.png)
I think the hardest thing for anybody to see is their parents sick and/or getting older. It's truly terrifying to see my parents getting older. I realize it's something that can't be avoided, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. One of my biggest fears is that they will suffer when they get old. It's hard to see your parents, who always seemed larger than life, looking weak and feeble.
So my Mom tells me last Thursday that she has to go in to see a doctor because she had had a stress test that came back abnormal. She said some other doctor read the results but they wanted her to go back in to make sure it was being read right. That's what she told me. She didn't make it sound like a big deal, just that perhaps the test was read wrong. I realize now that she was telling me that to keep me from worrying.
As it turns out, she went in Friday morning to get the results read, and they found that she had a blockage in one of her arteries. They had to put a stent in to help the blood flow to her heart, which I've read is a pretty common thing, but nothing is "common" when it comes to your own Mom. Your own Mom who is 54 years old, exercises regularly, weighs 125 pounds and who has decent eating habits who is always laughing and full of life. It's incredibly difficult to see her attached to a ridiculous number of colored wires knowing she has to have a foreign object in her body to help her get blood to her heart. Meanwhile she's watching Pretty Woman and complaining that the hospital cable tv doesn't get TLC. She just wanted to watch "What Not To Wear", dammit!
She was released on Saturday and actually feels better already. But I can't help but think one wrong meal and she could end up back in the hospital, only this time with something more serious. I always wonder, what if this? what if that? I worry, it's what I do. And I do it well.
I'm not at all prepared for this. I don't know how you can be.
8 comments:
I'm glad that your mom is doing better, and I hope that she continues to do well!
We all know at a young age that getting older is part of life, but for some reason, we block out that part of nature when it applies to our parents. Sure, we can joke about being over-the-hill; but it doesn't really hit us until it practically explodes in our faces.
M - glad to hear your mom is feeling better. I have a policy with everyone in my life that I love that they are simply never allowed to die (which fully applies to you and MD as well, btw - just so you know.) It's been working well for me so far. :)
I am also glad to hear she is doing well! And she has every right to complain...no TLC - craziness!! ;)
It is hard when your parents/family members start getting older, but I think as I get older and the realization that my parents are getting older sets in it makes me treasure every moment I have with them. I want to hang out with my parents and do stuff with them and have as much fun together as we can!
glad to hear that she is doing better! :)
i think we all worry about things like this....when you're a kid, you never think about your parents getting "older" and possibly getting sick.
but now that we are "older"...the reality of it all really sucks sometimes.
i do hope that your mother is back on track soon and is mending well.
I completely understand where you're coming from. And, I'm glad to hear that your Mom is on the rebound.
Hug to you. (Nice chatting with you yesterday.)
Prayers for your mom's health.
This part of our lives is so difficult and stressful. I spend a lot of time worrying about how I'm going to take care of my parents while trying to take care of my own family. My parents do not take care of themselves very well, and I am not very subtle about how selfish I think that is of them. Kudos to your mom for living a healthy lifestyle. I'm sure her recovery might not have been so speedy (or her problems could have been worse) if she wasn't an otherwise healthy woman.
It's hard to remember that by worrying so much, we are becoming prime candidates for stress tests ourselves!
I hope your mom is doing well.
Post a Comment