Merry Effing Christmas
We're low on cash this month okay, no big deal. I'm on disability and his job covers what my disability can't or won't. All our bills have finally been caught up on and we were finally able to breathe for the first time in months even though we can't really overspend this Christmas. We qualified for a hamper so that got us a turkey voucher, some food, and presents for the kids and even a few for us. I spent what little extra we had this month and got some real luxuries - stockings, stocking stuffers and some extra presents for the kids. We got the Wii over two months ago after saving up for it for several months and a friend of ours bought us a kewl game for it that we are all enjoying, so that at least is making us happy. So what if our kids won't be getting the "moundful" of gifts under the tree, the hamper Santas have filled some of their wishes. DS will be getting his wish of a remote controlled car - actually two of them (aie...batteries!). DD is getting a kidz digicam thanks to the hamper.
But... god damn it... I shouldn't have bought the presents for the kids out of our money. I should have saved it.
Why?
Because Penalt's father is lying in the ICU in critical condition.
(posted elsewhere)
My father in law, E, is a 70 year old man who has been fighting heart failure for over a decade and has diabetes as well as other major medical problems, was supposed to have been seen by the cardiology department at (major hospital) on Friday the 14th of December. He drove from his home to (major city), a drive of at least 3 hours one way, to an appointment that was supposed to have happened there. Instead of being seen and having his defibrillating pacemaker fine tuned, he was told that the Cardiologists were "too busy," "unavailable" and to go home. They did not even have the decency to call him to tell him to stay home and not make the trip.
So, not one to argue with the doctors, he turned around and drove the 3 hours home.
Ten minutes after arriving at home, while his wife was in another room, he awoke to find himself in the debris field of his kitchen table. He had just had the first of at least 6 heart attacks. The only thing that kept him from dying before the ambulance arrived was the defibrillating pacemaker.
E has since been told that he is going to be moved to (major hospital) "as soon as a bed is available." His personal cardiologist is not impressed with the (major hospital) Cardiac Unit. That was Friday. Yesterday, 3pm, my husband called up and E still had not been moved because there is no bed. (major hospital) should be thankful that I'm not within spitting distance and we can't afford to travel, because this is just unacceptable. If the (major hospital) Cardiac Unit had seen him on Friday, maybe the heart attacks and all this chaos could have been avoided.
My children are about to loose their only decent grandparent left on the west coast. My hunny, Penalt, and his brothers and sister are about to become orphans because of snafu that (major hospital)'s Cardiac Unit pulled on E. Ca, E's second wife, is about to become a widow. All eight of E's grandchildren, the youngest has never met him, are about to loose their grandfather. E will never be able to drive again if by some miracle he does get discharged. The best thing we can hope for is that he is able to leave the hospital to go to a nursing home. He will be simply too ill to go to his home of 35 years.
None of this would have happened if the (major hospital)'s Cardiac Unit had not bumped him because they were "too busy." If they had kept him there until a cardiologist was available, then they might have caught the heart attacks before they started. E is stable unless he tries to do anything more than sitting up. It is a waiting game now. We're all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
(end post)
E was talking to him today and yes, there is a spot in the same major city, but at another hospital. Apparently someone complained bitterly about what happened and they are making a bed available. (gee... the letters I wrote to the media maybe?) E is so sick that he can't wash his face or brush his own hair. He talked to Penalt today about turning off the defibralator part of his pacemaker. Penalt and I are just stunned and more. We know he's suffering and E has every right to choose to end his pain, especially since there is pretty much no hope to ever recover.
Neither of us are taking this well. He isn't sleeping. I'm recovering from the stomach flu and just have no desire to clean, cook or really do anything but I know I have to because the kids need me. I don't even want to look at the presents I've got to wrap.
We can't afford to take the trip by ferry to go see E. I've threatened to send Penalt by bus if I had to - we have just enough for that. He deserves to see his father once last time. We're praying that E lasts long enough for our income tax return to come in so that we can go see him. He hasn't met the baby.
Merry fucking Christmas to us. We have to fake it for the kids and neither of us have the energy to do it. Penalt normally does a 5 course oh my god meal, but this year, we'll be lucky if we have the energy to stick a butterball in the oven let alone make a meal. If the worst happens, at least I have the Wii that I could pawn if I needed to. We're hoping and praying it won't.
Merry fucking Christmas.