So as it turns out, my mother needs a kidney transplant. She was given the choice of going to Jacksonville or Gainesville for it. I would have preferred Gainesville as a location since I used to live there and have friends nearby. Unfortunately, the Gainesville hospital does not have a good reputation. The Jacksonville hospital, on the other hand, has a sterling reputation. It's a little place called the Mayo Clinic. Before she can be approved for a transplant she has to go there for a weeklong evaluation. We are in the middle of that right now, and I am sitting in a dinky hotel room where I've been for most of the week and will be for a few more days.
We've basically spent all day, everyday at Mayo going from one specialist to another. It's been exhausting and at times a bit frustrating. We spent all afternoon Friday waiting for a procedure and after a series of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and mismanagement, we found out that she didn't even need the procedure. Today, my mother spent all afternoon consuming four liters of a liquid concoction for a procedure in the morning. It wasn't easy. And it wasn't easy to watch. I also had to be the "bad guy" and prepare the glasses and stick them before her and tell her to drink. She got sick once and vomited, but she finally got through it all.
I keep telling myself that it's all worth it. But then again, it's only worth it if she gets approved. If she isn't, she'll be on dialysis for the rest of her life. She desperately wants that to not happen, and I desperately want that to not happen for her. So while I'm appreciative that people are trying to help her, I can't help but resent these people who are sitting in judgment of her and making her jump through hoops to get their approval. That may not be logical, but there it is.
We did get a bit of free time this weekend, and my mother has always wanted to see St. Augustine. We were close, so I took her down there. St. Augustine, if you don't know, is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. My hometown, Pensacola, was actually settled before St. Augustine, but was unfortunately blown away a few times, thus losing the "continuously occupied" label. Having gone to St. Augustine, I think I'm now happy about that. Apparently, St. Augustine was established centuries ago to provide a place to sell overpriced knickknacks, T-shirts, and other crap that absolutely no one needs. I can't tell you how glad I am that my town never whored out it's historic district the way that St. Augustine has. I left there feeling kind of dirty. I felt that by visiting and spending money in the area, I had contributed to the rape of history by commercialism. I don't recommend a visit.
Tomorrow, it's back to Mayo for another half-week of runaround. I really can't wait to get back home. I miss my boys (oh, by the way, I got a puppy to go with my cats). I actually miss not being able to sleep so well because they're all over me. And I definitely miss my privacy. But I'll survive. And, hopefully, so will my mother.
We've basically spent all day, everyday at Mayo going from one specialist to another. It's been exhausting and at times a bit frustrating. We spent all afternoon Friday waiting for a procedure and after a series of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and mismanagement, we found out that she didn't even need the procedure. Today, my mother spent all afternoon consuming four liters of a liquid concoction for a procedure in the morning. It wasn't easy. And it wasn't easy to watch. I also had to be the "bad guy" and prepare the glasses and stick them before her and tell her to drink. She got sick once and vomited, but she finally got through it all.
I keep telling myself that it's all worth it. But then again, it's only worth it if she gets approved. If she isn't, she'll be on dialysis for the rest of her life. She desperately wants that to not happen, and I desperately want that to not happen for her. So while I'm appreciative that people are trying to help her, I can't help but resent these people who are sitting in judgment of her and making her jump through hoops to get their approval. That may not be logical, but there it is.
We did get a bit of free time this weekend, and my mother has always wanted to see St. Augustine. We were close, so I took her down there. St. Augustine, if you don't know, is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. My hometown, Pensacola, was actually settled before St. Augustine, but was unfortunately blown away a few times, thus losing the "continuously occupied" label. Having gone to St. Augustine, I think I'm now happy about that. Apparently, St. Augustine was established centuries ago to provide a place to sell overpriced knickknacks, T-shirts, and other crap that absolutely no one needs. I can't tell you how glad I am that my town never whored out it's historic district the way that St. Augustine has. I left there feeling kind of dirty. I felt that by visiting and spending money in the area, I had contributed to the rape of history by commercialism. I don't recommend a visit.
Tomorrow, it's back to Mayo for another half-week of runaround. I really can't wait to get back home. I miss my boys (oh, by the way, I got a puppy to go with my cats). I actually miss not being able to sleep so well because they're all over me. And I definitely miss my privacy. But I'll survive. And, hopefully, so will my mother.
2 comments:
Oh, Wayne. What a tough thing to go through, and what a trooper you're being getting through it all. I hope it all works out for your mom. (And yes, I deleted a comment before. I couldn't handle leaving a typo on your blog for all eternity.)
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