Grandma's Slow Recovery

When I got back from the Bahamas, I went to the Livingston Hospital on April 23 to see how Grandma was doing.  Jean had told me over the phone that Grandma had been moved from Evergreen Livingston, the nursing home, back to the hospital.  Apparently Grandma now had some lower right lobe pneumonia, a bladder infection, and was dehydrated.  She didn’t look very good in the hospital.

While we were there, a doctor came in and explained to Jean, Dad, Bonnie, and me that he wanted to do some surgery on Grandma.  At the time, her feeding tube was in her nose, and he recommended that they put one in her stomach.  Basically, they thread a tube directly into her stomach so that they can feed her without using her mouth or nose.  It seemed to be a good choice considering that the nasal feeding tube is really only meant to be used for a short period of time.

Grandma was moved back to Evergreen April 27.  Jean and I attended a care conference in regard to Grandma’s care at Evergreen.  They are hopeful that Grandma will make a slow recovery.  It could take three months though before she could come home is their guess.  Of course, I can’t hold them to that estimate since no one knows the future.  Grandma is making some improvements, even though they are slow.  We sent to Evergreen a book and a small photo scrapbook for them to work on with Grandma.  They’ll help her read and recognize all of her family.  Grandma seems to be doing alright when it concerns recognizing people, but she’s still a bit disoriented.  She’s nowhere near as disoriented as she was when she first had the stroke, though.

People’s opinions about how to best take care of Grandma don’t really seem to be in her best interests.  A few people thought that we shouldn’t give her a feeding tube and let her literally starve to death.  In our family, we think that is crueler than doctor-assisted suicide, and we don’t approve of that either.  Here in Montana we shoot the livestock that we don’t need—we don’t starve them.  We’re supposed to treat people better than our livestock.  We believe in quality of life, but we think that Grandma needs to be given a fighting chance to live.  After I told some of these people that Grandma told me that she wants to live, they tended to back off.  I am convinced that there are at least one or two people who are hoping she will die for their own personal reasons.  Through this ordeal, I’ve been reminded of Psalm 41 (NIV):

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
   the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
   he will bless him in the land
   and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
   and restore him from his bed of illness.
I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
   heal me, for I have sinned against you."
My enemies say of me in malice,
   "When will he die and his name perish?"
Whenever one comes to see me,
   he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
   then he goes out and spreads it abroad.
All my enemies whisper together against me;
   they imagine the worst for me, saying,
"A vile disease has beset him;
   he will never get up from the place where he lies."
Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
   he who shared my bread,
   has lifted up his heel against me.
But you, O LORD, have mercy on me;
   raise me up, that I may repay them.
I know that you are pleased with me,
   for my enemy does not triumph over me.
In my integrity you uphold me
   and set me in your presence forever.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.
   Amen and Amen.

I’ve been praying for Grandma’s recovery and hoping for the best.  She’s still pretty much stuck to a bed or a chair, but with some help, she’ll recover.  In the meantime, Jean and I have been working in the house.  Jean has been doing a lot of organizing.  I'm just now getting started on house work after getting back from my vacation.