Showing posts with label broken hip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broken hip. Show all posts

Friday, April 25, 2008

Long week

Is this week over yet?

Monday Aunt Cyntitha died.

Tuesday my grandma and Aunt Debbie arrived to Phoenix a few hours late to say their good-byes.

Wednesday I had an unexpected endoscopy on my nose and throat, a hearing exam, and am being scheduled for an ENG.

While my nose, throat, and upper mouth were still numb and frozen, Grandma B and Debbie arrived to visit for the day. I refused to rest, though they kept saying I could. I caught myself forcing my eyes open several times. I miss them already.

I just received a call that Grandma L fell on Sunday. She was weedwacking out back and fell while on the patio, breaking her hip. She had hip replacement surgery Tuesday; she couldn't maintain her oxygen post-op and was in ICU until yesterday. She is very weak and today they are doing a blood transfusion.

They want to transfer her to the hospital where I worked, so she can get the best in-patient rehab. She and Grandpa L are both refusing. Grandpa is in poor shape himself due to his fall out of the tree and only in the last 2 months has begun to walk again, if you call what he does walking. He sleeps in a recliner on the front patio. My uncle is moving into the front room next to the patio so he can hear them, as he is putting a twin bed on the patio for Grandma. That way they're both in the same place.

I am so FRUSTRATED that they are refusing the treatment she needs. The survival rate for the elderly is less than 5 years due to poor healing. Her chances will be much lower with her refusal. (I ran the THR/TKR programs--total hip and total knee replacements, and am all too familiar with this situation.) She is screwing herself over.

I know they're just being as stubborn as I am and I guess I can't really blame them, they're responsible for themselves and can make their own decisions, but I want the best for them.