Between gratitude and the deep blue sea

[pjthompson]

Mom's okay. Thank God and all the angels and thanks to everyone who thought good thoughts, sent prayers, white lighted.

Yesterday was a loooooong, stressful day, complicated by a machine breaking down and having to wait an extra three hours because of the delay that caused a back up in the angio surgery, but she came through the procedure like a champ (thank you!) and is back to kicking butt this morning.

And both of us feel like kicking some butt this morning. You see, when they got in there, it turned out the artery wasn't clogged after all. Yes, that's right, she went through the angioplasty FOR NOTHING. That's the second time in two years! Different doctor, different hospital, but they told her the MRI showed that the carotid artery on the left side was 50% blocked. And when they found nothing, the tech said the same thing the other tech said two years ago when they said her renal artery was blocked, "Well, sometimes the MRI is set too high and reads stronger than it should."

(Funny ol' iTunes. Ring of Fire just came on.)

Excuse me??? She's eighty-freaking-seven years old!! Why is she being put through this at that age for no damned reason?

That's it. I'm not going to give it any more energy and I'm really so grateful she's okay. But we've both agreed that if they try this again, we're getting a second (or third or fourth) opinion.

Don't dwell on what is passed away or what is yet to be... as Leonard Cohen just sang to me just now. Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.

Not about my mom, but it'll do.

Comments

[darkspires.livejournal.com]

On the one hand it is wonderful your mom has good veins at her age and did not need this proceedure. On the other hand someone needs to go back to school to learn what he/she are doing. Putting someone your mom's age through an invasive proceedure, with all the stress that goes along with it and then being wrong about the need for the proceedure in the first place???? This is sooo bad.

Hugs to you both. I am so glad everything turned out good in the end, even if the whole thing was uneedful.

[pjthompson]

Thanks! It is a crazy situation because, like you said, it's a great thing the artery wasn't that clogged and she came through okay and I'm grateful for all that. But the unnecessary procedure thing...is just so wrong.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

VERY glad she's okay!!!

[pjthompson]

Me, too! The Valkyrie came through again.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

So happy she is doing well, regardless and in spite of the idiocy of those "taking care" of her!

[pjthompson]

Me, too. Thanks. Very, very grateful despite being mad.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she's all right! But it must be so frustrating that this keeps happening. There's no excuse!

[pjthompson]

No, and it's so hard to know how to combat it. Thanks for the good wishes!

[inkbabies.livejournal.com]

::squishes::
Thank goodness!

[pjthompson]

Thank you!

[inkbabies.livejournal.com]

you're welcome!

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

That is so unbelievably infuriating, but I think you have the really really right attitude about it. The irony would be too great if you wound up having a heart attack over it, you know?

I'm very glad to hear your mom made it through okay.

[pjthompson]

Thanks--and you're right. No heart attacks getting frustrated over good arteries. ;-)

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

I'm very, very glad she's okay. Very glad.

And you know, if her arteries are totally clear at 87, I'd say the chances of them clogging anytime in the next 87 years is probably slim and none.

Just sayin.

::hugs Pam::

::kicks idiot doctors::

[pjthompson]

Thank you. You know, she looks and acts much younger than her years and her regular doctor is always telling her what remarkable health she's in, and then she's goes to a specialist and they get a wild hair up...well, whatever. We're going to kick the tires and look under the hood next time.

[safewrite.livejournal.com]

Sooo glad she's okay. Been there with my mom. Just remember: 50 percent of all doctors graduated at the bottom of their class.

[pjthompson]

lol--I can believe that. And thanks!

[purdypiedad.livejournal.com]

Ugh! Things like this make me furious with doctors. Your own attitude is one I ought to learn from. I am very glad your mom is doing well. Here's to one heck of a kick-butt 87-year-old!!!

[pjthompson]

Thank you! And I am mad, but I am just more grateful then mad. And I don't want to give the bastards any more power to victimize by staying mad, ya know? Hard won knowledge.

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear everything's OK!

[pjthompson]

Thanks!

[frigg.livejournal.com]

I'm glad everything went well. It's so frustrating when the doctors get it wrong. We went through something similar with my father some years ago, and it was a complete emotional roller-coaster ride. *hugs*

[pjthompson]

Thanks!