July 14, 2009
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I went back for lunch and was greeted with, “Did you remember that Robi… was born in 1950?”
“I sure did,” I chirped. My recorder group had urged me to just play along; that the quibbling wasn’t going to serve any purpose, and the agitation could make her worse.
She was trying to run down the list of four names but because she was starting with the wrong one it was throwing her off. It was then that I noticed blood on her top, front teeth. I put my glasses on and went over to get a closer look.
She was sitting on the bed and I leaned in and lifted her lip. She started to recoil but didn’t. When she was still hooked up to the heart moniter in the hospital and I would get up off my chair to approach her you could see her heart begin to race.
“There’s blood on your teeth.”
“No, there’s not.”
I went over to wash my hands and took her back a Kleenex.
“Blot you teeth and you’ll see it.”
Instead she started fumbling with the wheelchair. Back and forth she inched, trying to get around the untouched lunch on her tray.
“Where are you going?”
“To the mirror.”
She is fascinated with herself, as am I. She used the hairbrush first but then picked up the toothbrush and held it up like she was going to use it on her bangs again. Instead she brushed her teeth. That’s when she noticed the blood. She got her own Kleenex and sure enough: blood.
Pretty soon Rose came in. She’s the administrater.
She sat down on Lois’s bed and said, “I am concerned about the clotting level of your blood. We will need to take you off of Cumadin (blood thinner) and you should not participate in physical therapy the next few days until we can get this under control. If you were to bump anything or fall you could have internal bleeding.”
“Does that mean I don’t get to catch the yellow ball?” Lois makes a noise and gesture like she’s throwing it back.
“I catch it each and every time.”
“No,” Rose says. “We need to be careful with you for a while.”
With that Lois sticks out her tongue at Rose.
Comments (3)
I’ve read these last five to catch up. There is sense of growing distance and that may be a good thing. You have an added level of complexity with her and I can only think that must make the time move slowly.
I just want to buy you a cocktail.
oh man. i was putting me and the german in your place. i think i would laugh. not a mean laugh, but one that would know that this is where we are and hang on for the ride. and i second the drink. i’d like to buy you a bar. you’re gonna need it.
Cumadin’s some tricky stuff. You are good at the details, at the patience, at the self-knowledge. I’m pretty vain myself.