So, my mom's alive and is back home right now. My stepfather found her breathing shallowly, lethargic and barely responsive, and got her to the hospital, where she was pumped with stuff (probably a stimulant), kept for observation, and then sent home when it looked like she wasn't going to relapse right then. She doesn't have enough strength to talk or anything right now, but that's usual after one of these things.
She's got a muscular dystrophy, myaesthenia gravis. MD is a misnomer, though- her problem is a disorder of her nervous system, where signals to her muscles are imperfectly transmitted; sometimes they're transmitted weakly, sometimes they aren't transmitted at all. The symptoms come and go, but lately they've been hitting harder than usual, and the medication she's used for decades to control it, Mestinon, seems to no longer be working as effectively.
Voluntary muscle contractions- like walking, talking- have always been difficult for her, but over the last few years, involuntary muscle contractions- like heart beats and diaphragm contraction to breathe- have become more affected. She's now got a pronounced heart arrhythmia, and regularly her heart beats become so weak and irregular that her body ends up having to shock itself with adrenaline to keep going. That rush ends up knocking her out for a few days, and... blah blah blah.
Her nervous system is trying to shut down. I don't know how long Mestinon works, but it's weird that it would become less effective now, after 30 years of being useful.
Talked with Steve about "what if," and I guess they both know something is going to happen sooner or later, and luckily, they've gotten things set up in case one or both of them passes away. Living wills, wills, insurance paperwork and instruction packets printed up and set aside. It's not fun stuff to talk about, but I'm glad we're talking about it.
...
Planned to get up and study last night, but Angie called me last night to see what I was doing. We ended up going out with her husband, and went (again) to Talbott. The dance fun wasn't a fluke; again the music was good, again the crowd (smaller than last Saturday) was respectful. This was the first time I'd ever really spoken with Angie or John- she's had a crush on my friend Tony for a while, so I've always been the non-speaking acquaintance. They're nice, if a bit awkward to be around, since John's aware of his wife's proclivities.
Good fun, but I can't afford to go out again tonight. Blah. I hate being poor.
She's got a muscular dystrophy, myaesthenia gravis. MD is a misnomer, though- her problem is a disorder of her nervous system, where signals to her muscles are imperfectly transmitted; sometimes they're transmitted weakly, sometimes they aren't transmitted at all. The symptoms come and go, but lately they've been hitting harder than usual, and the medication she's used for decades to control it, Mestinon, seems to no longer be working as effectively.
Voluntary muscle contractions- like walking, talking- have always been difficult for her, but over the last few years, involuntary muscle contractions- like heart beats and diaphragm contraction to breathe- have become more affected. She's now got a pronounced heart arrhythmia, and regularly her heart beats become so weak and irregular that her body ends up having to shock itself with adrenaline to keep going. That rush ends up knocking her out for a few days, and... blah blah blah.
Her nervous system is trying to shut down. I don't know how long Mestinon works, but it's weird that it would become less effective now, after 30 years of being useful.
Talked with Steve about "what if," and I guess they both know something is going to happen sooner or later, and luckily, they've gotten things set up in case one or both of them passes away. Living wills, wills, insurance paperwork and instruction packets printed up and set aside. It's not fun stuff to talk about, but I'm glad we're talking about it.
...
Planned to get up and study last night, but Angie called me last night to see what I was doing. We ended up going out with her husband, and went (again) to Talbott. The dance fun wasn't a fluke; again the music was good, again the crowd (smaller than last Saturday) was respectful. This was the first time I'd ever really spoken with Angie or John- she's had a crush on my friend Tony for a while, so I've always been the non-speaking acquaintance. They're nice, if a bit awkward to be around, since John's aware of his wife's proclivities.
Good fun, but I can't afford to go out again tonight. Blah. I hate being poor.
cassie11:
Glad to hear ur mum is okay and yes being poor sucks ass
kalidoom:
Yo, I found those tables and chairs that were upstairs at Talbott Street. 199 bucks for a table and two stools at Value City Furniture. WOOT! *mine!*