I thought I'd finally let you all know what's happening. Anyone remember the retro sitcom with the tall skinny black kid that wore black framed glasses? He was called Raj, and his sidekick was an overweight black kid who wore a tam, and they called him Rerun? It was called "What's Happening?" This has absolutely nothing to do with my post. But it wouldn't leave my brain, so I had to let it out. If you remember that show, raise your hand....
Ok, the real deal is that SR and I have been at St. Vincent with his great aunt since Friday last. We spent several nights at the Guesthouse Inn, which is located on the hospital campus. It made things a lot easier for us, even though I did spent two night in the room with her. I mentioned in an earlier post about her condition, and I won't bore you all with specifics, but she is now back at the nursing home under Hospice care. It's been a long hard road.
While at the hospital, Aunt had a young nurse named Meng. She was born in Thailand and is the cutest little thing. She bent over backward to give us what we asked for, to come running when we called, and she was entertaining in between. I had to laugh, as she is engaged to a guy named "Bob" and she is afraid to set a date. She told me she was afraid they would wake up one day and ask, "Wat em I do-en wid dis pu-son?" I just told her that is when you decide to buckle down and do what it takes to get through it and make it work. She just grinned.
Ever notice that mirrors are all different? The two I use most at my house either make me look larger, or make me look smaller than I really am. The ones at the guesthouse seemed to be pretty true, not distorted. One was on the door of the bathroom, and when you left the door open, you could see the reflection of your back in the vanity mirror. Now this could be a frightening thing, but it showed me that maybe, just maybe I'm not as large and globby as I pictured myself. I will go with that, even if it is a fairy tale.
And of course the campus and hotel were No Smoking. There were signs everywhere. Someone didn't know how to read. Mainly the desk clerk. Although she tried to hide it, when you went in the front door, you had to navigate through a cloud of cigarette smoke. Our floor and room smelled nice and clean though.
It's strange that the attending physician never really told us anything. He always asked us questions and we had discussions, but after he left, SR and I would look at each other and ask what the doctor said about Aunt. He never gave us a diagnosis, never told us what he thought was happening. I supposed that meant he knew the end was near and he wanted to comfort us. Who knows? The Palliative Care doctor was more informative than the attending. He asked a few questions, then agreed that it was time for hospice.
SR and I are beyond tired. But, getting to finally sleep at home, in our own beds helped tremendously. The next few days will be draining as we wait. He is on vacation until Tuesday, so he doesn't have to worry about missing work, while he spends time with her. I will be doing a bit of housework, getting replacement milk and eggs that spoiled while we were gone, and waiting for him to call.
So, now we are up to speed.
