It wasn't my intention to leave
such a long gap between posts.
Life
has a habit of getting in the way of our good intentions. Life, in the form of
chronic illness, hospital admissions, and a death in the extended family, has
played havoc with my intention to write a post every fortnight.
The
hospital admission was mine. I was rushed to the ER by ambulance with a
suspected bleed in the brain (in other words a stroke); a
frightening experience, more so for my children than for me. However, after what seemed like
thousands of medical tests included a lot of bloodletting and big pieces
of machinery run by sophisticated technology, it was decided my
problems were caused by a viral infection of the brain. Whew! What a relief.
I'm
still fighting the virus. It's a very possessive one; it wants all my attention
and because it affects my brain it has that attention in
spades. It fights with the chronic illnesses causing them to have temper
tantrums that are as disruptive and painful as any 3 year old meltdown. I sleep
a lot. When awake I drink at least 4 litres of water a day to prevent a return
of dehydration. (The toilet and I are now in a very close relationship. Thank
god for the proximity of the bathroom to my bedroom!)
Still
my medical issues are minor compared to my daughter-in-laws recent news. Her
sister died of an aneurysm in the brain and she was only 43 years old with
a 13 year old son. It has devastated her family. I've spent long
hours with my 3 year old grandson to take the pressure off my DinL so she can get on with the business of
grieving. It is so sad. Her sister died so suddenly that everyone has been
bowled over by her death. My DinL is a wonderful, intelligent and wise
woman who is a fabulous mum to my grandson and great life partner to
my son. All I can do is hug her when she cries, listen when she wants to talk
about her beloved sister and keep my GS as occupied as possible. It seems so
little in the face of such a catastrophe but my sweet DinL says it's enough.
I'm
very lucky to live in a country with excellent, universal health care and where
there are support systems in place for the bereaved, all at no cost to me and
low cost to my DinL and son. I am so grateful for my
family who love and support each other and are there for each other in times of
need. Most of all, I'm very grateful to be alive. Every day is a
bonus to be lived to the fullest with a grateful heart.
