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Mother and Health Issues Before the Decline (Jeanne)

My (Jeanne) sister Louise gave me a box of stuff last week. Our mom was a prodigious saver -  partly a product of being a Depression-era baby and partly the packrat/save everything just-in-case/ you never know mentality that some farmers and teachers just seem to develop. The box was mostly full of Star Tribune newspaper clippings on various topics that interested our mom during the 2000s.

Some of the handwritten things caught my eye, though. They're not really "worth" hanging on to. I have other, more meaningful examples of my mom's handwriting. But they do provide some clues to things that in retrospect, I wish I'd been more tuned in to what my mom was dealing with in 2006.

 I remember when she was having some trouble with getting up and walking. (Dealing with arthritis in my left knee at the age of 53 makes me more cognizant of the fact that my mom didn't struggle with these issues until her 70s!)

This note caught me off guard. It was a concern of hers in 2006. I was busy with three boys aged 9, 6, and 4 (approximately). I was also working full time. I wasn't concerned about my mom's health at that point.

In retrospect, I remember that one of the doctors she saw during that time took a small sample of the muscle tissue from her thigh. Why?!?! I have no idea. I didn't go with her to her doctor appointments at that time. Indeed, in 2006, she was very much in control of her own life. She would not have appreciated one of her children butting in or trying to tell her what to do.

In my own health journey, I appreciate the ortho doctor who pointed out that one component of my knee pain is due to the lack of muscle tone in the surrounding muscles. (Because I spent over a year putting all my weight on my right leg as much as possible.) With the help of a physical therapist, I have exercises to do daily to strengthen all my leg muscles to support my knee. I don't enjoy doing the exercises, but I recognize how much they help.

What did my mom's doctors look at and recommend? As she declined from October 2010 on, one of the sisters (Louise, Ann, me) went with her to all her appointments. We were aware of and informed about the issues she was dealing with. But in the years before her decline, I at least did not really know what she was going through. (Except for the heart valve replacement and the "rat poison" - that's another story.)

These scraps of paper can be recycled, but the memories of our mom remain.
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