Grandma's fight for life

Here are a few random thoughts ...

Grandma H was hospitalized just before Christmas. She had pneumonia and was unable to breathe. Apparently the care-takers were not providing her with clear fluids either and so she was dehydrated. To make matters worse, she was not eating.

The emergency room wasn't much help either. Their job is to stabilize and ship. It took a few hours of her body being monitored by several machines -- beeping and squeeking when her blood pressure would rise over 200 and then drop below 60 - in a matter of a heart beat before she was finally transported to a wonderful place in Turlock.

This hospital actually has employees who smile. The doctors even read her charts and history. WOW. It was a relief to know someone was going to take care of her.

Since this initial trauma, it's been a rough fight for Grandma. There are days she has not responded to questions and days where she indicates she is in pain.

You see - because she didn't eat right as a child (depression child who stood in lines for her one meal per day ... ) her back easily breaks. She's a very tiny woman -- who now has bruises up and down both arms from being needled.

So the pain is not just from not eating but also the back ... and then the coughing which causes her muscles to tense up and then strangle blood from her face and mouth as she chokes for air from the pressure crushing her lungs.

Grandma is a tough woman, too. She's only complained a few times whenever the pain has been too much. She usually just asks for a little help and then suffers in silence. It's difficult to watch this awesome sight.

The doctors and most of the family do not expect her to see 2004. While we are prepared for this ending, it is difficult to rise to the challenge of smiling. Relatives who live a great distance have been told (via phone and emails) to prepare themselves for terrible news.

The phone rang a few minutes ago ...

Dad explained that the doctor called. Treatment has not been working (the blood transfusions and the antibiotics). Hope is slowly moving to the past and Grandma's future may be short.

I hope her pain stops soon so that she can keep that smile on her face. It's a beautiful smile.

Posted by LPH at December 29, 2003 05:33 PM | TrackBack