Report from Las Vegas
Nov. 5th, 2019 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nosrednaydujFirst, I want to thank everyone who sent me their good thoughts.
Today, we spent the whole day at the hospital. We didn't go yesterday because my mom and stepfather were exhausted from the long drive (and frankly, I was a bit tired from the flights myself.)
My aunt is non-responsive. We're talking to her anyway, and holding her hand, assuming there's some chance she can hear/feel/understand. No way to know. So I gave her everyone's love even if she can't hear us. She has one of those oxygen tubes that clips onto your nose, and is breathing on her own. I didn't see an IV (mostly she's under a blanket) but there must be one because my cousin says she's getting morphine every few hours and also some medicine "to calm her breathing" (I didn't ask what). So her breathing is a little odd -- deep breath, then a few shallows, and then another deep...
Mom was very tearful at the beginning, but calmed down and then became animated in conversation. So it was like a family reunion. We talked about stuff that had happened at various different family events, vacations, etc, and Mom told some stories about my aunt's antics during their childhood that I hadn't heard before.
There's not going to be a real funeral. They plan to cremate, and they've got a place reserved for the ashes; apparently you can get a plaque in a wall with your urn behind it, and they've got a pair for this. Sadly, it appears likely that they'll be needing the second one coming up this winter as my uncle is not doing so well either.
So the plan for return is that we'll stay and go back to hospice for visiting tomorrow, with this being "the real goodbye". My stepfather is "done" and ready to go home tomorrow, but Mom said as she was leaving "we'll be back". So we need to prep her for "tomorrow being goodbye". Then, the plan is that I will drive back to Chico with them on Thursday and Friday (stopping in Reno as usual), and do most of the driving. My cousins and my stepsister are really concerned about my stepfather doing all that driving. Then I'll fly home either Saturday or Sunday.
Today, we spent the whole day at the hospital. We didn't go yesterday because my mom and stepfather were exhausted from the long drive (and frankly, I was a bit tired from the flights myself.)
My aunt is non-responsive. We're talking to her anyway, and holding her hand, assuming there's some chance she can hear/feel/understand. No way to know. So I gave her everyone's love even if she can't hear us. She has one of those oxygen tubes that clips onto your nose, and is breathing on her own. I didn't see an IV (mostly she's under a blanket) but there must be one because my cousin says she's getting morphine every few hours and also some medicine "to calm her breathing" (I didn't ask what). So her breathing is a little odd -- deep breath, then a few shallows, and then another deep...
Mom was very tearful at the beginning, but calmed down and then became animated in conversation. So it was like a family reunion. We talked about stuff that had happened at various different family events, vacations, etc, and Mom told some stories about my aunt's antics during their childhood that I hadn't heard before.
There's not going to be a real funeral. They plan to cremate, and they've got a place reserved for the ashes; apparently you can get a plaque in a wall with your urn behind it, and they've got a pair for this. Sadly, it appears likely that they'll be needing the second one coming up this winter as my uncle is not doing so well either.
So the plan for return is that we'll stay and go back to hospice for visiting tomorrow, with this being "the real goodbye". My stepfather is "done" and ready to go home tomorrow, but Mom said as she was leaving "we'll be back". So we need to prep her for "tomorrow being goodbye". Then, the plan is that I will drive back to Chico with them on Thursday and Friday (stopping in Reno as usual), and do most of the driving. My cousins and my stepsister are really concerned about my stepfather doing all that driving. Then I'll fly home either Saturday or Sunday.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-06 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-07 01:19 am (UTC)