In and Out of Hospitals
After a long break (in a matter of speaking…) I have a moment to update what’s been going on. This summer has probably been one the most hectic periods in my life. Since August I’ve been to a hospital or nursing home almost every day until maybe a couple weeks ago. My grandfather has fallen quite ill mid-way through the summer with kidney infection and his alzheimer’s, making him deteriorate quite rapidly. After a couple of stints in hospitals he’s in a nursing home for long-term care and currently it’s not looking so good for him. Mentally he has degenerated so bad that for the most part he’s a vegetable. What an utterly degrading existence. It’s cold to say but because every day I wish relief for him by his passing. I don’t wish him to die, I wish relief for him. He’s a prisoner in his own deteriorating body, and his bed sores are pretty bad. I can imagine he’s in constant pain but can’t really express himself as he’s lost probably 99% of his speech ability. He deserves rest and relief, and doesn’t deserve this torturous existence. At the same time my grandfather was struggling with a nasty kidney infection my father’s heart decided to cause him problems. His aortic valve calcified thus creating aortic valve stenosis. My dad is still relatively young at 57 years-old. He underwent open heart surgery to replace his failing valve and received a new valve from a pig’s heart. It’s been 3 weeks since the surgery and he’s recovered quite well I’m happy to say. On the other hand my grandfather’s bed sores have become re-infected and his body can’t fight the infection very well. His doctors are talking about giving him a full transfusion if intra-venous antibiotics fail, so we’re waiting to see what happens. He’s also recently been moved to another nursing facility which is quite nice and orders of magnitude better than the crappy place he was in initially – where a small bed sore from being in the hospital 3 weeks turned into a nightmare. It’s been quite a stressful time for everyone, but at least there’s a little relief with my father’s speedy recovery.
It’s been quite busy at work as well, and keeping busy helps you take your mind of the problems and worries of everyday life. I’m tired. Beat-down. I need a vacation, and I need to escape for a while. I went up-north in early October but came back more tired than I left. That’s the problem with short vacations…they actually tire you more than rejuvenate. I need a week or two to just relax. I’m hoping the upcoming yearly winter closure at the university will provide just that relaxation I need.
More later…whenever that may be!