Saturday, January 2, 2010

Brief Update

My mother is out of ICU and can move her feet, so everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. 
I was asked to call my mother's only sibling - my Uncle Rob - and give him an update last night.  I hadn't talked to him in years... maybe a decade.  It was a cordial conversation, and he offered to help me fly back to CA if I needed to.  I told him thanks, but I was going to wait and see how things went.

My father said he'd update me today, but when it got to be past noon and I hadn't heard from him, I called.  He gave me the news, and then said he was going to start building ramps for the house!  (I hadn't said a word to him about the stairs at this point.)  I kind of made a strangled laugh and said that I think it would be easier to just sell the house.  Surprisingly, my father said - seriously - that he'd thought about that, and is going to see how her recovery goes.  He said he thought he'd need to build at least 4 ramps and was glad he had lots of wood.
Good grief.  That place is going to look like the Winchester Mystery House before he's done... I hope he doesn't have a heart attack trying to do all that by himself, but he was busily building a new fence along their West border when I left California, by himself, digging holes in the rocky and packed Auburn soil.  He wouldn't let anyone help him with that, either.

Thanks to everyone who has taken a moment to think good things about my mother and the rest of us.  We'll see how it goes.  She should be in the hospital in Sacramento until sometime late next week.

6 comments:

  1. Glad to hear surgery went well. Continued prayers that she has a smooth and speedy recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad to hear that your mom is doing better tonight. Your parents remind me of mine and you cracked me up with the Winchester Mystery House remark!

    Sending good vibes from NH!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sorry to hear about your mom. The discharge planner at the hospital should be able to help with home care and making sure the home environment is safe for her to go home. If she can't walk, she might need to go to a skilled nursing facility for awhile to get stronger. I know how hard it is when parent age and when there is a medical crisis. Best Wishes for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mala: Thanks, sweetie.

    Bev: I shudder to think of what that house is going to turn into, but it's part and parcel of my family's special form of crazy. Thanks for your vibes!

    Dr. Toni: Thank you. I don't have much faith in any healthcare professionals being successful in intervening, but I'd love to be surprised! This whole thing is going to strain a very fragile system, I'm afraid - meaning the family.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad things went well and hope that they continue to do so!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Today I joined a blog entitled "I lost a Parent" under the legacy.com memorial website. This is a helpful service, It allows you to see family memorials, there is one for Steve Jobs and you are allowed to submit comments and light a candle, laurie

    ReplyDelete