My Mom

[BigRog]

Some of you here know that I moved to VA to take care of my Mom. She has been admited to the hosp three times in the last five months and spen a bit more than a month in a rehab/nursing home for physical therapy. Last night she went to the hosp in a ambulance with trouble breathing. They think she has clots in her lungs, and it is to a extent that there is little they could do. That was what I was told this morning. My brother drove down tonightand we visited her and I found out that her kidneys have shut down and a lot else is going. It is the end of her life.
I knew this day would come and that I would be the one who would be there til the end. I am grateful that she is not going to have to go through a long lingering pain filled end.

[Anonymous]

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother's condition. I know that words of comfort are inadequate for relieving the despair that sometimes sets in under these circumstances. All I can say at this point is that I have a good idea what you are currently feeling since my father is currently in a nursing home with a number of problems and is basically being kept alive through a feeding tube directly to his stomach.
Meanwhile my mother-in-law has been in the hospital for two weeks because of a stroke she suffered while undergoing a heart catherization. They tell us that because of the stroke it is very doubtful that she can survive the heart bypass surgery that she desperately needs.
I guess that all we can do is to look at the life that they have lived and be grateful that when they do leave us we can be thankful and proud that they were part of our lives.

[BigRog]

Well it seems like she's a little tougher then they thought.
What a rollercoaster. I appreciate your thoughts and those who pm'd me. Unbelieveable.
One good result is that My brother I and were forced to discuss somethings that needed talking about. We hadn't done this before, I think cause we didn't want to bring up the subject.

[Anonymous]

Rog, I lost my father in June. I spent the last 72 hours by his side. Even when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer I would pull the hospital bed he was in close to the couch I was sleeping on to be close to him.
Although dad and I had many years together doing things we loved and some we didn't I would not trade one miniute of that last 72 hours for any of the others.
We settled every little thing that we had kept buried in our relationship, and I became so much stronger knowing he was fully ready to go, his making me understand helped.
His last spoken words made my sister and I laugh. We laugh about it every time we talk about him today.

I feel your fear, for a lack of a better term. Take what time you have left together and treasure it forever in your heart.
I still have those flashes that make me remember things we shared. His Sept birthday was the worst.
  Al