I just realized how long it's been since I wrote my last Caregiver's Diary entry. It was at the beginning of the year, and the focus was on the things you (begrudgingly) learn to accept about the loved one for whom you are giving care.

Since January, Mom and I have tried to settle into more of a somewhat comfortable everyday pattern than we previously had, trying not to worry too much about upcoming doctor appointments and to just live and rest contentedly in the moment. 

But as the case is with most people, there have been hurdles, including the one involving a major crawlspace project under the house that took nearly four weeks between May and June and which severely tested what little bit of patience I have left. I wrote about it in another VIP entry:

READ MORE: The Things You Learn

On the health front, Mom has been blessed this year with encouraging news related to post-chemo check-ups with her oncologist. Soon, we'll have another visit with him after Mom gets more CT scans done. We are of course praying for good visits and good results from the scans and lab work that will be done.

But we've had a bit of a hurdle on the health front, too, as she has developed a case of cellulitis according to the doctor we saw Saturday. The good news is that we went straight to the doctor as soon as the issue presented itself to us (Saturday morning - red splotches, swelling, and dry patches on her right foot and just above it), and as I write this, she has been on antibiotics for four and a half days.

The frustrating news is that, while it doesn't appear to have gotten worse, I'm not seeing much in the way of signs of reduction in symptoms. So we've scheduled an appointment with her foot doctor, who she'll see Thursday and who we pray will tell us she's on the right track to healing and recovery.

As regular readers of this diary series know, mom is in her early 80s and has been through a lot between being a caregiver for my dad for ten years, sometimes at the expense of her health, the colon cancer diagnosis and chemo that followed, and now this. There have also been other things in between that have had to be addressed, and while we were relieved that they could be, the worry was always there for her and me that we'd be told "This is serious."

And because I'm worried that what's going on right now is serious, I've been doing a lot of Googling on cellulitis (my Google doctorate will be put in the mail soon, or so I've been reliably informed). While there are some similarities in what the medical sites I've read say, there are also differences of opinion on when to expect to see results (assuming the diagnosis was correct and the treatment plan was the right course of action to take), when to be concerned, etc.  

So between watching her deal with an additional and unexpected mobility challenge the last few days and the uncertainty of whether or not the medication is helping her heal, I've been a basket case in part because it's yet one more thing that I can do very little to help "fix." Also, I want so badly for her to be able to enjoy life and not struggle with anything more than the normal aches and pains we all do as we get older. Obviously, this recent development is a hurdle to that.

Through it all, though, she has reminded me of what grace in human form looks like. Though she's concerned about her foot, she's soldiered on as best she could, urging me to stop worrying so much (I think she's concerned I may start literally climbing the walls one of these days) because God is in control. To know that is an immense comfort, for sure, and it's something I have to remind myself  (and be reminded of) when things seem to be slipping beyond mine.

Hurdles come and hurdles go, but the sage advice we get from our mothers and fathers is simply timeless. 

SEE ALSO: To read my previous Caregiver's Diary entries, please click here.

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