Good Evening! I cannot believe that my last post was early September. Where has the time gone? I can tell you what we have done during this time...we have enjoyed having my mom. I thought it would be helpful to post an update of where my mom is now and some of the current struggles and gains she has faced. When I read the documents about Covid long haulers, my mom experienced a large portion of them over the course of her healing. Initially after returning home, she had a lot of terrible body aches, mostly in the evening and at night. Those have fully resolved and the aches and pains she has are mostly from general aging and work that most all of us experience, like good old Art (arthritis).  She remained pale in her face for a few months after returning home. Her color has since then fully returned, and she is as rosy as ever. She nearly lost all of the hair on her head after returning home. Around that time, a good friend suggested taking a supplement to help. She tried this supplement and now she once again has a full head of hair. I actually think her hair came back thicker than it was before her illness.  Initially after returning home, we helped her with meals and house work but for the past few months, she has been doing this all fully on her own. She has ambition and enjoys getting work accomplished. She is also quilting again. Around mid November, she had her first cold since her initial Covid infection. It took her about 6 weeks, multiple doctor appointments, and a few rounds of antibiotics but she did beat it without complications. 

Since returning home, she has had her heart checked (via an Echocardiogram), dental check up, and eye exam. All of these tests were normal and without any effect of her prolonged illness. We had been warned that she may have vision difficulty due to the pressure on her eyes from her having to lay on her stomach for so long while intubated but in her case, this has not been an issue. 
For a few months after starting to eat again, eating was not something she really enjoyed or looked forward to. Instead, it was something she needed to do to live. Now she gets hungry and enjoys eating as well as the taste of food. She again enjoys preparing it. Also, ever since waking up from her medication induced coma, she has been able to taste and smell. 

Brain fog. My mom is convinced that she suffers from post covid brain fog. Both Gary and I don't feel she does and feel that she is acting normal, so that one is up for debate :). 

One huge progressive step was my mom weaning herself off oxygen. The tanks and equipment have all been returned to the oxygen company and she is no longer restricted by tubing. Praise God! 

My mom has a wonderful primary doctor. He is so kind, considerate, smart, and patient with my mom as we journey through this new stage of health. He has been vital in this journey and very understanding. We thank God for him.

With all the good that is listed above, she still does have struggles. She had a follow up CT of her lungs, and the results show some scaring. What is to be determined is if it is permanent or if with time, it will heal. It is apparent that she has the ability to still heal by the simple fact that she was able to wean off her 02 but we do not know how far the healing will progress. Will she return to her normal or will her lungs remain scared? She recently had PFT's (Pulmonary function tests) and we are awaiting the final reading of these results, but it shows some restrictive lung disease in the preliminary results. Again, we do not yet know if this is permanent or if she will continue to heal. She has an upcoming appointment with a pulmonologist. Currently, she uses albuterol and flovent to help but this is subject to change after seeing the pulmonologist. She also is suffering from sinus infection like pain in her face which affects her day and night. She is doctoring to find out what is causing the pain and if it is her sinuses, allergies, TMJ, or something different. We are wondering if her prolonged intubation may have caused a change somehow to cause this discomfort, but this is all to be determined. She is going through proper testing to try and get to the bottom of the cause. I am by no means trying to belittle the concerns and trials that she is currently facing BUT she is functioning and doing so very well overall, it is amazing. She continues to prove that she really is a go getter. 

I share all of these fairly personal details with you (with my mom's permission of course) to hopefully encourage and help someone else through this journey. We have enjoyed watching God move through this whole experience and make us grow in an incredible way. I personally still struggle and have visual flash backs to some of the very difficult times during this journey. I remember the feeling in my stomach every time my phone would ring or the emotions that came when I would walk down the ICU hall day after day to her room. I become fearful far too quick and easy over any concern with my mom and still get concerned if I don't talk to her every day. I still cry often when I think back or tell the story to someone new, starts with tears of sadness followed by tears of joy and amazement. BUT through it all God is so good, and He has done a work and continues doing a work inside of me in a way that I so desperately needed. Well, now that my eyes are welled up with good tears, it is time for me to say good night and thank you again for following my mom's journey.