h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, I get to work this morning, and there's a voice mail waiting for me -- my father had called, telling me that my grandfather was in the ICU and probably dying, and that I should call for updates. This wasn't a tremendous shock -- after all, the man has both metastatic prostate cancer and congestive heart failure.

Of course, he didn't leave a number -- and they were staying in some unknown hotel in the town where my grandparents live, and his cell phone number had changed since I last used it. This is annoying, but not all that unusual -- when I was in college, I once came home to an answering machine message of "We think your grandfather (other one) is dead, but we're not sure. Someone will probably let you know." aaaarrrrrggghhh.

Anyway, I managed to track down a contact number (although it involved calling just about every relative I know, including some I wish I didn't).

I call, and find out that he had been declared essentially hopeless by the doctors yesterday -- that his neurological responses were all gone, there wasn't significant brain wave activity, etc. They got my grandmother and father to do all of the paperwork for the "do not resuscitate" order, and planned on removing the ventilator tube this morning. So this morning, they remove the tube -- and my grandfather wakes up. And I mean *truly* wakes up, not just starts breathing on his own but still unconscious. He can talk, move some (but not all) of his body, recognize all of the family members, etc.

It never ceases to amaze me how much there is in our world that science just can't really explain.

Now, of course, I'm worried about my grandmother -- she was insanely distrustful of doctors *before* this happened -- to the point where she's not even willing to let a doctor know when the pain or breathlessness gets unbearable.

*sigh*

Any warm thoughts and prayers people might have to spare would be appreciated....

Life is unruly isn't it? Just when someone thinks they have figured it out it changes. Darn! The good doctors call it an art form not a science, that is why they "practice". It the ones who "know for sure" that I worry about, God help the patients of some one like that.


I hope that you're OK. This repeat performance can take a lot out of a person, stress levels being what they are. Do you know about hospice care instead of a hospital? It is less intrusive and less high and mighty about predictions. (cost less also)

I'll keep you in my prayers tonight.

God bless you

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Mikey

I can do as many warm thoughts as you need

It isn't actually that uncommon for people to be 'shocked' into conciousness when the machines are switched off and tubes removed. It happens. But it doesn't necessarily mean that they're better, or will survive for long: be warned.

Death's not easy. But we can make it a little better by being in the right place when it happens and having said and done the things we need to say and do...

Many thoughts...

Fb

Yeah, no one is expecting him to live for very long at this point, regardless of the recovery. He's just lost functioning in too many important organs... It's really quite amazing that he's lived this long -- after all, he's well into his 90s, and had his first of many heart attacks 60 years ago....

He has been receiving hospice care at home, but when they found him unconscious the other day, they took him into the hospital.

Is that okay with him - to be in hospital? Or is he too far gone to know?

Oh boy, it's hard. I quite understand your concern for your Grandmother... it's almost harder for those looking on helplessly. Is it her breathlessness and pain she won't tell doctors about?


Fb

My Uncle Bear suffered very badly from Alzheimer's for his last years. He was in and out of hospital and a lot of guessing was going on, but he stuck out just long enough for his youngest daughter to complete her GCSEs. She passed with distinction, and when he finally passed on, everyone remembered him fondly for his dedication to his family, and remarked how sweet it was for him to hold on as long as he did.

It sounds like your granddad loves you as much. This has got to be very difficult for you but I hope you can get strength from that, however long he has left. We're all here whatever happens, I'll be praying for him and thinking of you.

At this point, he's quite coherent for the time being, and seems to think being in the hospital is best -- I think he's afraid that his dying at home would be more than my grandmother could handle. And, sad as it kind of is, this hospital is a "comfortable" environment for them -- they both know their way around, they know the nurses, etc.

Yeah, my grandmother has lungs that have some funky problems -- I can well understand at her age not wanting any invasive tests or surgeries, but I do wish she'd feel comfortable talking to the doctor about things like having oxygen for sleeping, and pain medication. Especially since she could probably live for another decade at this point -- other than the lungs, she's insanely healthy, and the lungs haven't been getting worse.

Krispy -- they did tell my grandfather when we woke up that I'd passed my oral exams. He and my grandmother both think it's a little odd for a girl to get a PhD, but do seem quite proud nevertheless.

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