Grandma In Icu

[Mischa]

What started out a normal--albeit hungover day filled with my normal sressors cranked up to 11 about four hours ago when my mom had to call the ambulance for my grandmother. She was having tightness in her chest and breathing problems. My mom, a CNA, called 911 and got the ambulance there quick. Thankfully Little Mischa has been quiet for a few days, he knows when the Big Guy is stressed its best to give me space, Little Mischa's favorite toy cars are his myriad of ambulances and fire-trucks, well one of each was in front of our house, luckily without sirens--which might have gotten his attention.

The stress of having to go on guard internally for the lil guy compounded with corralling the mutt Maddy. my grandma and grandpa's dog remembers the last two times ambulances were here, first her Daddy was taken and he never returned from the hospital, then her Mommy was taken and she spent about a month and a half in a rehab center before coming home.

Grandma is in pretty bad shape, she's got fluid in her lungs, compounded by scar tissue on her lungs. In addition, she's got a bleeding polyp in her intestines and all that is compounded by her morbid obesity and ruptured spinal discs.

Mom came home, told me they put her in the ICU and they've got a treatment plan with several redundancies to clear the biggest threat, the fluid in her lungs, but they only have a limited window before they're going to put her on life support. This puts a lot of stress on me because me and my mother live with grandma in grandma's house, if she doesn't make it, I have no idea what will happen to the house, thus I could be homeless again.

After grandma was taken to the hospital and I had to man the phones for an hour and a half, I sat down to a plate of lasagna only to find mushrooms throughout the lasagna, mushrooms make me gag, so I couldn't eat that, and i've had acid in my stomach since, preventing me from eating, and putting me on the verge of throwing up for two hours.

Now after my mom came home she asks me for my cell phone, now my Palm Pre is more computer than phone and my mom is borderline technophobic. So I had to run through how to call people by typing in their names. I also had to remove the key-lock from the phone. Well having to do four different things to the phone, I forgot to double-check the keylock was totally off. So I just got a call from my drunk uncle bitching that I didn't unlock the phone. I'm probably going to get a dead phone back and get bitched at for it.

[Honu]

Mischa,

My thoughts are with your family during this stressful time. I hope your grandmother recovers from this very serious condition and that you and your mother find the strength to endure this.

With Sympathy,

Honu

[Bettypooh]

I'm so very sorry to hear this- my heart goes out to you Mischa. At times like this we sometimes have to put ourself aside to be able to help others get through- just don't put so much of you aside that you can't get through it too. Make a place for some "Me Time"- either very early or very late usually has the fewest interruptions which you won't want. How much of that you need you'll have to figure out on your own. You're also going to need some su[pport yourself, so get with your best friend(s) and let them help you carry this burden- that's what friends do best and the real ones want to help you! Being something of an 'old fogey' I understand how hard it is for some of us to deal with technology, so get your Mom a phone of her own. Trac phones and Net 10 phones are simple, relatively cheap, and you can get intro deals on airtime for new ones. $30 will buy 400 minutes for a few months and sometimes additional minutes are doubled if you put them on when you set up the service. Dollar General stores have them here. There may be other phone services like Cricket where you are, look into it- you should be able to find something suitable. You Grandmothers condition doesn't sound good- and I wish her and you all the best, but this is a good time to spend time with her if you get along well. Even if you don't get along spend some time with her anyway to ease your own mind and quell any regrets you may have later. None of us goes on forever and none of us get through this life alone. We need each other even if we're too proud or stubborn to want to admit it, and oftentimes just the presence of someone who really cares can make all the difference in the world.

Bettypooh

[Rockies Fan in Diapers]

My thoughts & Prayers are with you, & your Grandmother & the Rest of your Family Mischa. I hope your Grandmother Recovers, & that the Stress doesn't Overcome you.

Rockies Fan.

[Mischa]

Thank you both Honu, Rockies, and Bettypooh for your kind words.

At about 630AM I got a call from my mother at the hospital, she had just talked to the nurse and got word that the prognosis was good. I was then told to spread the message to my aunts and uncles that she is doing better.

About 45min later, the doctor attending my grandmother's case came on duty and reviewed her chart and immediately ordered my grandmother intubated and put on a ventilator. My mom then called me very worried and told me to call my aunts and uncles back and tell them to make their way to the hosptial. After doing this, my head was running in so many directions I needed to talk to someone as soon as possible.

I called my aunt on my dad's side of the family about ready to break down--everyone on mom's side of the family is obviously preoccupied. Lo and behold I forgot my aunt had been a respiratory therapist. I was then read the book "Ventilation and You: Why the Fuck is this tube in my Throat!?" My aunt explained why they ventilated my grandmother: the sedatives and breathing tube make it easier for the diuretics to take effect, thus clearing the fluid quicker from her lungs. My aunt said the majority of her patients were only intubated for a few weeks at most.

By this time, I'd already polished off three Pepsis and a sprite-orange soda mix I call a Citrus Sugar Blast in the span of six hours. I am hyper in my diaper at this point. Then my aunt--not knowing I consider myself equal parts Alton Brown (hey his initals are AB ) and Julia Child, proceeds to tell me what my mom would really like is some good grab-n-go food. Looking around the kitchen we have NO ingredients to make a complete dish that would be recognizable, and well FUCK ME there's a blizzard out and I'm Pre-less so I am STUCK at home. We came up with a quick recipe for broccoli-cauliflower cheese soup--mind you I am hyper in my diaper and now that my creative juices are flowing i'm practically bouncy. When I talk on the phone--I pace, and the faster I pace the faster my brain was going, well Maddy practically turned green watching me walk around! Well after thanking Mary I went off to get ready to shovel.

Alas when my mother called, she said she;d just eat the lasagna (*bounces more* YAY! I don't hafta!) so I have yet to try the recipe, and neither will anyone else muahahaha........I'm trying to build up a recipe file for a YouTube cooking show.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut, I will share my recipe for Spiked Chocolate Coffee

9oz full caffeine coffee

3oz Milk

1 shot (or more ) Evan Williams bourbon (or any whiskey-type spirit)

1 Packet Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix

Big Ole Coffee Mug--this is a 12-oz recipe, a standard coffee cup won't work here folks!!

pour 3oz of the coffee into the cup of your choice, dump in the hot cocoa mix and stir with a spoon until well combined, continue stirring and pour in the remaining coffee and all the milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute and then add the booze and consume.

Ahhh, (sugar+caffeine+alcohol)stress=aneurysm by Wednesday

[bignappybo]

I hope everything is going well with your gran,and that sheis back home with you all soon.

[Bettypooh]

.... I will share my recipe for Spiked Chocolate Coffee....

First is that I'm glad for the improved prognosis But you brought back memories with

Back in my 'bad-old-days', a dirty hairy guy would add a shot of bourbon or cognac to the second cup of coffee in the morning If there was anything left from the night before that is That person is dead and I drink no more but the coffee alone still rocks

Bettypooh