly. How are things in your area re. Covid?

I will be back tomorrow with a Christmas post as it's already Christmas Eve here. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. I hope to get around to visit you all very soon.

Love, Light and Peace