Monday, January 17, 2011

My grandmother

First, if you're reading this because you wanted an update on my grandmother, thank you for caring about her. Granted, it's not hard to do since she's pretty much the greatest person ever, but still. Thanks.

Second. If you're reading this just because you clicked over to my blog, then just take my word for it--my grandmother is pretty much the greatest person ever.

The basics are: my grandmother, who is 83 and has Altzheimer's, fell early Saturday morning in her bedroom. My uncle, who lives with her, found her and called my aunt, who took her to the ER. She has been in the hospital since then. She incredibly did not break any bones or sustain any serious injuries. However, she is covered in bruises, extremely weak and is not in touch with reality. Her blood pressure is spiking and she has run a fever ocasionally. Today her doctor said that she will remain in the hospital a minimum of 3-5 days, then be transferred to some form of a rehabilitation center. She has a bladder/UTI infection, which she had before the fall. These cause confusion and hallucination in elderly patients (which seems SO strange to me) so we are hoping that once this is cleared up she will function a little better.

We have been incredibly blessed in that 1) She didn't sustain any life threatening injuries and 2)though she does not know who we are or where she is, she seems to be happy to be there, is perfectly willing to cooperate with anything she's asked to do, and has not thus far shown any anxiety or fear. In brief moments of clarity, she's been her sharply witty self and has quickly become the pet of the staff.

She cannot be left alone, so my aunt, cousin and I are taking turns spending the night in the room with her. It isn't the easiest task in the world, mainly becuase my precious little grandmother snores like a 300 pound man. We are all happy to do it, though. My mom is staying in town indefinitely. I went down Saturday and came home yesterday. I am trying to arrange care for the kids so I can go back tomorrow for a night, and then again Friday or Saturday.

Every time I start to write the last paragraph here, I start to get a little weepy, so I'm going to nip that in the bud. I'll just say that I'll keep updates coming as they are available, and it means the world to me that people get how awesome this lady is. Thanks.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the update. Let us know if we need to take a kid!

Outnumbered said...

Sorry to hear about your Grandmother. I hope she makes a full recovery, soon! My grand-dad is suffering with almost the same problems minus the fall.

Susan Neyman said...

Nancy-
Grandmothers hold this very exalted position in our lives. I know my grandmother did. I recall spending some long nights with her as she recovered from one thing and then another over the years. I, like you, had very young children during that time and it made the juggling a bit challenging...especially since the younger ones didn't REALLY understand where I was going at night so you juggle to keep things as normal as possible at home...while spending the time you can with this wonderful woman. It's a labor of love. I commend you for making it a priority and doing the juggle. No matter how wonderful one's mother is...there is NO ONE like a grandmother. I can only hope someone thinks of me someday with only the fraction of love, respect, and reverence I will always have for my grandmother. Thanks for sharing your story...it took me on a little trip down memory lane.

LindaM said...

She is the Greatest Lady EVER!