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ferenTo give some backstory: in December of last year my grandfather, who is now 89 years old, developed Diverticulosis. It kept him in bed or in the bathroom for about three days. I didn't find out about this until my mother called about twenty minutes ago -- I am a poor excuse for a grandson, but that's an entry for another time.
When the phone rang and I saw it was my parents' number, I figured it was my mother wanting to confirm the details of their arrival at Z'ha'dum tomorrow. I was told instead that they may not be coming down at all, or that if they do manage to make the trip, they'll be leaving on Friday and not tomorrow. When I asked why, I was given the backstory about my grandfather's condition and then told, "So it seems that your cat and your grandfather both have something in common -- their digestive tracts refuse to permit them to travel."
It appears that my grandfather was hit with another nasty attack on late Sunday night. When he was complaining about how much he hurt, my mother suggested going to see the doctor. Surprisingly enough, he agreed. Anybody who has ever met grampa Schep knows that the mention of doctors makes him grumble and hobble into another room -- he dislikes them, has been to more than his fair share of them for his own issues and had to spend an inordinate amount of time around doctors and hospitals during the last decade of my grandmother's life. If he acquiesced to my mother's suggestion of seeing the doctor, she knew he had to be feeling bad. So, in to the medical center they went on Monday afternoon. The doctor could only prescribe some antibiotics (much like Ra's IBD and pancreatitis, diverticulosis attacks cause a secondary infection that must be treated). Yesterday didn't seem to be bringing much relief, so my mother called the doctor's office to consult with them before taking my grandfather into the hospital. Luckily, she got his usual practitioner and not the on-duty nurse. The doctor's diagnosis is that the antibiotics he had prescribed had not sufficiently accumulated to alleviate any of the infection and that any trip to the emergency room would only result in sitting around while an intravenous drop delivered more antibiotics -- hardly a practical use of time, ER staff or money. So they stayed home.
In light of these issues, very little has been accomplished to prepare for the trip. My mother's station wagon needs to have its oil changed before they leave and there's been absolutely no packing done. "Leaving tomorrow is nothing more than a fairy tale at this point," my mother said. "Maybe, if your grandfather has a miraculous recovery, we can leave on Friday. But I don't think that will be the case. This seems to have taken the starch right out of him, so we may not come down at all." There are two big concerns that are contributing to the (very likely, IMO) postponement of their visit. First, if my grandfather doesn't get better they cannot leave him alone at his apartment, nor at the farm. He needs to have somebody nearby to help him to/from the bathroom, etc. Second, if he does have a miraculous recovery, there's the possibility that there might be an unpleasant surprise during the 7 hour drive from the farm to Z'ha'dum. Or, alternatively, if he makes the trip down here without incident, he might relapse -- in which case he'll be seeing a doctor who knows nothing of his medical history at an unknown facility, etc etc etc. In either case there's just too much risk of something going wrong for the trip to be a possibility.
My mother promised she will give me a call tomorrow night and let me know how things are looking for a departure on Friday. At this point, I don't honestly expect that they'll be able to make the trip. Having gotten an handle on the situation, I'd rather they didn't even consider heading out on Friday... no good can come of this, in my mind. It's a bummer for all involved but my grandfather's health and comfort absolutely must come first.
Incidentally, stomach problems are in vogue today. Along with my grandfather's situation, my coworker Dave was out sick yesterday after being ill on Monday night. He was in the office today but complained on the drive home that his stomach was still rather questionable. Earlier in the week![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
harlee_one had gotten sick and is just now on the mend, right before her trip out of town. During the commute to work this morning I was talking with flynhamster and found out she'd gotten sent home from work because she'd gotten sick to her stomach in the cat food aisle. Naturally I'm worried about her and hoping that she's getting some much-needed rest tonight.
shouldn't you know I'm bound to follow
When the phone rang and I saw it was my parents' number, I figured it was my mother wanting to confirm the details of their arrival at Z'ha'dum tomorrow. I was told instead that they may not be coming down at all, or that if they do manage to make the trip, they'll be leaving on Friday and not tomorrow. When I asked why, I was given the backstory about my grandfather's condition and then told, "So it seems that your cat and your grandfather both have something in common -- their digestive tracts refuse to permit them to travel."
It appears that my grandfather was hit with another nasty attack on late Sunday night. When he was complaining about how much he hurt, my mother suggested going to see the doctor. Surprisingly enough, he agreed. Anybody who has ever met grampa Schep knows that the mention of doctors makes him grumble and hobble into another room -- he dislikes them, has been to more than his fair share of them for his own issues and had to spend an inordinate amount of time around doctors and hospitals during the last decade of my grandmother's life. If he acquiesced to my mother's suggestion of seeing the doctor, she knew he had to be feeling bad. So, in to the medical center they went on Monday afternoon. The doctor could only prescribe some antibiotics (much like Ra's IBD and pancreatitis, diverticulosis attacks cause a secondary infection that must be treated). Yesterday didn't seem to be bringing much relief, so my mother called the doctor's office to consult with them before taking my grandfather into the hospital. Luckily, she got his usual practitioner and not the on-duty nurse. The doctor's diagnosis is that the antibiotics he had prescribed had not sufficiently accumulated to alleviate any of the infection and that any trip to the emergency room would only result in sitting around while an intravenous drop delivered more antibiotics -- hardly a practical use of time, ER staff or money. So they stayed home.
In light of these issues, very little has been accomplished to prepare for the trip. My mother's station wagon needs to have its oil changed before they leave and there's been absolutely no packing done. "Leaving tomorrow is nothing more than a fairy tale at this point," my mother said. "Maybe, if your grandfather has a miraculous recovery, we can leave on Friday. But I don't think that will be the case. This seems to have taken the starch right out of him, so we may not come down at all." There are two big concerns that are contributing to the (very likely, IMO) postponement of their visit. First, if my grandfather doesn't get better they cannot leave him alone at his apartment, nor at the farm. He needs to have somebody nearby to help him to/from the bathroom, etc. Second, if he does have a miraculous recovery, there's the possibility that there might be an unpleasant surprise during the 7 hour drive from the farm to Z'ha'dum. Or, alternatively, if he makes the trip down here without incident, he might relapse -- in which case he'll be seeing a doctor who knows nothing of his medical history at an unknown facility, etc etc etc. In either case there's just too much risk of something going wrong for the trip to be a possibility.
My mother promised she will give me a call tomorrow night and let me know how things are looking for a departure on Friday. At this point, I don't honestly expect that they'll be able to make the trip. Having gotten an handle on the situation, I'd rather they didn't even consider heading out on Friday... no good can come of this, in my mind. It's a bummer for all involved but my grandfather's health and comfort absolutely must come first.
Incidentally, stomach problems are in vogue today. Along with my grandfather's situation, my coworker Dave was out sick yesterday after being ill on Monday night. He was in the office today but complained on the drive home that his stomach was still rather questionable. Earlier in the week
harlee_one had gotten sick and is just now on the mend, right before her trip out of town. During the commute to work this morning I was talking with flynhamster and found out she'd gotten sent home from work because she'd gotten sick to her stomach in the cat food aisle. Naturally I'm worried about her and hoping that she's getting some much-needed rest tonight. shouldn't you know I'm bound to follow
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Date: 2005-08-18 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-08-18 10:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 01:08 pm (UTC)If you find yourself without the relatives Saturday, the invite from before is of course still open.
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Date: 2005-08-18 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-21 02:51 pm (UTC)