my mom

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Yes, one day she won’t.

One day, you won’t, either.

“One day everything you have and everything you are will be taken from you.”

[Drunk Monk]

It’s not the end that bothers me. It’s the suffering. I watched my dad suffer his aphasia for over a decade. My mom handled that bravely but now she’s in a phase where she’s experiencing intense physical  pain again - level 8-10. I’ve watched her suffer so much. Since my dad died, this is the third time she’ll have to relearn how to walk. The first was her knee, which was miraculously quick, then her spine which was painstakingly slow, now this. Less sure if she’ll make it. If not, she’ll have to suffer living out the rest of her life in a facility. 

They’ve placed her in the same rehab where she was before, with the bunnies, where my dad died. Going back there is going to be hard on me. I went there every week for months while my dad diminished; just to sit with him for a while, to keep him company and be present.

Now at 4am, the house is deathly quiet and cold. I turned off the heat because it’s noisy and dries my sinuses.  There’s an occasional creak from some fading ghost and I just heard a siren from far away. 

Been having a tough time getting random messages from the hospital. My ringer was off for some reason so I keep missing and am playing phone tag with the case manager and now some new guy from the lab or somewhere. I’m still not in direct contact with her doc.

[Greg]

As William Shakespeare once said: Fuck

I'm not a fan of this mortality business, but I seem to see more and more signs of it. Keep reaching out. I'm sure we'll keep slapping that hand.

I should hook you up with my sister, Stephanie. She strikes fear into the hearts of hospital workers, from the top to the bottom, everywhere. She's been a nurse for a long time and knows how the game is played. But that's the nuclear option. No coming back from that call.

[Drunk Monk]

Thanks but I’m okay in the medical setting as I’ve worked with medics for 35 years. Hospital bureaucacy is always challenging. 

My main question is when they might transfer her over to the rehab facility. There’s a slim possibility they might do another kyphoplasty but we’ll see.

[King Bob]

All that reminds me of my mom. It's a tough time. Best of luck.

As for the house, the one thing you need to really keep up is the roof. You don't want leaking. I guess the drought helps there. We had to re-roof my mom's (a big hole was letting raccoons in) and it was like 40K.

[Drunk Monk]

Back at the hospital. Mom said she had a painful morning. She’s sleeping now. Been trying to contact the doc and got the run around on the phone. 

Been keeping up with work as I can on my iPhone.

[Greg]

On the iPhone? That should be effective. I hope you receive answers soon.

[Drunk Monk]

Well, I finally talked to my mom's new doc. Her first was Dr. Nguyen from the ER, but somewhere between Monday and today she changed to Dr. Lau. He left a message on my phone yesterday but when I tried to call him back, I got surgery and they explained that this happens a lot, gave me a big run around until finally saying they'd page him and he'd call me back. 

When I got to the hospital this morning, I just missed him. My mom said he complained that I didn't call him back. He was there prior to 10AM which is when visitors are allowed so I missed him again. I took a break to grab some lunch and of course, that's when he visited my mom. I told my mom to have him call me, which he did. He said that the 3 compression fractures in her spine were fresh and needed a kyphoplasty. I reminded him that the last kypho was unsuccessful (he thought it was reading her records) but there's not much alternative. She's got osteoporosis and any further damage would be devastating. He said a specialist would come in this afternoon, and if approved, they'd do the kypho that day. Then she could be transferred to the rehab center tomorrow. I told him to keep me informed. 

That was the last I heard. I figured it would go that way. I have no idea what has happened since.

I have one contact - my mom's case worker, Karen. I'm leaving a message for her to call me tomorrow asap and fill me in. 

I have multiple meetings tomorrow as per my usual Thursdays. I deal with that as it comes. I'm staying in Svale tonight - one more night - but I have a dinner appointment with the founder of Immortal Studios tomorrow night and I need to get back to the Cruz.

[Drunk Monk]

Been at the hospital all day. YMAA cancelled our 3rd meeting to give me some leeway. 

They skipped my mom’s lunch because she may have surgery. She’s starving.

I cannot reach her doc. Calling back the number he calls me on leads to a different part of the hospital each time. The number for him online goes to general and when he’s requested, it says he’s blocked. I was just about to leave but Now the floor nurse says he’ll be here in the next half hour, so I’ll wait even though it’ll put me in traffic and I’m starving.

I was here for her OT. She can’t stand unaided with out pain. She’s getting very confused. Between that and her deafness, it’s very frustrating.

[Greg]

Jesus wept. Why is our healthcare so poor? I'm sure your mother is glad you are by her side during this ordeal, although it probably doesn't seem like it.

[Drunk Monk]

Tomorrow they decide if she undergoes another kyphoplasty. If not, she’ll transfer to rehab. If so, she’ll transfer to rehab a day later.

[Drunk Monk]

Stacy visited my mom and said she seemed in good spirits. She said she feels better now than she has in a long time but that might be pain meds. She asked the nurse to call me with any updates, just like I asked of the doc who I cannot call back, but we heard nothing more all day. They weren’t feeding her on the chance that she might have surgery but that does not seem to have happened. They did the same thing yesterday. 

My cousin said he’d visit tomorrow. I scheduled a visit at the rehab center for Sunday just in case she is moved (have to do that for Covid protocols) but I’m skeptical anything will happen. It’s a strange holding pattern while the decide a course of action.

[Greg]

Do you think they will hold off on a decision during the holiday weekend?

[Drunk Monk]

Seems that way.

[Drunk Monk]

Just heard from the hospital finally. My mom had the kyphoplasty yesterday and is transferring to the rehab today.