Bring mom home where she belongs :)
Donation protected
Mom’s two part story began early summer of 2014, but still seems like yesterday.
In early July, moms left leg went dead while she was at work, instead of telling someone she decided to drive home. To my dismay, we took her to the hospital and she was admitted to the neurology floor of the QEII health sciences centre. Things stated to improve, but no actual cause was found. After further testing and still no definitive answers, it was then diagnosed as a stroke.
Through vigorous physiotherapy here at home, and at the NS Rehab center she was finally walking again on her own. In august we all thought we had dodged that bullet and were relieved that she would be ok and back to herself in no time at all.
Mom took me to the airport so I could attend an appointment out of town on sept 28th and was feeling ok, to my utter dismay and horror when I returned on the 30th and went to check on her I found out that she was carried in to an appointment at her doctor’s office where she was sent to the hospital instantly by ambulance not being able to walk at all.
Mom was sent back to neurology floor in the QEII health sciences centre for three days, while we watched her go downhill so far that she was transferred to the ICU in the middle of the night. In the ICU a breathing tube was initiated as her airway was declining. At this time they also induced a coma, and a decision was made to remove the breathing tube and place a tracheostomy due to her deceased lung capacity of only 10%. She remained in ICU in this coma state for 21 days, only woken during the day to check her vitals and to be washed. We were present day by day and wondering if she would survive this. It was then that she was finally diagnosed with Gillian–Barré syndrome.
After being in the QEII health sciences centre ICU for a month, she was finally stable enough to be moved back to the neurology unit, here several tests were conducted and we continued to see improvement. Now she was well enough to be moved to the NS Rehabilitation center on Summer Street here in Halifax.
Since Nov 12th at the Rehab center, things were going well, she got the use of her right arm back and was now feeding herself by early Dec. This was a great sign, because shortly after that she was able to come off thickened liquids and allowed the tea she wanted since all of this has started. Dec 23 came and we thought we had a Christmas miracle happing she could finally kick the leg that she couldn’t not get any movement in. This led to the prognosis that she had Guillain-Barré Syndrome and would be able to walk this spring. But this would not last as it was a false hope, and then the new line of tests since reviled that the Gillian–Barré syndrome (GBS) gave way for Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Now CIDP set in and it’s attacking the myelin sheath that surrounds her nerves and she will not be able to support any weight on her legs.
On Jan 25th we had a family meeting with all of the Doctors, physiotherapist, occupational therapists, continuing care people. That meeting didn’t go the way we wanted. The latest update is that my mom will be confined to a wheelchair permanently, with very little chance of ever being able to support her own weight on her legs. With that said, there's a lot more extensive renovations required for her care, or she will be forced to go to a nursing home. Now that being said we are fundraising to try to pay for the $16,000 wheelchair and other necessities, along with some of mounting expense to do the things that need to be done in the house so that mom can come home.
This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do is ask for help, So I'm modestly calling on everybody I know that has a business or just for a couple dollars that they would like to support the family in bringing my mom home. So we can try to get her home as quickly as possible. I normally would not ask for help but it's my mom.
Thank you ever so humbly Kevin Coleman and Family.
Some stats on Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) from GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada.
1 in 700,000 ppl in Canada have this.
50 ppl in Canada have the condition brought on by Guillain-Barré Syndrome mom made the 50th.
GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada. http://www.gbs-cidp.org/canada/
A list of some of the expenses
wheel chair $16000
ceiling bed lift $6000
Wheel chair lift $10000
bathroom $15000
other items needed
hospital bed
manual transfer chair
commodo chair
shower chair
bed pan
and more im sure that im forgetting about
In early July, moms left leg went dead while she was at work, instead of telling someone she decided to drive home. To my dismay, we took her to the hospital and she was admitted to the neurology floor of the QEII health sciences centre. Things stated to improve, but no actual cause was found. After further testing and still no definitive answers, it was then diagnosed as a stroke.
Through vigorous physiotherapy here at home, and at the NS Rehab center she was finally walking again on her own. In august we all thought we had dodged that bullet and were relieved that she would be ok and back to herself in no time at all.
Mom took me to the airport so I could attend an appointment out of town on sept 28th and was feeling ok, to my utter dismay and horror when I returned on the 30th and went to check on her I found out that she was carried in to an appointment at her doctor’s office where she was sent to the hospital instantly by ambulance not being able to walk at all.
Mom was sent back to neurology floor in the QEII health sciences centre for three days, while we watched her go downhill so far that she was transferred to the ICU in the middle of the night. In the ICU a breathing tube was initiated as her airway was declining. At this time they also induced a coma, and a decision was made to remove the breathing tube and place a tracheostomy due to her deceased lung capacity of only 10%. She remained in ICU in this coma state for 21 days, only woken during the day to check her vitals and to be washed. We were present day by day and wondering if she would survive this. It was then that she was finally diagnosed with Gillian–Barré syndrome.
After being in the QEII health sciences centre ICU for a month, she was finally stable enough to be moved back to the neurology unit, here several tests were conducted and we continued to see improvement. Now she was well enough to be moved to the NS Rehabilitation center on Summer Street here in Halifax.
Since Nov 12th at the Rehab center, things were going well, she got the use of her right arm back and was now feeding herself by early Dec. This was a great sign, because shortly after that she was able to come off thickened liquids and allowed the tea she wanted since all of this has started. Dec 23 came and we thought we had a Christmas miracle happing she could finally kick the leg that she couldn’t not get any movement in. This led to the prognosis that she had Guillain-Barré Syndrome and would be able to walk this spring. But this would not last as it was a false hope, and then the new line of tests since reviled that the Gillian–Barré syndrome (GBS) gave way for Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Now CIDP set in and it’s attacking the myelin sheath that surrounds her nerves and she will not be able to support any weight on her legs.
On Jan 25th we had a family meeting with all of the Doctors, physiotherapist, occupational therapists, continuing care people. That meeting didn’t go the way we wanted. The latest update is that my mom will be confined to a wheelchair permanently, with very little chance of ever being able to support her own weight on her legs. With that said, there's a lot more extensive renovations required for her care, or she will be forced to go to a nursing home. Now that being said we are fundraising to try to pay for the $16,000 wheelchair and other necessities, along with some of mounting expense to do the things that need to be done in the house so that mom can come home.
This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do is ask for help, So I'm modestly calling on everybody I know that has a business or just for a couple dollars that they would like to support the family in bringing my mom home. So we can try to get her home as quickly as possible. I normally would not ask for help but it's my mom.
Thank you ever so humbly Kevin Coleman and Family.
Some stats on Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) from GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada.
1 in 700,000 ppl in Canada have this.
50 ppl in Canada have the condition brought on by Guillain-Barré Syndrome mom made the 50th.
GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada. http://www.gbs-cidp.org/canada/
A list of some of the expenses
wheel chair $16000
ceiling bed lift $6000
Wheel chair lift $10000
bathroom $15000
other items needed
hospital bed
manual transfer chair
commodo chair
shower chair
bed pan
and more im sure that im forgetting about
Organizer
Kevin Coleman
Organizer
Halifax, NS