Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Mom's Quilt is DONE! Say What??



If you're a regular here, you know that I have been working on finishing a string quilt to send off to my Mom.  They say a quilt is a hug - and this is a hug for my Mom, who had a stroke recently.


There have been a few health issues around here recently.  It started with my oldest son getting gasoline in his eyes.  We called my Mom, who works for an eye doctor and she recommended immediate medical care so off we went to the ER.  (He's fine now.) I had already been experiencing a tightness in my chest, but the day after his ER visit, I started having electrifying zaps of pain from under my arm across my breast.  I called my Mom, who of course always has a way of calming me down when I get rather anxious about things.  I thought I had the symptoms of breast cancer - I really didn't know what those are, I just knew I had a pain like no other.  My Mom talked me through what I think was an anxiety attack over the chest pain - I was pacing the house in circles, mainly because I couldn't sit down since sitting down made it worse.  I could only sit on a hard chair.


 After a trip to urgent care I was diagnosed with a pinched nerve and given pain and anti-inflammatory medications.  Good thing I went in because it only got worse before it got better.  By the next day I could hardly sit in the car to drive.  The pain came in waves and I couldn't help but gasp or sometimes scream!  What a nutcase I had become! Just ask my husband!


That's when my Dad called to say my Mom was in the hospital and they were running tests to see if it was anxiety or a stroke.  She was feeling odd and couldn't speak in a normal manner.  When the doctors asked her if she was worried about anything in particular, she said "my daughter is having pain in her chest".  OH NO!  Now SHE was worried about ME!  I was very worried for her - but did my best not to cry because crying uses your chest muscles and mine were on fire!  What a mess this had become!  The thought of sitting for a 3.5 hour plane ride to go be with her was out of the question.


Test showed a blood clot in her brain but it was small, and physically she was not experiencing any problems.  The only challenge for her was her words. As it turned out, this was not an anxiety attack but I still felt badly for any part I played in it. 



That night I got a call from my Mom.  She was in the hospital room by herself - Dad had just gone home.  She wanted to let me know that she was okay and for me not to worry.  She told me this in words that I completely understood, but some of them weren't quite right. 



We've since been told that Mom was extremely fortunate to have had so little problems following this mini stroke.  She's home and doing much better.  She still gets a tad frustrated when speaking or writing, but is expected to fully recover.  She sounds better and better.

We are all so relieved that she is doing so well.  The only thing that has us all a bit sad is my parents have had to cancel their trip to come stay with us and attend Mitch's High School Graduation.  There's no where my Mom would rather be - she adores her grandchildren, but she's not ready to travel this far in a plane. 

We will be glad to have them come visit us and enjoy themselves fully when Mom is 100%. 

Until then, I made this quilt for Mom.  She loves pink so this quilt is filled with it!  Mom had a great support group of my friends praying for her and I can't thank them enough.  I'm also thankful for all of the medical staff that treated her and of course, my Dad, who is her rock!  My Dad provides a comfort to the family like no other. 

I love you Mom and Dad!

xxoo  Kris

PS - Linking up to Fabric Tuesdsay at Quilt Story!
http://www.quiltstory.blogspot.com/2012/06/fabric-tuesday-fun.html

And while I'm at it, I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday (see sidebar). My new WIP is a gingham creation. Join in! Use #projectgingham as your hash tag on instagram. Visit KristaStitched for details.


25 comments:

  1. So glad to hear that your family is doing better. Love the quilt. Your mom will love it. Such a great daughter you are.

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  2. Your quilt is lovely. Glad to hear that your Mom is doing better. Boy you have been put through the wringer lately!!!

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  3. What a lovey unit. I a so happy t hear that your mom is doing better and I hope you are too!

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  4. We sure do love our Moms! So glad yours is better and enjoying her new quilt :)

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  5. This is really gorgeous - love all the bright and colourful fabrics!

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  6. what a touching blog post. that quilt is amazingly beautiful-- i wish i could create something so gorgeous. your mom will know it's packed full of love.

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  7. Hope you are not in such pain any more. Glad to hear that your mum is expected to fully recover. She is going to love your quilt, so bright, colourful and cheerful!

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  8. so glad to hear your mum is getting there and I am sure she will adore that quilt! it is stunning and love the binding. Love the gingham too x

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  9. That quilt is great. I love the fabrics in it.

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  10. What a great quilt for your mom!!! I hope both of you get all the health issues out of the way quickly.

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  11. What a great story and great quilt! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  12. Beautiful quilt and heart touching story. I hope things settle down and are less stressful.

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  13. What a lovely finish! I'm sure it will be enjoyed by everyone!

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  14. So sorry to hear about your mom and the rest of you. There's been many improvements with stroke treatment in the last few decades. It sounds like they caught it fast, which, as you probably know now, is the most important thing. She'll love the quilt. I know how incredibly hard it is to be so far away from family at times like this. Maybe you can visit her this summer...

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  15. This quilt is great! I love the fabrics!!

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  16. That's a really beautiful quilt, truly. On the chest pain, it sounds similar to something I've been experiencing the last 6 or so years every once in awhile (including today) Usually if I move heavy stuff like furniture and then do stuff like..oh say quilting...where I'm using my pecs and neck a lot to cut fabric and lean over a lot, it flares up. Just want to suggest that if this happens again, certainly start relaxing the moment you feel any symptoms and take care of yourself, aspirin to reduce inflammation, and ice packs every 20 minutes (hate them but...) and that can help recovery time by a lot.

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  17. I'm glad that everyone is on the mend! What a great gift for your mom!

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  18. Wonderful quilt. I'm sure your mom will love that special hug of yours.

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  19. Oh Kris what a time you have all been having - I am so glad your mum is on the road to recovery; just make sure she doesn't start spoofing your dad just so she can stay under that beautiful quilt xxx

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  20. EYE CANDY!!! So pretty!

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  21. lovely quilt.....so sorry about the problems....but glad to hear your Mom is doing good. My Mom went throught a similar thing back a few years; turned out ok too. My second son got formaldihide in his eyes twice....which meant overnight in hospital...he used to do taxidermy work. I know how it is!! Your Mom will adore the quilt.

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  22. That quilt is so beautiful! I just love it. The fabric is chose works great together. : )

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  23. oh my goodness...you all have been through a lot lately. thank goodness that everyone is getting better. i firmly believe that a quilt is like a hug when you can not be there....so this is absolutely perfect and it is totally gorgeous!!

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  24. Quilts are hugs and I'm so glad your Mom will have this hug from you. It is so absolutely lovely. String quilts are my favorite. :)

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  25. Hi Kris! I'm sorry I didn't read this post earlier but so happy to hear that your mom is better now! You made so beautiful quilt and I'm sure she loves it! xxx Teje

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