Monday, November 06, 2006

Who wants to decide that kind of stuff?

My mother in law is in a really bad way. She has had several strokes, and she has been in the hospital for 3+ weeks. My poor wife is beside herself dealing with this, and then she has to deal with us. What a woman. I should be so strong.

Her mom has been moved to a nursing home. She has left strict instructions not to try any heroic measures to save her, as she cannot stand being the way she is now. She was a Marine wife to a lifer- an RSM . She is used to being independant, and her current state is anything but. So my wife has to make decisions like should she have a transfusion, or should they tube her to help her breathing. Who wants to have to make those decisions? It's one thing to say no life saving measures, and totally another to look at your mom in a hospital bed suffocating, and have to say no, she wouldn't want a tube.

She goes up and down. This weekend was down, and today was more of down.

I think when my time comes I will crawl out into the forest, just to save my kids from having to watch and make those kinds of choices about me.

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