Thursday, May 21, 2009

My mother

Yesterday they finally did the endoscopy and found a large mass in her stomach. They cut a piece of it to biopsy and won't know the results for a week to ten days. My mother doesn't realize much of what is happening to her, just that she is in a hospital and people won't leave her alone. They are constantly taking blood, giving her sonograms, IV's, nebulizers. I have asked that they not disturb her unnecessarily. Still, they have to cover their asses with tests before doing anything. She gets angry and curses sometimes, but mostly she is sleeping and occasionally moaning and saying "Mama." Interesting how often people call for their mothers when they are in discomfort. I frequently heard that in the hospice when my mother was there a few years ago.

Today they are doing surgery on her leg to put in the plate and hold the femur fracture together. The past few days have been really difficult. This is definitely an exercise of one day at a time. I feel terrible that she is going through this. I assumed that she would never have to go to the hospital again. The nursing home she has been living at for the past three years has hospice care and "my plan" was she would eventually die there, peacefully, with minimal medical interventions.

But we all know how plans go.

2 comments:

Mia said...

Robin, I'm so sorry about the prolongation of your mother's suffering—and yours.

anniemcq said...

Robin, I'm so deeply sorry for all the suffering your mom is going through. and you. It's so difficult to bear witness to it.

Loving you and sending you strength.