Grandma O.

Okay, here is a better bit of information. I was in a hurry when I posted the last one.

Last week Grandma was taken to the hospital because of dehydration and a bladder infection. They had been struggling with keeping her electrolyte levels up and gave her some blood because her blood counts were low. On Sunday afternoon I had been told that Grandma would probably be released Monday and put in rehabilitation care before going home.

Sunday night I received another call from my Dad. He had just driven back to Texas from Norman and seeing his mom. They determined she has intestinal bleeding, probably from a tear. After talking to 3 doctors the same information was given. To do the colonoscopy she would have to be flushed, which would drop her electrolytes, which she can't keep up anyway. If surgery was needed putting her under anesthetic would cause her to go into cardiac arrest. The electrolytes are what keeps your heart going and hers would be too low. The options were to go ahead and try and let her die on the table (something she expressed earlier in life she would rather not go through) or to let her go into hospice and let her go that way. The decision for hospice has been made. Blood transfusions have been stopped, but electrolytes are still being give and she is on a full liquid diet. On top of the above issues Grandma is also diabetic and has mild dementia. There is a lot that needs cared for.

Dad and I both drove to Norman on Monday. Dad is still there and we came back late yesterday afternoon. It was hard knowing this is goodbye. Victoria sang "God Bless America" to her and recited her memory verse for the week. Jackson was sweet and wild. The babies were just sweet. I got the chance to hold Grandma's hand and pray with her. I broke down more then once last night at musical rehearsal, but I kept going.

Please keep my family and the people helping us in your prayers. Everything is a bit strange. It's hard knowing what the outcome will be. We haven't lost anyone in dad's family since Aunt Karen when I was 9.

On a positive note, grandma was on the same floor as the women's and children's center at Norman Regional. I got to take the twins down to the NICU to see their nurses. It's hard to believe that 15 months ago my boys were hooked to machines and being primarily cared for by women who weren't related to them. The NICU was home for 2 1/2 weeks. It was nice to go back and say, "Hey, thanks again." They couldn't believe how big they are.