(no subject)
Mar. 22nd, 2008 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfpangsThis isn't what I wanted to post about. I wanted to talk about something fun, something lighthearted. I'm going to try to talk about that in a bit, but this is something I should tell first. As most of you know, I live with my grandmother. I've lived with her since 2001 and in November 2004, she had a disabling stroke. She's done pretty well since then, although she's had to use a walker since then and her mental outlook took a dive.
Earlier this week, she was having a lot of shoulder and back pain. She had torn her rotator cuff before the stroke and it hadn't really healed like it should. For some reason, her doctors never thought surgery was the best choice and her weakness hampered a lot of the rehab she could do. So when she had pain, she figured that maybe she'd pulled it in the night or something. But it became clear that something different was happening when we noticed other things. She was in an enormous amount of pain and she wasn't making much sense. She went to the doctor on Sunday but they just prescribed her painkillers and sent her on her way. Wednesday, we had the EMTs take her back to the hospital and they finally admitted her. She was still very loopy and was talking about things that didn't make sense, that may have happened decades ago. ("What about the van?" "What van?" "The van tipped over and all the affadavits fell out"--she used to work in law) She was having trouble recognizing people. They diagnosed a major kidney infection and shingles, among other things.
Friday morning, her nurse reported that things were a lot better. She was speaking logically and was eating a regular diet again. I took it in stride, as an example of the way things ought to be. Of course, the universe said, ha.
This morning, my mom told me that they don't expect her to make it. I don't know all the details--they believe her kidneys are shutting down--my ears starting ringing after that. There is always the possibility of miracles--and this is the weekend for them--but a cold, hard reality has begun to set in. I'm not going to try to be philosophical or poetic about it. That's really all I have to say right now.
Earlier this week, she was having a lot of shoulder and back pain. She had torn her rotator cuff before the stroke and it hadn't really healed like it should. For some reason, her doctors never thought surgery was the best choice and her weakness hampered a lot of the rehab she could do. So when she had pain, she figured that maybe she'd pulled it in the night or something. But it became clear that something different was happening when we noticed other things. She was in an enormous amount of pain and she wasn't making much sense. She went to the doctor on Sunday but they just prescribed her painkillers and sent her on her way. Wednesday, we had the EMTs take her back to the hospital and they finally admitted her. She was still very loopy and was talking about things that didn't make sense, that may have happened decades ago. ("What about the van?" "What van?" "The van tipped over and all the affadavits fell out"--she used to work in law) She was having trouble recognizing people. They diagnosed a major kidney infection and shingles, among other things.
Friday morning, her nurse reported that things were a lot better. She was speaking logically and was eating a regular diet again. I took it in stride, as an example of the way things ought to be. Of course, the universe said, ha.
This morning, my mom told me that they don't expect her to make it. I don't know all the details--they believe her kidneys are shutting down--my ears starting ringing after that. There is always the possibility of miracles--and this is the weekend for them--but a cold, hard reality has begun to set in. I'm not going to try to be philosophical or poetic about it. That's really all I have to say right now.
