As you may know, my grandmother has suffered from terrible health since mid-October of last year. In this time, she's has three hospital stays all followed by rehabilitation center admittance. She is currently in a rehab facility.
Among her ailments she has, over the last seven months, acquired various infections. Some of these infections have been so strong she has suffered from delusions. The first time it happened, it was extremely frightening. Out of no where she was telling absurd tales and her thoughts were incredibly scattered. However, once the infections were treated and cleared from her body, she was her normal, albeit ornery, self.
I went to see her this morning with my mother and from the moment we walked in she was in -- please forgive my use of medical terminology -- Na Na Land. Either Nanny has another infection, or she is licking funny stamps in her down time.
In the short time I was there, she experienced the following:
1. A man having a heart attack in the bed next to her. (The bed was empty.)
2. A man standing behind my mother. (There was a closet door behind her.)
3. Her second husband in the visitor's chair. (He died when I was 15.)
4. She told a tale about a young girl who works in the rehab facility that she went to college with. (Nanny never went to college and never mind the fact that at 85 she would never have been in school with someone currently in their 20's.)
5. She also mentioned a hot air balloon trip she took over Italy. (I don't even know where to begin with that one.)
If I didn't know that this was a temporary side-effect of her illness, I wouldn't take such a light-hearted approach to it. But as it's happened before, I know she will be normal in a few days.
My title is from Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
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1 comment:
Such a good attitude you have about it. When my grandma was dying with Alzheimer's she couldn't remember my dad, his name, etc. So she would ask who he was and every time he would create a new persona and name. A lot of people thought it was cruel that he did that, but it was his way of dealing with it. Plus, it was friggin hysterical. I'm sorry you have to go through that, but I'm glad you remembered the stories she told. They're priceless.
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