Time spent in Boise (long post)

On the 14th of January, we got a call from Ray's sister Tena that his mom had fallen at her home, she had hit her head pretty hard, and was in a coma. They were in the process of preparing her for life flight to Boise, and Ray and I pulled the kids from school and headed up as quickly as we could. The Neuro Doctor told us that there was not much he could do for her with her DNR and DNT she had recently had prepared, and he felt that she had a matter of hours before she would pass. Mike, Karen, and Carolyn headed to Boise from Cedar, and Tena, Ray, Lynne, Carl, Lana, Kelly, Tracy, and I took up residence at the Hospital taking turns sitting at mom's side holding her hand and telling her we love her. Heather came and Tenas 5 kids showed up at the hospital to say their goodbyes to grandma. Once in a while we would feel like Ray's mom would squeeze our hand when we would ask her too, or when we would talk about certain things, and when Mike got there we told him about it. He told the Trauma Surgeon, who was her Doctor as well, what was going on, but told him we were prepared to say our goodbyes at this time if that is what needed to be. He headed towards mom's room and asked us to wait for him in the waiting room. After a few minutes the nurse came out and asked for mom's kids to meet him in her room. When they got back to her room, he told them he was not sure if they were talking about the same patient. He said when he got in her room he noticed she tried to make sure she was covered, and then he told her who he was and said Barbara open your eyes which she did, then he said give me a thumbs up, again she did what he asked. He told them he expected to see a patient who was completely comatose but he did not. This left Ray and his siblings feeling both confused and a but anxious with what her outcome could be. After they asked him what we should do he said he could not tell us what we should do, but that if it were his mother, he would wait for a bit and just give her some time to see if she could heal herself. So, with that advice we decided that is exactly what we would do. She stayed another week in the Hospital, and Carolyn stayed by her side the whole time. Mom would not open her eyes much, and we were never really sure exactly what she remembered, or the Era of time she was living in. Ray and I were able to head back to Boise when my sister Tracey volunteered to take Ellie and Jake for a long weekend. Ray and I got to Boise, checked into our room, and then went to see mom. Carolyn told us stories of how mom was able to communicate with her quite a bit. That evening Ray left for the Motel room to get some much needed sleep, and Carolyn and I were in mom's room visiting. We noticed that she kept pointing to the corner, and talking. Carolyn asked who she was talking to and she said daddy. Then Carolyn asked her if here mom was there she said not daddy. Then all of a sudden she got this really sad look on her face (like a child who hasn't see there mom for a long time). She pointed up and whimpered Momma, her breathing got quite shallow. Carolyn quickly phone for Ray to come quick as we thought that she was about to pass away. Ray showed up, and we waited and listened as she continued to talk/mumble to loved ones who have passed to the other side. Oh what I would have done to be able to hear both sides of the conversations she was having with these loved ones. Carolyn asked if Dad (Dad passed when Ray was just 4) was there and mom said yes. Carolyn told her to tell him she loved him, and mom said he knew. She did not pass away, and lived through the night. The next morning when we were talking her Doctor and told him what had happened he said that it is called Sun-downers (patients who come closer to death at night but do fine during the day). The next day, we were asking her questions and I said Ray was her son, we then asked her who was holding her hand (Ray was), and she said that guy was. It made Ray and I wonder if she had fallen back to a time when her children were all young. Later during the day Ray and Carolyn headed to the cafeteria to get lunch. I was alone with mom, and I began to talk to her about her kids, and their spouses. I started with Mike, that he was married to Karen. I then went down the line and ended with Ray, and that I was his wife. As I finished with this sentence she opened one eye looked at me squose my fingers, and said DON'T BE FOUL! I got a kick out of this and teased her saying mother, I am not foul. I then proceeded to tell her about her grandchildren, how Rich was her oldest, and then I proceeded to tell her the names of each of her grandchildren and which ones were married. I ended with telling her how Jake was her youngest grandchild, and how he was Ray's youngest child. She then squose my hand quite hard again, opened her eyes, looked at me and said STOP TALKING FOUL! I just started laughing and told her I was not talking foul. At that point Ray and Carolyn both came back in the room, and I proceeded to tell them the conversation her and I had just had. The next day the Trauma Surgeon said he thought it would be best to move mom to a Rehabilitation Hospital, and hope that her recovery would progress. They transported her, and Carolyn once again took up residency on the couch of the new place. The first couple of days mom talked a bit, on Sunday evening Ray and I were visiting with her while Carolyn went with DJ and Kristen and their girls (who had come to pay a quick visit), anyway we were watching Hockey and Ray told her if she got better he would take her to a Hockey game, and I said she doesn't like Hockey, and she said I might. (LOL) She never really regained much consciousness after that. She kept slipping further and further away. After a week at the Rehabilitation Hospital, the family finally made the decision to transport her back to Lynnes home where she could be closer to home, as that was mom biggest wish as the place she was at was not doing much for her. Mom passed 45 minutes after they brought her home. All she wanted was to be home. We will miss her so much, and Ellie and Jake have spent quite some time shedding tears for a Grandma they loved so very much. She lived 82 years and lived such a life. She lived on her own, taking care of 8 horses, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 bunnies. She cut her own firewood daily, and still rode horses all the time. Although mom faced many challenges in her long life, she also had lots of happiness raising 6 beautiful children, being with each as they were sealed to their own spouses for time and eternity. She welcomed 27 grandchildren, 9 grandchildren in law, 4 step grandchildren, 4 step grand in law, 16 great grandchildren, 4 step greats. She was preceded in death by her loving husband George, and Great grandson Alex. We love you mom!! 1/26/29- 1/31/11