Ditto from here. My mom had a stroke at the comparatively young age of 68 and is still with us 10+ years later, thanks in large part to the care my late father provided, as well as my (single) sister Joan (who looked after them both while working full-time) and the rest of us siblings who take turns spelling Joan on a regular basis so she has some sort of life of her own. Mom's short-term memory is shot to blazes but we still laugh and kid and she gets out to the mall with us every few weeks and to the nearby casino on her birthday every May - and looks forward to it (she should - she's usually the winner.)
ER docs are the best; for the most part, they are very good at explaining in plain English what they are doing and why and what the options are. Glad to hear your mom is still with you. My dad lived with congestive heart failure for more than 15 years, with two or three hospital stays for fluid accumulation. He died at home after a full day of having breakfast with friends, visiting with his brothers and flirting with "my bride" as he called mom. They just missed their 53rd wedding anniversary. It's a wonderful memory not everyone is blessed to have.
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