(no subject)

[yellowvalley]

I am sitting in my maternal Grandmother's hospital room trying to type quietly.  She has congenital heart failure, most likely caused from a previously surgically cleared artery being blocked again.  They are talking catherization and splints, but don't know if she's strong enough.  Turns out she's been out of breath for a month or so, passed out last week (but refused treatment when the paramedics came), and had asked my Grandpa to sleep in her bed with her for the past week because we think she knew something was wrong.

Last night she was left alone here and got a little worse, so I volunteered to stay tonight with her.  I got here at 8pm, she was already asleep, but her heartbeat was irregular (after months spent in the hospital due to my own heart issues, I learned, and was taught, how to read a bit of the monitor), so I walk up to get a closer look, and there is a freaking defibrillator sitting there. 

No one was here when I got here, so I asked hot!nurse!guy WTFdude and he said he didn't know for sure but the earlier staff probably just wanted a portable EKG strip from her and used that to get it.  WHILE 2 PORTABLE EKG MACHINES WERE SITTING LITERALLY 5 FEET FROM HER ROOM DOOR, IN A LITTLE ALCOVE?!?

Yeah, no.  I think they didn't expect me to come.  And now I'm flipping out. 

Of course, I'm probably just flipping out over something little, but yeah that tripped me out a bit.  She's probably my favoritist family member, all 1/2 straight up Sioux Indian with the temper to go with it.


I'm here until 8am.  Going to be a long night folks.

Comments

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm thinking of you hon. And don't be afraid to kick some ass at the hospital. I know from experience it's sometimes the only way to deal with things.

*hugs some more*

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

Thanks, luv, Can't tell you how much I appreciate your thoughts!

Grandma's tough. So's Grandpa. The family joke, from themselves mostly, is that despite bad health for decades, the only thing that keeps them going is their determination to outlive each other. Kind of a "you go first!" "No, YOU go first!!" Type of thing. Grandma's Sioux + Grandpa's German= stubborn.

So Yeah, hard headedness abounds in this family. If anyone can pull it out, it'll be Grandma. :D

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

Heh. That's good to hear. And I can totally see two people having that arguement of 'You go first' Reminds me a little bit of my nan and granddad. They were so close for over fifty years. My mom is convinced that when my grandad died, he stayed around the house for six months waiting to see if my grandmother followed. It's all about the stubbornness :D

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

LOL. Old people are awesome. Especially related ones. I don't get why more people don't see that.

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

Cos people are stupid and sometimes a bit snobish about it. My grandparents were awesome, especially my Granddad Ned. He used to tell me these awesome stories and of all his grandkids, he had a special bond with me and my sister cos my mom spent so much time taking care of them. He's been gone seventeen years, oh shit its been seventeen years... And i still miss him so much. Granted, I'm convinced he's looking in on me all the time. I'm a big believer in the paranormal and my best friend, whom I live with, is a full on psychic, so I don't get laughed out of it like some people would.

And my other nan, not his wife but my dad's mother, was absolutely fricking hilarious. She once said to my sister who was making her tea in the kitchen that is sounded like she was putting too much milk in it. Classic.

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

I never knew my Dad's side of the family, unlike my sister (16 yrs older) and brother (13 years older) so they are my only set of Grandparents. You add that onto the fact that we lived on THE SAME block from the time I was 5 until 18, and yeah, we are close.

I went searching for my Dad's side of the family recently, and just last week found a cousin I didn't even know I had, from an Uncle that never even got the chance to see me, who's in contact with that whole line, including the Grandma I was told was dead. She's very much alive, and I've been excited about talking to her, and with this it's kind of scary because... I don't want to lose the one I have to get one I've never met, you know? and the timing of both things seem weird.


Hey, no, that wasn't rambling, LOL. You ain't seen rambling. ;D

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

I have one huge ass family. Think about 40 first cousins alone, so the idea of having family that I don't know about is strange but I can understand the sentement behind not wanting to lose them yet. There's so much you can learn from them, family history and stories from when you're family were young. I never knew my dad's father. He died two years before I was born, so I've only heard stories about him. I wish I had met him, and been able to remember. I'd love to do a family tree for my family, cos I had a great uncle who was a player in the War of Independence, which I think it pretty cool.

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

Sorry, her blood sugar had to be tested and it was at 255. O.o

Yeah, I'm doing a family tree, on both sides, and I have well over 700 people right now. And the tricky part of my family, is stuff like this:

Yesterday evening, it was just My Mom, Grandma and I, and they forgot I was here I think. They started talking about Grandma's sister, which I don't remember if I ever did meet, because they didn't like each other. Because apparently half of my Grandma's sisters' 6 kids belong to my Grandpa. While he was married to my Grandma. O.o

And, on my Mom's Birth cert, it states that there were 2 alive children born before my Mother to my Grandma, but she KIND OF denies it. Then, she starts talking about how she wouldn't have been able to handle another kid that was just like my Mom. Yeah, fun. :D

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

255? Wow. That's insanely high. Which you know, so I'll shut up now :) My mom's diabetic, and one of the kids I used to mind was insulin dependent diabetic, and they were never anywhere near that high. Though, there may be different ways of measuring B.S. levels between America and Ireland. kind of like Celcius and farenheight, if you get my meaning? Either way, I hope they get a handle on it soon.

Oooh, mysteries and intrigue. I wish you luck with the searching. Hopefully, they'll let things slip more often. I'm actually really tempted to do my family tree now. :D

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

It is insanely high, though we could also measure it differently too. My entire family, mom, grandma, aunts, are all almost always scarily off track with their sugar. My Grandma takes 2 insulin doses per day.

With the internet, it's easy. With school I only have 2-5 hours a week for it and I still get a lot done.

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

Wow. Two doses a day? I really hope they get a handle on it then quick if its that high with the insulin already in her system.

Next time I'm home in Ireland, I may actually get some background information so I can start looking into the family. I think my uncle may have done something similar at some point, but I'd be interested anyway.

Anywho, I gotta go to sleep. It's after four in the morning here. And I'm only starting to get sleepy now. *curses insomnia* Goodnight hon. I hope the night goes well for you and I'm thinking of you and your grandma *hugs* Talk to you soon.

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

Night. ::hugs back::

Thanks so much for the chat and the well wishes!

[shiny-starlight.livejournal.com]

Ok, that last comment was really very rambley, and I apologise :)

[wolfshark]

*hugs you tight*

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Just now got back, and haven't slept a wink. And just there i typed week. ::facepalm::

Thanks again for the hugs. ::hugs you back::