It's obvious – if you're one of my two
or three readers – that postings here have been getting sporadic. Well, they
will continue to do so for a while. Rather than detail what's been going on,
I'll fill in this posting with some recent email traffic, including select
responses.
First, though:
To paraphrase Erich Segal: after years
of threatening to do so, this month my mother actually turned [muffled] years old. So the weekend before – Saturday, July
5 – the family celebrated the fourteenth anniversary of her third twenty-second
birthday… you can do the math.
All five of her grown children were
there (this was at my sister Mew's lovely, sprawling house), plus spouses
(including older-brother Sarge's new bride, Hyong-Su Nim, formerly known here
as Choggun-Nunim), grandchildren (all but one; younger-brother Doc's older
daughter, Auriga, is in Australia), Mother's older brother and his wife, and
some guests, hangers-on, and passers-by… most of a couple dozen loud,
delightful folks.
Mother loved it. And it wearied her a
bit, of course. And most recently, her health had been seriously concerning us…
-----Original
Message-----
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:26 PM
To: 'Shellie, Home'; 'Portia'
Cc: 'Pauli'; 'Azey'; 'Chuckles'
Subject: Update on (Grand)Mother
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:26 PM
To: 'Shellie, Home'; 'Portia'
Cc: 'Pauli'; 'Azey'; 'Chuckles'
Subject: Update on (Grand)Mother
Good evening, lovely young
ladies; here's the latest:
Since we've all been troubled
at Grandmother's recent symptoms – the slurred speech, dizziness, tiredness –
Mew and Alicia took her to her doctor's early this afternoon for a closer
looking-at. On examination, the doctor had her admitted to the hospital (room
4038); her neurologist gave her more detailed tests (MRI, etc.), and determined
that she had indeed had a small stroke at the base of her brain, affecting both
sides of her body.
(This dovetails closely with
what Levi had suggested to me on Saturday as a likely cause of these symptoms –
he had described something called vertebrobasilar insufficiency.)
This neurologist wants to
have a cardiologist look at her (this'll be tomorrow), since he suspects this
might have been brought on / provoked by atrial fibrillation (this, too,
Levi had suggested we look for), which could have caused small clots to pass
through her bloodstream and lodge in plaque-narrowed veins in the base of her
brain – i.e., the cerebellum – which helps with motor control, coordination,
and so on.
If these conjectures are on
target, the treatment will likely include putting her on a blood-thinner (e.g.,
Coumadin/Warfarin), which she'll
take for the rest of her life – hopefully many more years. Shorter-term will
likely involve some rehabilitative therapy so she can manage stairs and so on
(and they haven't been a real problem for her anyway… but there's still the
risk of slipping and falling), plus she may also have a nice extended stay at
Mew's or Sarge's, where nearly everything's on the same floor anyway. Even
here, I could put a mini-fridge in the basement, for example… but she really
does like being upstairs and doing stuff, and shouldn't be confined in moving
around.
I just got back from visiting
her (Sarge and Hyong-Su Nim are there right now) with Alicia and Mew; her
spirits were fine (she flirted with her male nurse) – the worst that could be
said was that she did seem a bit tired and slightly slurred, and at times
looked at me with a Popeye-like gaze (i.e., one eye
squeezed shut), plus kept sliding down in her bed. I asked her if she feels
differently mentally, and she said, no, she still feels the same. I tested her
subtly by mentioning and asking about some things recent and further back that
would require her to dig around mentally, and she did fine.
And she was very much alert,
and – as we saw on Saturday – does like having family around her.
Mew and Alicia have the
details; you probably have their email addresses and/or cell numbers. Plus she
has her own cell phone with her (and she's allowed to!), as well as her
room-phone, and would be delighted to hear from you… although it is just a bit
hard to make out what she's saying sometimes – she says it's from the alcohol.
And I'll keep you updated.
Love,
Dad/Gene
...and Garfield made it! |
-----Original
Message-----
From: chuckles [mailto:chucknyuk@youwho.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:56 AM
To: A. Gene Childe
Subject: Re: Update on (Grand)Mother
From: chuckles [mailto:chucknyuk@youwho.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:56 AM
To: A. Gene Childe
Subject: Re: Update on (Grand)Mother
Hey
there,
My mom
had the same thing and said she was fine when you asked, but in reality we
could tell she wasn't. She would yell at us when her brain functions got bad.,
had slurred speech, and ended up using a walker. Maybe you should tell her
you'll send Tiger after her if she doesn't behave. I'll call her today. I've
got a con meeting at 8 pm tonight.
chuckles
-----Original
Message-----
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:51 PM
To: 'Chuckles'
Subject: RE: Update on (Grand)Mother
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:51 PM
To: 'Chuckles'
Subject: RE: Update on (Grand)Mother
Your mom was a great woman…
and no grey in her hair until you came along, I bet! She also had a great
chuckle to her… thanks to you too, no doubt.
I breezed through briefly
this morning to get Mother's paper to her: she still looked at me Popeye-style,
but her speech and manner were very clear. On her own, she listed for me all my
former employers since 1977 (quite a long list), so she does still seem
mentally unaffected, ditto her moods and emotions. She was grumbling about the
possibility of being put (even if for a short time) in a nursing home, which is
where she might receive some rehab.
It's likely your mother had a
somewhat different kind of stroke; this kind seems to have been confined to
Mother's motor control, coordination, etc. – in other words, it's finally
brought her down to the level of the rest of the family, right?
The main thing is to find out
about the source of these clots, if that's what's caused this, and get her on blood-thinner.
If this were Shellie, she'd simply thin out her blood with alcohol. And if it
were Tiger… well, there's no chance of him getting thinner, unlike your Mr. Smugface.
Gene
-----Original
Message-----
From: Pauli [mailto:pauligürl@klatschen.de]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 5:54 PM
To: agenechilde@youwho.com
Subject: Re: Update on (Grand)Mother
From: Pauli [mailto:pauligürl@klatschen.de]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 5:54 PM
To: agenechilde@youwho.com
Subject: Re: Update on (Grand)Mother
Hi A.
Gene,
I am
glad to hear that your mother got checked out and properly evaluated. Hopefully
the new medication will alleviate some of the symptoms she had been struggling
with recently. Has she been released from the hospital yet? Please do keep us
informed.
Thank
you so much for the update. I had wondered how she was doing.
Thanks,
Pauli
Pauli
-----Original
Message-----
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:32 AM
To: 'Pauli'; 'Portia'
Cc: 'Chuckles'; 'Azey'
Subject: RE: Update on (Grand)Mother
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:32 AM
To: 'Pauli'; 'Portia'
Cc: 'Chuckles'; 'Azey'
Subject: RE: Update on (Grand)Mother
Good evening, gals!
The very latest: I went to
visit (Grand)Mother a few hours ago; Licia, Mew, Shellie, and baby Dannay-Lee
(riding in front of cousin-Shellie like papoose-meets-kangaroo) were already
there, and we wore her out – and one of the nurses shut the door because we
were getting loud! Well, you've seen this family in action; there should be no
surprise in either regard.
(Grand)Mother's been moved to
the Transitional Care Unit, room 409, and rehab will start Monday (I think).
The cardiologist said that the clot/stroke had not been triggered by
atrial-fibrillation -generated blood clots, so I think we don't know what the
cause of the cause was, if you follow me. This means, though, on the plus side,
she won't be taking Coumadin (also used as a rat poison – really! I'd grimly
pictured a large pill-bottle labeled "Zyklon"… yigg! And whew.)
I don't know precisely what
medications are currently being administered; I assume she's still on her high-
blood-pressure medication, daily aspirin, and a couple other thingies that Mew,
Alicia, and Levi would know loads more about. I also don't know how long it'll
be before she's back home – again, she may stay a couple days/weeks first with
Sarge or/and Mew.
One thing Portia might
appreciate: her grandmother's now sporting a black eyepatch to rest her
overly-sensitive left eye. (I'd kidded her about that all week, not thinking
the doctors would actually give her one!) So as soon as I saw that this
evening, I greeted her with an "Arr, matey!"
If anyone has a spare parrot,
please let me know.
Her spirits are great, her
mind is sharp and keen – and she's been given a two-page list of words to
pronounce in order to retrain her tongue (and larynx?), to which I've already
added the word "neglected"… not because she is (she's not),
but because she was having trouble, uh, getting the "L" out of there.
Really! Licia was just finishing getting Mother to pronounce the words when I
got there, and Mother was doing great with them… having fun, in fact, by
deepening and raising her voice, or altering the word to a synonym (that's
another word for the list, come to think of it).
That list put me in mind of a
very similar one in my joke vault – I've appended it down below – one that is
in fact very useful for quite similar reasons; I'll have to print it up and
bring it in to her.
Thursday being her birthday,
I brought her a little stuffed Garfield (with sunglasses, gold chain, and big
smirk) – Tiger insisted; I though it wasn't something she'd like… but who am I
to argue with a cat? Sure enough, Mother's delighted to have him there sitting
close to her, grinning away. She and I each had a slice of the cake Sarge and
Hyong-Su had dropped off the night before (I got some photos, too – will send
later); we set aside a couple slices for Mew and Alicia, and I distributed the
rest of them among the hard-working medical staff.
Room 409 is a private room;
visiting hours (and I think a few of the visitors, too) are rather loose, and
Mother also has her cell phone, and would welcome a call from any one of you
(at reasonable hours, of course): 233-243-601-499. She's wearing her own clothes
– great for her morale, and so much more dignified than those silly backwards
shirts the hospitals issue. (At one point, Mother even started singing "My
shirt has not buttons; no buttons has my shirt…"!) She's required to
summon a nurse when she needs to get up (e.g., to the bathroom), since there
remains the risk of her falling. She also has a walker, but her right wrist is
bothering her, and so the walker was not seeing as much use this evening.
Back on her home front:
Levi did a couple very skilled walkthroughs of the house, from sidewalk,
through the main floor, and down the stairs to Mother's bed, and made
recommendations about where to install added railings, and so on. We rearranged
(i.e., deranged) the living-room – after Alicia and I finished painting it –
for increased mobility-space. Mew and Licia also did similar
mobility-considerate things with Mother's bedroom, and also steam-cleaned her
carpet. Levi (with needless advice from me) reinstalled a wall cabinet in
Mother's bathroom (and patched holes our first attempts had created!).
In sum, all is well
(considering), and looking very good. Please don't hesitate to drop by to see
her if you're anywhere close (unannounced is okay… though she might be snoozing
– Tiger's been teaching her some of his tricks); she loves flowers, so we
brought her a couple large blooms from her garden the other day, and I'll bring
some replacements tomorrow.
Have a great weekend,
everybody; I know Mother will!
Love,
Gene/Dad
P.S.: Here's that alternate
list:
Things That
Are Difficult to Say When You're Drunk:
Indubitably
Innovative
Preliminary
Proliferation
Cinnamon
Things That
Are VERY Difficult to Say When You're Drunk:
Specificity
Judicial system
British constitution
Passive-aggressive disorder
Loquacious transubstantiate
Things That
Are Downright IMPOSSIBLE to Say When You're Drunk:
Thanks, but I don't want to have 5ex.
Nope, no more booze for me.
Sorry, but you're not really my type.
Good evening officer; isn't it lovely
out tonight?
Oh, I just couldn't. No one wants to
hear me sing.
-----Original
Message-----
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 11:46 PM
To: 'Mrs. Dawn Bosco'
Subject: Update on Mother
Importance: High
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 11:46 PM
To: 'Mrs. Dawn Bosco'
Subject: Update on Mother
Importance: High
Good afternoon, Ms. B:
(And I hope I got your email
address correct.)
This past Monday (7/7/08),
Alicia and Mew took Mother to her doctor's, since she'd been exhibiting
dizziness, wobbliness, and – particularly indicative – slurred speech. Her
doctor had her admitted immediately to the hospital for further exams to confirm
the likeliness she'd suffered a mild stroke.
Confirmed.
To our best determination,
Mother's mind is untouched, but her coordination and motor skills have been
affected – both sides, but her left a bit more so; her left eye in particular
has been weakened, giving her double vision… and necessitating an eyepatch.
Since she's been assessed a fall-risk, she has to summon a nurse/caretaker when
she needs to get up for the rest room, etc. She also has a walker, but there's
some kind of problem with her right wrist (particularly troubling swelling),
which Radiology was to look at earlier this afternoon; so use of the walker is
a bit of a problem at the moment.
I must stress: her spirits
are great, her mind is sharp, and her outlook is a bit feisty… though she's
always been a bit sensitive to very mild depression and loneliness. We haven't
given her much opportunity to feel lonely, though – all her family stops in to
see her at least once to several times a day where possible (even at
ridiculously late hours), including "Doc" Rich and Sarge popping up
once or twice thus far this week (Doc with a daughter in tow, Sarge with new
wife Hyong-Su Nim). Plus Alicia, Levi, and baby Dannay-Lee are still down here
(staying at Mew's), so she's getting as much attention as she can stand, and
then some!
She's in Transitional Care
Unit room #409, is wearing her own clothing (i.e., none of those peekaboo
backwards shirts), and can use her cell phone with no danger of futzing up
anyone's monitors: 233-243-601-499. I think rehab will start on Monday; I don't
know how soon she'll be back home – she may even further transition for a week
or two at Mew's or Sarge's, since everything she needs would be on one floor,
eliminating the hazard of stairs. In any case, Levi gave me an excellent
walk-through of our house, pointing out where rails, etc., could/should be
added to make Mother's goings-about much easier and safer; we also rearranged
the living-room and Mother's bedroom/office to make them even more
mobility-friendly.
Mrs. Bosco, please feel free
to stop by and visit her at the hospital – she'd love it, and you needn't call
ahead. In any case, you can certainly call her anyway, of course; I know she'd
love to hear from you, and to see you. And I think the family could use some inputs/suggestions
from you on helping take care of Mother, based on your own experiences,
personal and professional (including speech-rehabilitation).
I'll bring her the Eucharist
tomorrow, by the way. And she did have an Extraordinary Minister visit during the
week… though from what I heard, that person may have missed a class on
sensitivity: when told Mother had had a stroke, the woman gasped, and blurted
out, "Oh! I'm so sorry!"… this within earshot of Mother, of course.
Again, her mind really seems unaffected; only her motor control has been
marred. So a comment like that, even out of hearfelt reflex, might have served
better silent.
Mew, Levi, and Alicia have
more precise details, and longer-term outlooks, and can fill you in even
better. But just stop on by there and say hello, and pass word among mutual
friends at church (I'll be doing the same tomorrow).
See you there!
Gene
----Original
Message-----
From: Mrs. Dawn Bosco [mailto:DBosco@AllSaints.com]
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 11:15 PM
To: agenechilde@youwho.com
Subject: Re: Update on Mother
From: Mrs. Dawn Bosco [mailto:DBosco@AllSaints.com]
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 11:15 PM
To: agenechilde@youwho.com
Subject: Re: Update on Mother
Gene,
Some observations of mine. Certainly your mother's mind remains sharp but her inappropriate responses to some questions and directions leaves me to speculate that there may be some mild receptive language issues. As a result of the stroke she has lost some fine motor and articulator mobility the latter effecting the clarity of her speech. I suggested some mouth exercises to help restore some of that movement, namely going from smile to kiss position of her lips, both of which should be exaggerated. I suggested she pretend she is kissing Cal Ripken but she told me to kiss him myself as he is not one of her favorites. HER HUMOR REMAINS INTACT. I will stop by later in the week to harrass her a little more and will bring her Eucharist on Sunday. I have contacted members of our lenten group and they will pray for her recovery and probably visit her. Take care.
Some observations of mine. Certainly your mother's mind remains sharp but her inappropriate responses to some questions and directions leaves me to speculate that there may be some mild receptive language issues. As a result of the stroke she has lost some fine motor and articulator mobility the latter effecting the clarity of her speech. I suggested some mouth exercises to help restore some of that movement, namely going from smile to kiss position of her lips, both of which should be exaggerated. I suggested she pretend she is kissing Cal Ripken but she told me to kiss him myself as he is not one of her favorites. HER HUMOR REMAINS INTACT. I will stop by later in the week to harrass her a little more and will bring her Eucharist on Sunday. I have contacted members of our lenten group and they will pray for her recovery and probably visit her. Take care.
-----Original
Message-----
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 11:50 AM
To: BKanntin@EPost.de
Subject: Mutti
From: A. Gene Childe [mailto:AGeneChilde@YouWho.com]
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 11:50 AM
To: BKanntin@EPost.de
Subject: Mutti
Tag, Bea!
Hoffentlich ist alles bei Euch gut, und der Komputer kooperiert gleich.
Letztes Wochenende feierten wir (ein Wenig früh) bei meiner Schwester
Muttis 80en Geburtstag (der war eigentlich letzten Donnerstag). Sie hatte etwa
20 Gäste (die meisten waren natürlich Familie und Verwandten), und da war sie
sozusagen das fröhliche Auge des Orkans.
Aber da machten wir uns um sie Sorgen, weil sie mehrtägig etwas
benommen/schwindlig gewesen war, hatte nur schwäche Ausgeglichenheit, konnte
die Wörter nicht klar aussprechen, usw. Daher den nächsten Montag (d.h. letzten
Montag) gingen meine Schwestern mit ihr an die Ärztin, und sofort wegen der
Diagnose in das Krankenhaus: irgendwann vor ein paar Wochen hatte sie einen
kleinen Hirnschlag/Insult.
Weitere Diagnosen nachher zeigten ihn auf: die Schädigung ist nur auf dem
Kleinhirn beschränkt: reduzierte Motorik; aber der Verstand (d.h., Erkenntnis,
Humor, usw.) ist total unbeeinflusst davon… Gott sei dankbar!
Sie besuchen wir sehr oft, und täglich hat sie auch schon
wiederherstellende Behandlung. Wir glauben, sie bleibt nicht länger da drüben,
und geht zurückzuhause vielleicht nach einigen Wochen. Da bereiten wir das Haus
vor, z.B. Handläufer im Treppenschacht (und in der Dusche) einbauen, Vorleger /
kleinen Teppich festmachen, usw.
Ich schreibe mehr später, muss nun den Neffen von der Fahrschule abholen. Bis
dann!
Eugen
No comments:
Post a Comment