The Notebook-ish (Long-Update)

This post is depressing.....

On Tuesday August 24th I was working like a normal crazy work day. I got a text from my sister telling me that my grandma Shirley was in the hospital with kidney failure. I left work, met up with my sisters and headed to Vernal. We got to the ER, where they had my grandma on dopamine to keep her alive until everyone could get there. She was actually making a lot more sense than she does usually. She had been fighting an infection for the last six months, which was making her more crazy than normal. That may sound rude, but she was always getting things mixed up and this got much worse with the infection. They kept her on the dopamine until my uncle Steve got there and we were all able to say goodbye. This was about 1 pm. The doctor told us that it shouldn't take long, maybe a few hours. We waited there until 9:30 with no change. She would stop breathing for quite a while and all of the levels would drop, then all of the sudden she would take a deep breath and start going again. My Grandpa sat next to her the entire day, not getting up to eat or go to the bathroom.

The next morning nothing had changed, so they moved her to a hospital room. Her blood pressure and everything actually went up. On Friday things were still about the same, so they decided to move her to the hospice room at the Villa. I had worked a little bit on Friday and was on my way to see her when I got a text from my sister telling me that my grandpa "Poppie" was in the hospital with pnemonia. This is really scary because his lungs are horrible and the doctors have told us that it will most likely be pnemonia that kills him. I visited both of them and stayed at the Villa the rest of the day so my grandpa could rest.

Saturday Kit and I ran to Layton to do some of my work. When we got back I went to Visit my grandma "Nana". When I got there I told her that I felt like I needed to go see her. She said, "Why? I'm not going to die". I was able to help a little around the house and visit with her for a little while. I then went back to the Villa for a while. That night Kit and I went to Vernal with Michelle, Wes, Austin and Kade to Don Pedros. We definitely needed the night away.

The next day we went to church. After church I was set apart in my new calling. My parents were able to come. We left straight from there and went to the Villa. Things were about the same, but my grandmas eyes were open. This is really disturbing. My grandpa was sitting in the chair next to her, sleeping and holding her hand. This was pretty much his post the entire time. I had been there about ten minutes and was standing with my sisters and mom around the bed, just visiting. I was watching my grandma when her eyes focused on something, then shifted from one corner for the room to another. I told everyone what had happened. My mom woke my grandpa up. She took a few more breaths, then she was gone.

I later found out how long my grandparents had actually been together. When my grandpa was in 6th grade they started bussing my grandma to his school. He was lined up with some friends watching the kids get off the bus. He saw my grandma get off her bus and thought to himself that someday he would marry her. A few years later he did. And by a few I mean about 3.

The next day I needed to work for a little while. Around 10:30 I went to the hospital to visit my grandpa. I could tell that he was a lot worse than he had been the last time I had seen him. I was really worried about it, but had to go back to work. Later he was put in ICU. They were thinking about life flighting him, but Nana, who was doing pretty well at home, said to wait for 24 hours and call Dr. Staker. I was at the hospital when Dr. Staker came in and told us that he thought things would turn around in the next 24 hours. At this time Traci was getting checked in so she could get started with her baby. At seven I had to leave to go back to work.

On Tuesday my mom let me know that now Nana was in the hospital with pnemonia. I thought I would at least go to staff meeting. I was there for about an hour when my mom told me I needed to get to the hospital. My grandma was in ICU, and they were just moving her bed next to my grandpa's. He was out of it, but they tried to wake him up. We knew that it was the end for my grandma, but weren't quite sure about my grandpa. The crazy thing is that my grandma had more strength than he did.

So here they are in their hospital beds, holding hands and trying to say goodbye. This is the part that reminds me of the Notebook.

Meanwhile, in the OB, Traci's labor was progressing nicely. We were going back and forth between the rooms. Her room was much more pleasant to be in.

They then moved my grandma to a regular room. A lot of family came. They thought maybe she would make it until my Aunt Maggie got there, but probably not long enough for Heston to get there. He made it. My grandpa came to enough that he knew what was going on. He tried to get up so that he could get to her. They wheeled my grandma back in with him until they realized that he was too upset. They had to sedate him. They moved her back into her own room.

At around 12:30 Traci had little Preslee Jo. She was so alert and beautiful. I was able to take a picture of her to my grandma to see. She really wasn't alert, but smiled and laughed when I showed her the picture. About two hours after Preslee was born Traci was able to be wheeled down to say goodbye to Nana. At about 4 the Doctor came in and did an assessment. He decided that it would be best to take off the oxygen. At about 4:30 she died. This one really did not sink in for a while. I watched her die. I knew she was dead, but I couldn't make myself believe it.

They had to keep my grandpa sedated for a few days so that he could get better. They didn't tell him that she had passed away for a few days. He got out of the hospital on Labor day.

So this is my crazy life. It's hard to believe that this all really happened, but it did. Everyone seems to be doing okay, it's just hard. I'm so thankful for such a great family. We are able to laugh with each other and be supportive of one another. It's always easier to be around people who know what you're going through and how to help you deal with it.