Sweet Merciful Jeebus.

Auto-edited on 2020-08-02 to update URLs

fnord wrote:

Taint wrote:

If anyone puts my ashes into one of those damned things, I will come back from the dead and ass fuck them dry.

You don’t want to be the teddy bear on the other side of your future widow’s bed?

I don't want to be the Teddy bear now, either.

My grandfather keeps his wife's ashes in an ornate box on his bureau. Uninformed of what this interesting objet d'art was, I attempted to open it, finding it superglued shut. This was rather frustrating, and I spent a few moments trying to pry it open. It was then that my brother walked into the room and said, "Why are you trying to visit grandma?"

Heh. I am planning to keep mom in a pressed peat flower pot.

Dmtdust wrote:

Johnny_Rotten wrote:

Heh. I am planning to keep mom in a pressed peat flower pot.

Did your Mom pass?  Today is my Mother's birthday.  She would of been 87.

D

Well happy birthday Ma.

Yes she did Dusty. Back in January. I think I posted the tale, but I was so busy managing the family's affairs I did not even look at high street till March.

The net result was that she had the largest malignant brain tumors ever seen in Massachusetts General. And had no idea nor had been ever sick in her life. She had 18 hours between the time she received her first scan and brain surgery. The surgery was a success technically. It removed one of the tumors, but they could not operate on the other 5 that were going to kill her. And they knew that before they started. This type of surgery requires 3 to 6 months of recovery. She had days to weeks to live. After she woke up 5 days later she no longer had much interest in the outside world and could not talk, swallow well or wanted to move more then one hand Before surgery she was stabalised by non invasive drug treatment and totally in control.

She lasted another 14 days which were a living hell. Not because she was suffering, she did not have any pain as can sometimes be the case with brain tumors, but because the top hospitals in Boston were unable to deliver basic nursing care to someone who could not advocate for themselves. There were so many violations  that I can not count them on my fingers.

In the end it was the Hospice care in a small rural hospital near home that simply and easily provided the comfort she needed to pass peacefully. It took no real extra effort on the staff's part, just the willingness to pay attention and have hospice as the goal.

The lesson is that the first question you may have to ask is "Do I really want to be treated in a hospital at all?" We should have gotten right back on the medflight helicopter and flown home, called  built up a big fire and settled Mom in front of it surrounded by her friends, family and visiting nurses.