Monday, January 24, 2005
The times in your life where the roles are reversed and you are taking care of your caretaker should be few and far between. The kids had a two hour delay for school so I couldn't get to the hospital till around ten'o'clock. When I got here the desk worker told me my mother was admitted but couldn't tell me which surgery she had. If she had had the simple surgery she shouldn't have been admitted but I thought maybe they just wanted to observe her for 24 hours.
Unfortunately I couldn't find that out. The couldn't get a hold of the doctors and nobody I could get a hold of knew which surgery was performed on my mother. Worse yet, I wasn't allowed to go into the recovery room to see her (once, at another hospital I was allowed to visit a friend in recovery because his mom lied and said I was his sister). So I sit in the waiting room waiting for someone to tell me what happened during my mom's surgery and anxiety mounts with no information.
Finally they put my mom in a room where I can see her but still no one knows which surgery was done. And my mom can't tell me as she was a) asleep during the procedure so how would she know b) she is floating in an out of consciousness and c) she is high as a kite on morphine. Eventually I get a hold of a nurse who puts me in contact with a doctor who tells me that they did have to do the more complicated procedure and my mother will be in the hospital until Thursday, at least.
Currently I am sitting her in her room and she is sleeping. Her face is grimaced with the wrinkles on her forehead all crinkled up and she is pale (which makes her freckles stand out even more). Every time she winces I want to cry and my mother, who hates pain medication is clicking on that morphine about every half hour.
My father is being as helpful as he can be but he has to work until eight o clock tonight. Funny thing about cabs in Middletown,, you never get to ride in them alone. The cabbie pulls up to your house and he may have another passenger with him. People get picked up and dropped off all along the way. You normally get where you want to go quicky enough. The fare is always the exact same price and tips are not expected (I tip when I have luggage they need to help me with). Unfortunately, I will be spending too much on cabs if I visit my mom as much as I want to so I have to figure out what friends can give me rides.
I really don't want to leave here. I watch the nurses and I watch my mom and I want to stay here and take care of her, make sure she is hydrated and such. The nurses at the hospital are attentive and they have done a good job with family members in the past. The only worry now is that she will get an infection or fever but I know she wants to get home so she won't let that happen.
I have to figure out how to tell my fourteen year old sister and eleven year old brother that mom will be in the hospital till at least Thursday without freaking them out. I'm gonna try to make this fun for them, as fun as can be.
I don't know when I am going to be able to make it back to work which is rather shitty as I am already behind on my rent and have bills to pay. Mom should be out of work for six weeks and until she is moving around I will just be in the city from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I would commute in and out on those days if I could but that would cost me about $50 each day (not including metrocards). And now I am kicking myself for not having my fucking license. Grrr grrr grrr
Unfortunately I couldn't find that out. The couldn't get a hold of the doctors and nobody I could get a hold of knew which surgery was performed on my mother. Worse yet, I wasn't allowed to go into the recovery room to see her (once, at another hospital I was allowed to visit a friend in recovery because his mom lied and said I was his sister). So I sit in the waiting room waiting for someone to tell me what happened during my mom's surgery and anxiety mounts with no information.
Finally they put my mom in a room where I can see her but still no one knows which surgery was done. And my mom can't tell me as she was a) asleep during the procedure so how would she know b) she is floating in an out of consciousness and c) she is high as a kite on morphine. Eventually I get a hold of a nurse who puts me in contact with a doctor who tells me that they did have to do the more complicated procedure and my mother will be in the hospital until Thursday, at least.
Currently I am sitting her in her room and she is sleeping. Her face is grimaced with the wrinkles on her forehead all crinkled up and she is pale (which makes her freckles stand out even more). Every time she winces I want to cry and my mother, who hates pain medication is clicking on that morphine about every half hour.
My father is being as helpful as he can be but he has to work until eight o clock tonight. Funny thing about cabs in Middletown,, you never get to ride in them alone. The cabbie pulls up to your house and he may have another passenger with him. People get picked up and dropped off all along the way. You normally get where you want to go quicky enough. The fare is always the exact same price and tips are not expected (I tip when I have luggage they need to help me with). Unfortunately, I will be spending too much on cabs if I visit my mom as much as I want to so I have to figure out what friends can give me rides.
I really don't want to leave here. I watch the nurses and I watch my mom and I want to stay here and take care of her, make sure she is hydrated and such. The nurses at the hospital are attentive and they have done a good job with family members in the past. The only worry now is that she will get an infection or fever but I know she wants to get home so she won't let that happen.
I have to figure out how to tell my fourteen year old sister and eleven year old brother that mom will be in the hospital till at least Thursday without freaking them out. I'm gonna try to make this fun for them, as fun as can be.
I don't know when I am going to be able to make it back to work which is rather shitty as I am already behind on my rent and have bills to pay. Mom should be out of work for six weeks and until she is moving around I will just be in the city from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I would commute in and out on those days if I could but that would cost me about $50 each day (not including metrocards). And now I am kicking myself for not having my fucking license. Grrr grrr grrr
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