Seattle visit
Nov. 29th, 2018 05:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareinaI am in Seattle with mom, her sister Barbara, and all three of my sisters. Mom is doing grest, spirit wise, but her heart is only beating enough to keep her blood flowing right now because of the baloon pump they have inserted, which inflates and deflatrs at a 1:1 rate in rythym to her heart beat. They tried weaning her from it on two different days so far. This is done by first decreasing to a 1:2 rate, then to a 1:3 rate. We don't know the next step because both times it went badly enough that they had to return to 1:1. They have her on a new medicine that has a good chance of making the next try go better. However, she has decided that she no longer wants major unpleasant interventions such as breathing tubes or chest compressions. She tends to have an ability to amaze the doctors with her ability to recover, so there is a chance that she will pull through and get to go home again. Certainly finding out that we were all flying in to see her has made a huge difference in how she is doing. So there is hope.
Last night was my turn for the slumber party. It makes mom happy with one of us here overnight, and one of the chairs in her room pulls out to make a bed that is surprisingly comfortable. Beth had last night's shift and Amber the night before. Tomorrow will be Kirsty's turn.
Mom woke up early this morning and we had a good chat. She tells me that she would like to modify her Will to say that the remaining cash in her Australian bank account goes to her grandsons there, Felix and Caspar, and the remaining cash in her US bank account goes to granddaughters there, Anahi and Lucia, as her contribution to their college funds. She wants Beth to contact the neighbour who helped her with the Will to come in and write up a codicil for her to sign.
She tells me that she has had a good life and is feeling very pragmatic anout it. She knows that today's planned attempt to wean her heart from that helpful ballon pump is critical and it might not work, but she is ready either way. This is her fith time in the ICU this year, and she doesn't want another. She says that if she gets out of the hospital this time and there is another problem she doesn't want to come back to the hospital again. I can understand where she is coming from on this point, and if I had been in her situation I might well reach the same conclusion.
Last night was my turn for the slumber party. It makes mom happy with one of us here overnight, and one of the chairs in her room pulls out to make a bed that is surprisingly comfortable. Beth had last night's shift and Amber the night before. Tomorrow will be Kirsty's turn.
Mom woke up early this morning and we had a good chat. She tells me that she would like to modify her Will to say that the remaining cash in her Australian bank account goes to her grandsons there, Felix and Caspar, and the remaining cash in her US bank account goes to granddaughters there, Anahi and Lucia, as her contribution to their college funds. She wants Beth to contact the neighbour who helped her with the Will to come in and write up a codicil for her to sign.
She tells me that she has had a good life and is feeling very pragmatic anout it. She knows that today's planned attempt to wean her heart from that helpful ballon pump is critical and it might not work, but she is ready either way. This is her fith time in the ICU this year, and she doesn't want another. She says that if she gets out of the hospital this time and there is another problem she doesn't want to come back to the hospital again. I can understand where she is coming from on this point, and if I had been in her situation I might well reach the same conclusion.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-30 08:26 pm (UTC)