baronessekat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
baronessekat) wrote2007-02-10 09:43 pm
baronessekat) wrote2007-02-10 09:43 pm
FURTHER UPDATE
Today has been tough
Warning... not going to deal with grammar, spelling and what not.
My mother's condition is not good. The test results came back as she does have a ruptured anurysm. She has a roughly 6 centimeter in diameter hematoma on her right pariatal lobe. If she not had been left handed this might not have been as bad as it is. Will explain in a minute.
My sister flew in from DC this morning and my aunt went and got her from the airport so my uncle and I could be at the hospital.
After Terri arrived we were able to talk with the neurosurgeon. And if he had been more cocky and arrogant he would have been Dr. House from TV. It was oddly comforting.
One thing we learned that mom never told us was that the reason she had been seeing a cardiologist was because she has a condition called cardio miopathy. This means that where a person her age normally would have roughly 60-75% cardiac ability, my mother only has 30%. Its probably congenital. And aggrivated by her 40+ years of constant smoking. While not specifically stated it was implied that this was probably the cause of the anurysm.
Mom is in a coma, when they brought her out of sedation she did not respond to voice commands and barely responded to pain stimulii.
We have a few options.
1. Do nothing. Let her be with the shunt she has in now for relieving crainal fluid pressure (not the blood but spinal and brain fluid), on the ventilator and see if she has any responce over the next couple weeks.
2. Take steps to let her go. Be that taking her off the ventilator, stopping the shunt or similar.
3. Surgery to relieve the hematoma and clip the anurysm.
The thing with one is that she will deteriorate and end up in a worse vegitative state.
While three is an option with her heart condition her PCP indicated she most likely would not survive the surgery. And if she does, BEST case senario is that she may eventually gain limited use of her left leg for walking but would have left arm paralysis and not be able to speak (and potentially not be able to understand language of any kind). This comes from the fact that my mother is left handed and there fore right brain dominant and the hematoma is on her right pariatal lobe. Right handed people have a better chance of a fuller recovery with this kind of anurysm.
Taking into account my mother's wishes that she has expressed only verbally to me, Terri and her PCP, we are going to be going with option two.
Tomorrow we will go back to the hospital and talk with the doctors and discuss what is the most humane and least painful way help our mother.
My current leaning is to take her off the ventilator and allow her body and the will of the Devine determine when she gives up the fight.
This is tough as not only will we be losing our mother but her 65th birthday is the 15th. AND February 20th is the 7th anniversary of our father's passing.
Terri and I have already started discussing the things we need to do and are going to do and making necessary steps for what has to come.
Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. For those that need to know her name is Carole Telesco. I ask that those that pray for her do not pray for her recovery. Practially we know that is not possible. But instead I ask for prayers of peace and painlessness for her.
Terri and I will be OK. We are strong and will survive. And knowing I have friends and a strong support system helps greatly.
I will make further updates as they happen.
Warning... not going to deal with grammar, spelling and what not.
My mother's condition is not good. The test results came back as she does have a ruptured anurysm. She has a roughly 6 centimeter in diameter hematoma on her right pariatal lobe. If she not had been left handed this might not have been as bad as it is. Will explain in a minute.
My sister flew in from DC this morning and my aunt went and got her from the airport so my uncle and I could be at the hospital.
After Terri arrived we were able to talk with the neurosurgeon. And if he had been more cocky and arrogant he would have been Dr. House from TV. It was oddly comforting.
One thing we learned that mom never told us was that the reason she had been seeing a cardiologist was because she has a condition called cardio miopathy. This means that where a person her age normally would have roughly 60-75% cardiac ability, my mother only has 30%. Its probably congenital. And aggrivated by her 40+ years of constant smoking. While not specifically stated it was implied that this was probably the cause of the anurysm.
Mom is in a coma, when they brought her out of sedation she did not respond to voice commands and barely responded to pain stimulii.
We have a few options.
1. Do nothing. Let her be with the shunt she has in now for relieving crainal fluid pressure (not the blood but spinal and brain fluid), on the ventilator and see if she has any responce over the next couple weeks.
2. Take steps to let her go. Be that taking her off the ventilator, stopping the shunt or similar.
3. Surgery to relieve the hematoma and clip the anurysm.
The thing with one is that she will deteriorate and end up in a worse vegitative state.
While three is an option with her heart condition her PCP indicated she most likely would not survive the surgery. And if she does, BEST case senario is that she may eventually gain limited use of her left leg for walking but would have left arm paralysis and not be able to speak (and potentially not be able to understand language of any kind). This comes from the fact that my mother is left handed and there fore right brain dominant and the hematoma is on her right pariatal lobe. Right handed people have a better chance of a fuller recovery with this kind of anurysm.
Taking into account my mother's wishes that she has expressed only verbally to me, Terri and her PCP, we are going to be going with option two.
Tomorrow we will go back to the hospital and talk with the doctors and discuss what is the most humane and least painful way help our mother.
My current leaning is to take her off the ventilator and allow her body and the will of the Devine determine when she gives up the fight.
This is tough as not only will we be losing our mother but her 65th birthday is the 15th. AND February 20th is the 7th anniversary of our father's passing.
Terri and I have already started discussing the things we need to do and are going to do and making necessary steps for what has to come.
Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. For those that need to know her name is Carole Telesco. I ask that those that pray for her do not pray for her recovery. Practially we know that is not possible. But instead I ask for prayers of peace and painlessness for her.
Terri and I will be OK. We are strong and will survive. And knowing I have friends and a strong support system helps greatly.
I will make further updates as they happen.
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Erie County Medical Center
Check up with the ICU center for updates.
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Preston and his sister made a similar decision. They basically gave her days, if that. All I could do was be supportive, especially with their decisions. I did help with one bit, since she almost had a phobia of hospitals, so I had them ask if there was anything that the hospital could do (since they took her off all machines) that couldn't be done with a nurse staying in the house. So, I told Preston how to find a nurse, hospice, I believe it's called.. to stay with them.
So, their mom was at home, where she wanted to be.. at peace and with her kids.
I mention this, in case it would help to talk to Preston about this, since he has been there. It won't change anything, but sometimes it's good to hear someone else say you are making the right choice.
The best we can do during these times, IMO is remember what she wanted.. and how she would like or not like to live her life. FWIW, I strongly believe you are making the right, abeit, hard choice..
Big hugs.. I wish we could do something to help. If later you need to get away from the city, you are welcome to come down here..
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You'll be in my thoughts. ((hugs))
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Today is mothers day here in Norway, and I'll be sending good thoughts to your mother too.
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Sending prayers and good juju...
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And if you need someone else to listen, feel free to call. 508 816 6644
Lee