Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I open this blog with a question: How valuable is a memory? There are parts of my life that I wish I did not recall, but I am able to recall them nonetheless. Then there are parts of my life that I hope I will never forget and cherish those memories. Times when life was well spent.

My grandmother is in the advanced stages of dementia. Alzheimer's is one branch of the dementia tree; just to give you an idea. Reality to her is like walking through a forest in the fog. Every now and then you see a tree, but you have no bearings as to where you are going. She still has memories of life long ago, and often gets them mixed up with her life today. For example, she will ask when my grandfather is going to work when he has been retired for some time. She will just ask in the middle of the day when he will be going home and he will explain to her that he is home.

You read that she was hospitalized last week with dehydration and a severe urinary tract infection. The dementia is most likely the cause of this. The consulting nurse that I met today explained that to me. She said that while our minds tell us that we are thirsty and we automatically get a drink of water; her mind receives the message that her body needs water and the message gets lost in the cobwebs. Same with the infection. She literally forgot she needed to use the bathroom.

I used the title of the movie for the title for this post for a reason. If you have seen the movie, you watched as the main character slowly lost the memory of the woman he loved. He made this decision voluntarily, but as the movie went on, he clung to the fast fading memory. This is similar to what is going on in her mind, only at a faster pace.

How valuable is a memory? Because you never know when it will be gone forever.

Home from the hospital

My grandmother is home from the hospital now. She's on a new antibiotic for the urinary tract infection and seems to be doing a lot better. She's more active, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. One thing that we will continue to struggle with is it keep her hydrated. She refuses to drink water, even when it means taking her pills. In fact, that may be the reason why she doesn't like to drink water.

I'm grateful for those who had us in your hearts and prayers. You're kind words were not lost; even if I was a bit out of it at the time and might not have acknowledged you. I admit that I haven't been as responsive to others as I should have. I am letting you know that I do appreciate you. Thank you.

If anything happens, good or bad, I will let you all know immediately. Or, you know, whenever I have the first chance to notify people.

Take care and I will post again soon.

My grandmother is in the hospital

Today has been a very long day for me. I'm surviving on about four hours of sleep. And yet, I can't shut my brain off.

Yes, you read that right, my grandmother is in the hospital. It began about 4:30 this morning when my grandfather woke me to get my aunt's phone number. My grandmother could not stand. At all.

We waited for my aunt (who lives in Tacoma) while trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with her. She's not exactly a spring chicken. In fact, she's 85. She passed spring chicken a few decades ago.

So, my aunt gets here and we successfully move her from her bed to the couch so we could try to get some food, water, and pills in her. She went from semiconscious to completely unresponsive very quickly. All we were able to get in her was a couple bites of toast and a few sips of the coffee that I made. We didn't like the direction this took, so we got an ambulance. They literally arrived a minute later (I kid you not) and checked her vitals. They immediately diagnosed her with being severely dehydrated. They then rush her off to the hospital with us right behind them.

We were in the waiting room for five minutes before they told us where they put her. This hurry up-and-wait scenario would be the theme of the day. Especially the waiting part.

So anyway, she was in an emergency room for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon while they ran a barrage of tests; including an x-ray, a CAT scan, and blood work. The diagnosis was that she had a urinary tract infection to go with her dehydration. Kind of a one-two punch that knocked her flat. Thankfully, the nurses in the ER were extremely attentive and made sure she was comfortable throughout it all.

That changed when she got a room. They decided to keep her overnight to observe her and to pump antibiotics into her throughout the night. The nurses here were, well, lax. That is other than one who looked like she was sick and tired of the others. We had made a comment when we first got the room that the catheter wasn't working out, but that wasn't removed until not long before we had to leave for the night and at one point it took them almost an hour just to get her a bedpan.

They are going to release her sometime tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the morning, but we'll see. I'm sorry if none of this makes sense, but I'm a bit rummy right now. Take care and I hope to post again on a lighter note.

No, I'm not married. Thanks for calling.

I got home tonight, and as I do every night, I asked my grandfather if I had any phone calls. I ask him this because not everyone has my cell phone number, and others would rather call me at home to save me minutes on my cell.

Anyway, so he says "yes"; and then proceeds to tell me that a woman called to see if I was married. I kid you not. Just to make sure I heard him right, I asked him to repeat himself. He did.

He said that a woman asked if I was there and he informed her that I was at work (which I was). She then asked him if I was married. She didn't give her name or anything, so I haven't the foggiest clue who it was.

Now, this doesn't sound like a question that a telemarketer would ask. At least no telemarketers that I have talked to, anyway. And everyone who knows me knows that I don't even have a girlfriend. So, ever since then, this question has puzzled me: who called? And of all the questions to ask, why that one?

Now, mind you, I have nothing against marriage. I hope to be married someday and have a family of my own. It's something that I look forward to in life. But still...

Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you. If you happen to have any sort of a theory as to who might have called, I would love to hear it. I had a good New Year's, which I spent in Seattle after work. I ran into a couple old friends who I literally haven't seen in years. And a quick note, my 27th birthday is this coming Sunday.

Take care, dear readers, and I hope to post again soon.