03-22-2007, 11:37 PM
... re-introduce myself to the group.
My name is Gunnar. I go by Macallan2 'round these parts. I joined this board many moons ago (about 4 years ago I think) but fell of in the last year due to time constraints. I switched jobs and had a lot of... truth be told I just couldn't goof off at the new job like the old one!
Well, once I get settled and tried to get back, my mother learned she had cancer of the bladder. The tumor was removed and another one came back 6 weeks later almost as large! Seriously aggressive. We had to do emergency surgery to remove all the female organs they could. After that procedure my mom crashed and was on a ventilator for weeks drifting in and out. She's been a smoker for 46 years and has COPD so her lungs are weak to say the least. Now my mom's a very religious woman and said she didn't want to be "kept alive" by machines. I traveled between MN and Vegas many times in the last few months (3 times in the last 2 months alone
hock
to talk with the Dr.'s and my family and try to figure out what to do. I cried at my mother's bedside as she lay there unresponsive and the Dr. told me we didn't have to pull the tube and that "tomorrow could be better", "she's getting stronger" and many other confusing statements. I took part in the Last Rites with my mom's priest and my family. I was low brothers. Then the unthinkable happened. We were talking with the Dr. after deciding to pull the tube. They had given my mom the morphine to calm her as she passed and she woke up and lifter her head and was straining to look out in the hall to see what we were doing. Now, I don't know how she came to and I don't know if she understood a damned thing at that moment, but we told her what was going on and asked her if she wanted us to let her go and she shook her head no. Literally, I said "that's good enough for me!" and we stopped the process. 2 days later my mother was transferred to a lesser unit. Now 2 weeks later she's been cleared to go to the rehabilitation facility where she needs to relearn how to do everything but she's alive and her lungs are stronger than they've been in years.
I share this with you all because I've made some great friendships in the time I spent here and I've felt bad for not being around. I popped in from time to time to read but I just couldn't bring myself to post anything. I hope you'll all understand my absence and accept me back into the fold. I also share this to let you all know it's NEVER too late and life can ALWAYS prevail. One moment I was lost in tears of sorrow and 2 days later I was overcome with tears of joy. Now I'm just trying to get back to normal and enjoy life again.
So that's me! I look forward to enjoying life with y'all again
My name is Gunnar. I go by Macallan2 'round these parts. I joined this board many moons ago (about 4 years ago I think) but fell of in the last year due to time constraints. I switched jobs and had a lot of... truth be told I just couldn't goof off at the new job like the old one!
Well, once I get settled and tried to get back, my mother learned she had cancer of the bladder. The tumor was removed and another one came back 6 weeks later almost as large! Seriously aggressive. We had to do emergency surgery to remove all the female organs they could. After that procedure my mom crashed and was on a ventilator for weeks drifting in and out. She's been a smoker for 46 years and has COPD so her lungs are weak to say the least. Now my mom's a very religious woman and said she didn't want to be "kept alive" by machines. I traveled between MN and Vegas many times in the last few months (3 times in the last 2 months alonehock to talk with the Dr.'s and my family and try to figure out what to do. I cried at my mother's bedside as she lay there unresponsive and the Dr. told me we didn't have to pull the tube and that "tomorrow could be better", "she's getting stronger" and many other confusing statements. I took part in the Last Rites with my mom's priest and my family. I was low brothers. Then the unthinkable happened. We were talking with the Dr. after deciding to pull the tube. They had given my mom the morphine to calm her as she passed and she woke up and lifter her head and was straining to look out in the hall to see what we were doing. Now, I don't know how she came to and I don't know if she understood a damned thing at that moment, but we told her what was going on and asked her if she wanted us to let her go and she shook her head no. Literally, I said "that's good enough for me!" and we stopped the process. 2 days later my mother was transferred to a lesser unit. Now 2 weeks later she's been cleared to go to the rehabilitation facility where she needs to relearn how to do everything but she's alive and her lungs are stronger than they've been in years. I share this with you all because I've made some great friendships in the time I spent here and I've felt bad for not being around. I popped in from time to time to read but I just couldn't bring myself to post anything. I hope you'll all understand my absence and accept me back into the fold. I also share this to let you all know it's NEVER too late and life can ALWAYS prevail. One moment I was lost in tears of sorrow and 2 days later I was overcome with tears of joy. Now I'm just trying to get back to normal and enjoy life again.
So that's me! I look forward to enjoying life with y'all again