Oh No, Not Again

Just got back from the hospital ER. I got a phone call earlier today that my grandfather had fallen at the nursing home and was taken in for x-rays. Well, a few hours later, I get another call that his CT scan came back showing two bleeds from his brain and that they were calling around Tucson and Phoenix for a hospital to take him in case he needed surgery. Now, my grandfather is 91-years-old. He has fallen quite a bit this year, but this is by far the worse. Upon arriving to the ER my father stops me to tell me that they also found an Atlas vertebral fracture. According to the PA seeing my grandfather, this was the worst kind of fracture. So, my poor grandpa had to be placed in a neck brace and on a back board. He was so uncomfortable, he looked miserable. The miracle was that he had fallen, was helped up, and was placed back into his wheelchair, where he sat for a couple of hours before he was taken to the hospital, all without a neck brace in place to support the fracture that was found later that evening. After waiting for a couple of hours and still no word on which hospital he would be going to, it became evident that my grandfather was having a hard time breathing due to the stationary position he had to be in. They then decided to intubate him, putting a tube down his throat, and connecting him to a ventilator.

So it turns out that he is going to the Barrow Neurological Clinic in Phoenix, which is another blessing. Although we all wish we could be there with him this evening, it helps us to feel some comfort in knowing that he is going to a great facility and that my Aunt Dodie and cousins live in Chandler and will be waiting at the hospital for his arrival. So now we play the waiting game. What will happen in the morning when the neurologist evaluates him? What will the next CT scan show? Will he have to have surgery and for what? Will he make it through the surgery, again he is 91?!?! I am trying to stay calm, because I know at this point it is completely out of our hands.

It is hard to think about anything else, but him tonight. Alisa, my dad, and I were there to see the helicopter take off. It was so sad to think of him lying in the helicopter, sedated, taking a ride to another hospital because of his questionable condition. I am just so grateful that I had the chance to see him alert and oriented before they sedated him for the intubation. I kissed his cheek and told him how much I loved him.

We are so grateful for the MGRMC ER staff that were there to offer support and information when able. My sister and I kept feeling like we were in the way, but they did everything they could to make us comfortable, offering drinks and chairs since we were waiting for so long.

Well I love you Grandpa Lito. My thoughts and prayers are with you tonight. See you later alligator.