Friday, May 04, 2007

...but the service is terrible!

My mom has been having a real problem with swelling in her legs and arms. So much so that they have been leaking serum. It got so bad we had to put her in the hospital for a few days. Turns out she has also been having blood in the stool, and so when we got there she was quite anemic. They did a transfusion, and tried to do a colonoscopy and a GI endoscopy. She has a couple of small ulcers in the stomach, but nothing particularly significant. Unfortunately, she has a narrowing in her lower colon which prevents them from going very deep. As a result, they still don't know what is causing the internal bleeding. It seems to come and go, but they want to monitor her blood count from here on out.

She was in the new "West" wing of the hospital, and it was just gorgeous. There was faux wood paneling everywhere, the highest tech in hospital beds, a flat screen TV, and a view of the forest right outside her window. She liked that aspect of it, but complained about the "service." Basically, she wanted them to bring things for her that she wasn't allowed to have, and the hospital didn't want her walking around without assistance, so she got frustrated. We reminded her that it wasn't a hotel.

After four days, she was doing much better and was able to come home. She has finally agreed to allow helpers to come in, and they are coming every day now. Her legs are still swollen, so she hasn't been able to take her walks as she couldn't get her shoes on. This has been very frustrating for her, and she appears to be suffering a bit from depression. The doctor has prescribed medication for her in this regard, and I am hopeful it will help. She has been talking about wanting to "give up" and wanting to die. This is a bit distressing for us, as you can imagine. Still, she is going with the program. It is not in her nature to give up, despite being tired of living within her limitations.

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