Leo tickles
2nd Level Orange Feather
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2004
- Messages
- 2,394
- Points
- 36
Thursday, March 7th, 2013, my girlfriends mom lost the fight to uterine cancer.
For the past couple of years, my girlfriend's mom was sick with it. We started dating right after she got sick and I witnessed an up and down battle with doctors and the disease itself. We went from a good diagnosis to a recession, followed up by the return of the cancer and then a few short months later hospitalization. Shortly after the doctors said there was no hope and she was put on home hospice care. Just 4 weeks ago, she could walk, talk eat and live a somewhat normal life. 3 weeks after hospice care she couldn't. I pushed and pushed that she should be taken to a hospital as her mental and physical state declined.
Her family wasn't ready for that until Friday. My girlfriend, her father and myself finally made a judgement call to 911, but not before waiting about an hour to recall her from Hospice. The sirens and flashing lights brought me back to years ago when it was me, by myself, who made a judgement call to have my dying father admitted. He died the next night. Her mom, well, we, were told that she had a severe infection. Antibiotics were administered, and a day later would be the last somewhat coherent conversation that we would be able to have with her.
Over the next 6 days, she would say random things, often clinging on words that somebody just said before falling back to sleep. Wednesday night, the "death rattle" was heard. This was explained to me as a sleeping person that sound like they are gurgling water as they breath from fluid in the lungs, often gasping for air. She was no longer able to respond, but maybe she heard all of us.
Thursday at 6 am, I woke up barfing. I had severe food poisoning from what we have determined is bad White Castle. From 6 until 1:30, I was in and out of the bathroom puking my guts out. The last episode was just before I got woken up at 1:30. Her dad was on the phone with her, just asking when we'd stop by. He said hold on, and the news came from her brother that was in the room at the time that she had passed.
Me, being weak, tired and generally unhappy because I just threw my life up , quickly got up and went straight over, where we proceeded to mourn, discuss arrangements, and so on.
I told everybody in the family the following: "You can be sad for yourselves, but not for her. She's in a better place."
I stand by that. Now, a full 24 hours later, I'm going back to work and resuming life, just as she, and her family is doing. The loss, though great, drastic and severe, will not cripple these good people from moving on and doing the insane amount of good they have always done, and in my opinion will do until it's their turn to leave this earth.
For the past couple of years, my girlfriend's mom was sick with it. We started dating right after she got sick and I witnessed an up and down battle with doctors and the disease itself. We went from a good diagnosis to a recession, followed up by the return of the cancer and then a few short months later hospitalization. Shortly after the doctors said there was no hope and she was put on home hospice care. Just 4 weeks ago, she could walk, talk eat and live a somewhat normal life. 3 weeks after hospice care she couldn't. I pushed and pushed that she should be taken to a hospital as her mental and physical state declined.
Her family wasn't ready for that until Friday. My girlfriend, her father and myself finally made a judgement call to 911, but not before waiting about an hour to recall her from Hospice. The sirens and flashing lights brought me back to years ago when it was me, by myself, who made a judgement call to have my dying father admitted. He died the next night. Her mom, well, we, were told that she had a severe infection. Antibiotics were administered, and a day later would be the last somewhat coherent conversation that we would be able to have with her.
Over the next 6 days, she would say random things, often clinging on words that somebody just said before falling back to sleep. Wednesday night, the "death rattle" was heard. This was explained to me as a sleeping person that sound like they are gurgling water as they breath from fluid in the lungs, often gasping for air. She was no longer able to respond, but maybe she heard all of us.
Thursday at 6 am, I woke up barfing. I had severe food poisoning from what we have determined is bad White Castle. From 6 until 1:30, I was in and out of the bathroom puking my guts out. The last episode was just before I got woken up at 1:30. Her dad was on the phone with her, just asking when we'd stop by. He said hold on, and the news came from her brother that was in the room at the time that she had passed.
Me, being weak, tired and generally unhappy because I just threw my life up , quickly got up and went straight over, where we proceeded to mourn, discuss arrangements, and so on.
I told everybody in the family the following: "You can be sad for yourselves, but not for her. She's in a better place."
I stand by that. Now, a full 24 hours later, I'm going back to work and resuming life, just as she, and her family is doing. The loss, though great, drastic and severe, will not cripple these good people from moving on and doing the insane amount of good they have always done, and in my opinion will do until it's their turn to leave this earth.
