R's gramma landed in the hospital on Tuesday. She was seen by a different hospital's ER on Monday, and was sent home. She was complaining of stomach pain, so the hospital did an unltrasound and a CT Scan, telling her that she had a few small kidney stones in her left kidney. She was given a prescription for vicodin and told to go home and rest.

Later that night, Uncle L found gramma in her hallway doubled over in pain and unable to move - she had been there for three hours, unable to even crawl to a phone. He called her doctor, and was waiting for the answering service to get in touch with him so he could call back, when he ran out to fill the prescription that gramma had insisted earlier in the day she did not need.

I have had bouts with colitis, and I know the ABSOLUTE worst thing you can do when you have stomach or abdomen pain is to take any pain medication, as it increases bowel constipation and stiffens the poo. However, she could not move, so there was little choice. Uncle L had called and let R and I know what was happening, and we did tell him that information, but, really, when an 81 year old lady cannot move, you cannot just leave her in that kind of pain waiting for a call back from a doctor.

Anyhow, the message service actually called back and advised that the doctor had scheduled her an appointment for the next afternoon. Um, yeah. Uncle L had to leave in the morning, so R (since he was off) went over and stayed with her. He called the doc when the office opened, informed them that she had been taking a pill every three to three and a half hours and was in severe pain. The office told him to bring her in immediately.

When the doc was examining gramma, he pushed lightly on her stomach, causing her to scream in pain. Gramma has a REALLY high pain tolerance, and her doc knows it. He called R in and told him to put her in a wheelchair and cart her across the street to the hospital. He would call and inform the ER she was coming.

The second hospital also did an ultrasound and CT Scan, finding that the kidney stones were in the RIGHT kidney, not the left, and that there was a HUGE mass in gramma's intestines, which could NOT be missed by anyone with working eyeballs.

After admitting gramma, the doc wanted to wait and see if, once her intestines had time to rest, it would break loose on its own. They gave her an i/v, wrote orders for no drink or food, and put a suction tube down her throat to constantly vaccuum out anything going into her stomach, like bile, saliva, etc., as those would simply add more pressure to the blockage.

Fast forward to yesterday...no change. Gramma had surgery yesterday afternoon to remove the entire portion of her intestines which contained the blockage. The doc was concerned that any attempt to break it up would cause her intestines to rupture. The doc also found that gramma had scar tissue from a surgery when she was five years old (her appendix burst and she had an emergency appendectomy) which had grown around her intestines and created a band, which promulgated the current blockage.

The surgery went well and gramma was in good shape last night. This morning, the doc discovered fluid in gramma's lungs, so today, the mission is to get that dealt with. Gramma will remain in ICU until further notice.

So, while R had planned to join me on my business trip last week, it did not happen; he stayed here with gramma. (Thank Heaven.) Once things settle, both with gramma and with work, R and I will be in better spirits and not so short-fused. Right now, we are running on empty - we are both working alot and not getting enough sleep; dealing with gramma; and, as for me, I am trying to continue functioning at 110%, when my body may not have the stamina to do it. I will NOT cry, "Halt!" at work though. I. Just. Cannot. Do. It. I will find a way to get through this time crunch and energy depletion, come He** or high water.

Of note, R's mom has been rather easy to bear while she is in town helping with gramma. She has taken frustrations out on other people, not us, but she has, I admit, been dealing very well with the situation. I give her the kudos she has earned.

I will keep you all informed of gramma, as I know some of you know her. Lots of bright happy thoughts for her would be appreciated, and will be passed along.

Arrivederci!

Ghost Orchid - are they not simply lovely?