Abbey
Spork Queen
One of the reasons I moved to the Arctic was to help care for my father in law who I absolutely adore, but was diagnosed with Alzheimers. It's been very hard on him and mother in law.
So, two nights ago was the city council meeting which is televised. (Yes, that's the highlight of my night.) He's been on the council for eons and very well known and respected in this community. I'm watching with H and after about two hours I said, "Kev...something isn't right with your dad. He's rambling about things that happened decades ago that make no sense about why the corners are not plowed anymore."
Last night...get the invite to dinner. About 15 minutes in the 'will' talk started. It's a very uncomfortable conversation to have. They have three pieces of property - their house, which doesn't have one square inch available in it, the house I'm living in, and a cabin in the woods up north (145 acres). Their other kids have no interest in any of it. They tell us about the visits to their attorney who is telling them about all the legalities in this state about wills, needing sub-wills, blah, blah. H is making jokes about just bringing in a backhoe to clean the place out, mother in law is weeping, and I'm selfishly sitting there thinking in the back of my mind that I might be leaving your son in a week.
Fast forward to early this morning. I get a call from mother in law...he's had a massive stroke. That, being bad enough, is not what has me upset. When they did the MRI it showed that he had a minor stroke in the last year that hit the short term memory part of the brain. WHY DIDN'T THEY GET THIS WHEN THEY DID THE INITIAL EVALUATION???? It's treatable!!!!
Now they're thinking it wasn't Alzheimers at all. It was the first stroke.
Good news is that he's stabalized and will probably recover, but not be able to continue his current activities. That will KILL him. Politician should be his first name. I know him well enough to know that he'd rather be dead than not functioning fully.
H and I will attend the next MRI on Monday because I don't think mother in law can emotionally deal with all of this right now.
mother in law and I sat and talked for a long time last night about this whole process. I've never lost a parent or spouse so I didn't have any advice. I just listened. They are two peas in a pod. Married 51 years. There's also that sense that you have when you know something is going to happen. She is feeling that and is very afraid.
I just feel so badly for both of them. I gave a mandatory 2 hour rest for mother in law then will take her back to the hospital.
Abbey
So, two nights ago was the city council meeting which is televised. (Yes, that's the highlight of my night.) He's been on the council for eons and very well known and respected in this community. I'm watching with H and after about two hours I said, "Kev...something isn't right with your dad. He's rambling about things that happened decades ago that make no sense about why the corners are not plowed anymore."
Last night...get the invite to dinner. About 15 minutes in the 'will' talk started. It's a very uncomfortable conversation to have. They have three pieces of property - their house, which doesn't have one square inch available in it, the house I'm living in, and a cabin in the woods up north (145 acres). Their other kids have no interest in any of it. They tell us about the visits to their attorney who is telling them about all the legalities in this state about wills, needing sub-wills, blah, blah. H is making jokes about just bringing in a backhoe to clean the place out, mother in law is weeping, and I'm selfishly sitting there thinking in the back of my mind that I might be leaving your son in a week.
Fast forward to early this morning. I get a call from mother in law...he's had a massive stroke. That, being bad enough, is not what has me upset. When they did the MRI it showed that he had a minor stroke in the last year that hit the short term memory part of the brain. WHY DIDN'T THEY GET THIS WHEN THEY DID THE INITIAL EVALUATION???? It's treatable!!!!
Now they're thinking it wasn't Alzheimers at all. It was the first stroke.
Good news is that he's stabalized and will probably recover, but not be able to continue his current activities. That will KILL him. Politician should be his first name. I know him well enough to know that he'd rather be dead than not functioning fully.
H and I will attend the next MRI on Monday because I don't think mother in law can emotionally deal with all of this right now.
mother in law and I sat and talked for a long time last night about this whole process. I've never lost a parent or spouse so I didn't have any advice. I just listened. They are two peas in a pod. Married 51 years. There's also that sense that you have when you know something is going to happen. She is feeling that and is very afraid.
I just feel so badly for both of them. I gave a mandatory 2 hour rest for mother in law then will take her back to the hospital.
Abbey