Mom's Boots Aren't Made for Walkin'

It was my initial intention to keep this blog light-hearted. I planned on sharing some of the amusing or baffling conversations and events that occur when there are huge generational differences occurring among individuals in the same household. I've realized, though, that sometimes, I may need to explain the not-so-humorous, maybe even the frustrating parts of our lives.

My mother is a very sweet woman. I've never met anyone who hasn't liked my mom, and there is no reason not to like her. There is a lot to love about her, in fact. She is generous, considerate, selfless, encouraging, and all around kind. Despite that, mom and I have our differences. She and I are very different people, and we don't always see eye to eye. In fact, there are very few things we agree on. One thing we do agree on is that her leg ulcers suck! I should've found a more elegant way to put that, but "suck" is the most accurate description.

Mom has been suffering for a few years now with leg ulcers. There is no single cause that can be addressed. Part of the problem is that she is borderline diabetic, retains water, and has arthritis. The wound care specialist (who is a wonderful doctor, by the way) suggested that she  might be predisposed to this problem because her veins are close to the surface of her skin. Combine all this, and my poor mom suffers almost constantly from nasty, painful ulcers that sometimes end up infected. I'll spare you any images, as they aren't a pretty sight. Just a few weeks ago they got so bad that she was hospitalized for five days and treated with three different intravenous antibiotics several times daily.

When mom is home, I usually care for her wounds. Medicine and bandages need to be applied daily after a thorough cleaning and sterilization. We both hate it. Sometimes, it hurts so badly that she cries. I start to cry because I am causing her more pain in treating them. I hate it. She hates it. For a while, she had nurses who would come a few times a week. It took some of the burden off me, and  mom appreciated it because she already feels badly that I care for her regularly. Unfortunately, nurses are expensive, even with her insurance, and the cost became prohibitive.

Two days ago, mom was down to only one small wound that was healing nicely. We were both feeling confident that she might have a reprieve. We were hopeful. Last night, she developed three more wounds. I feel badly for her, and yes, I know it's probably wrong, but I feel badly for me, too. I hate changing those bandages as much as she hates having the ulcers in the first place. Poor mom. I really wish we could get rid of these for good.

There is some hope, though. Today, a nurse is coming here to measure mom for a pneumatic boot. It's a boot that goes up the calf and applies pressure. This pressure helps reduce water retention in her legs and feet, thereby reducing the number and frequency of ulcers. As we understand it, she would have to wear this boot for fifteen minutes at a time three times daily indefinitely.

We're both keeping our fingers crossed that it works.

Image from nopcoclinics.com