We've been watching her very closely for the past few weeks, and she was diagnosed with bronchitis a week or so ago. She's mostly over that now, but it's left her fatigued, and just run down, without energy, and also rather confused about stuff that should be clear in her head. So, today I called her doctor and told her that I'm worried, so she suggested I take Florence to the ER. It was 4:30 p.m. when we arrived, and it was 11:00 p.m. when we finally got home.
They kept her overnight, because they discovered that she is ANEMIC. This poor 88 year old woman had HALF the normal count of blood cells that she SHOULD have!! If it had continued without being diagnosed, she might have had a heart attack or stroke!! I was a nervous WRECK when they told us this, and I bit off every fingernail I had. I really don't know what the hell I'm going to do if and when she has a stroke, or worse...I just can't handle it...I'm scared to death.
They are going to have to do a blood transfusion, 2 full units, which might take until Monday depending on how she reacts. They are now going to try and find out WHY she is anemic, and that means she might have to have a colonoscopy or some such other type of thing to look around inside, and that does NOT sound fun at all.
So, we are hoping she'll feel much better once she gets the blood transfusion, but now I'm scared for her. That's quite an ordeal for ANYBODY, much less an 88 year old woman to go through. She lay there in the ER, talking to me about how lonely she is, without any family anymore, her mother's gone, her father's gone, her sister's gone, everyone she loved has turned their backs on her, at least that's how it feels to her, because they have never once come to visit her and very rarely even call her, or write to her. So she feels completely alone, and has felt that way ever since her husband Ray died 13 years ago.
She broke my heart talking like that. "Nobody knows I'm in the hospital, and even if they did, it feels like nobody cares," she said. It took all I had not to cry. I told her about the time when I had a urinary tract infection that turned into a very bad kidney infection, and I was all alone in DC, I had gone to work that day, my back killing me, and I ended up passing out right there on the floor at my desk. They called an ambulance, and took me to some hospital that I had NO clue where it was, and nobody KNEW it, and all I remember (because I was having a 104 temperature for 5 days), is that nobody came to visit me.
After a week, I was told on the day they let me go home, that I almost died. All I could do while laying there, was look at the flowers my mom sent me, while I counted the dots on the ceiling tiles, and the hooks in the curtain around my bed. My stupid boyfriend at the time wouldn't even come visit me, because it was a four hour drive!!! (He bit the dust shortly thereafter). But I remember vividly that I had never felt so lost and alone in my entire life. I also told her, that's why WE are here, right beside her, and that WE will take care of her, and she has US as her family, and we'll NEVER turn our backs on her, no matter what.
....I've decided I don't want to live to be 88 years old. I could not deal with everybody I love dying, being left alone, feeling completely lost and lonely in such a messed up world.
Pray for Florence, please. She's an awesome lady and I love her with all my heart.
So, earlier, before this happened with Florence, I spent some time at the local hair salon, where Michelle played with my hair for awhile to see what might look nice for the wedding. She didn't even charge me to do it, which I thought was AWESOME, but I'm having her and Kelly both come to the wedding in the morning to do some of the girls' hair before the ceremony starts. Now, you should already know me pretty well, so I shouldn't have to tell you this...but I can honestly say that I have never aspired to be, nor have I ever wanted to experience, even the slightest "princess" persona in my entire life.....but when I took this picture, I kinda felt like one...if only for a split second...and it was kinda nice.
My poor hair is so short now, (and so THIN), that it's very difficult to do much of anything with it. So, we figured we would put some mousse in it, use hot rollers, a curling iron, lots of bobby pins, some massive back-combing, and TAH DAH, here you have the end result. It's the closest thing to an "up-do" that I can get. I decided to go with this veil, rather than the big white wedding cake looking hat, (it would look awesome if I had long thick hair, and it was winter), so I'm simplifying. The veil that I made actually looks too big and bulky on my head, so this one is much lighter and simpler, and shorter. So, this is the one I'll be wearing. I'll change into the headband with the white flower on it, during the reception. I just hope the hairspray holds up in the heat and humidity!!
Right now, however, we are most concerned with Florence. We have to get her better and HOME soon. I absolutely abhore hospitals, but she is at least in a very good one. Pittsburgh does have some very good hospitals, if nothing else. I'm just very worried about her. Please say a prayer for her, she's been through too much hardship these past couple of years, she doesn't need any more. I want her to get back to her normal self, and take walks with me to the park again, and enjoy being out on the deck again---she's practically been bed-ridden for the past 2 weeks, sleeping the majority of the time, worrying us all sick. I just hope this blood transfusion works. I pray that she'll be better by Sunday and back home with us, feeling better again. I really love her a lot. I told her she HAS to get better so that she can dance on at least ONE table at the wedding reception!!
Bye for now. Love, Becky
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