My Grandmother

My grandmother, my mother's mother, is (I think) 84. Last Thursday (Jan 25) she fell at some point between when her home health aide left at 6 pm on Wednesday and when her aide (Lisa) got there at 9 am on Thursday. She doesn't know when she fell. She said it was "getting light" but she really doesn't know what's going on at this point.

Thursday when I went to my mom's to work out, Mark told me that things were bad like it was time for Aunt Sue and Uncle Jim to get here, bad. She has diverticulitis and is bleeding and they can't stop it. Then my mom came home and told me pretty much the same thing. She talked to her brother and before I left she said he was coming Friday (yesterday). She was not sure about Aunt Sue, she did come also, today.

Yesterday after school I went to the hospital. When I got there my mom was on the phone with my grandmother's GI doctor. Lisa was in the room with mom-mom and I went in and Lisa said "Look, Tricia's here". She was real excited and said "I was hoping you'd come!" but I am pretty sure she has no idea who the heck I am. She is wide awake and has a lot to say, but most of it is nonsense. I guess she is going in and out of knowing who anyone is. It's a little weird because the doctors have been saying forever that she does not have Alzheimer's Disease, she has dementia, not sure what the difference is, but yesterday it was all crazy talk.

When my mom got off the phone she came in the tell everyone, that being, Aunt Linda, Lisa and I, that the GI doctor is not very happy with the things the staff doctor has been saying. He says that the bleeding is minor, he recommends waiting two days to see if it stops on its own, she needs blood transfusions, but small ones, unless she suddenly needs 8-10 units, he said he thinks they should get them. If the bleeding doesn't stop by Monday, he can do surgery, a non-invasive procedure, to stop it, and he thinks she is in good enough shape to survive that. He is not happy that the staff doctor has basically said that they should just let her bleed to death. He said there is no reason at all for that. Why are some doctors such jerks? We know she is old but she is a person and what they are doing for her is not heroic nor is it hurting her. I wonder how he would feel about it if it was HIS mother/grandmother!

Anyway, she's saying all kinds of crazy things. She wants to leave though-she knows that. While I was there she told Lisa, is a very angry voice "We need to go sit in front of City Hall!" Lisa and I about choked. She also keeps talking about calling her mother, who has been dead for a long time. I think my mom said she saw me once. Maybe, I could be wrong on that. She thinks Aunt Linda is her mother too. Her regular doctor said a while ago that we just need to go along with the crazy stuff. No point in arguing with her. She usually thinks I am my mom and calls me Patty-last night she kept looking back and forth at us and looking surprised each time, like some sort of magic trick was going on that "Patty" was on both sides of the bed!

Anyway, if they stop the bleeding and all that, she will have to go into a nursing home. But my mom also said that once Jim and Suzanne get here she may just decide to let go. That is what happened with my grandfather, there was no earthly explanation for how he was still alive at all. They came and the next day he died. So I am a little worried about that. I really don't know how to feel. She is my grandmother and of course I want her around, but at the same time, she's not really herself anymore and who knows what it is like to be her. Really I think I am more worried about my mom.

Again, since I have two friends that read this...it's for your benefit, so I only have to type it once.