Time Out

I had to take a time out.

My mother has definite visitation limits before she needs a time out. The first four days post-surgery it was about 15 minutes. Now I hang out at the hospital for about three hours; we talk and eat lunch together, and I'm there to see the staff doing their thing for her. But at about two hours and 45 minutes I can see Mom's energy flagging, so I know it's getting time to go.
That's how I felt yesterday. I was just so tired -- tired of driving, tired of talking to people, explaining the same things over and over again. I'd told my mother that I wouldn't be visiting but would call her, and that is what I did; but I didn't drive down to the hospital. I went to work for a couple of hours but came home. I fell asleep on the sofa; the dog and I were alternating snores for awhile, I think. And then I watched mindless TV. And I washed wood paneling around the house.
I just had to be doing and thinking other things for awhile.

I was back on duty today, but now I'm just exhausted again, and not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep.

The good news: Today the surgeon's PA came around to visit and talked about discharging Mom to a rehab facility -- one here in town if at all possible -- later in the week.