She looks great. She's alert, chatty and sitting in a chair. She can take her blood pressure meds orally, so they removed the IV from her neck tonight.
But her blood sugar is high and she couldn't manage without oxygen; didn't last an hour before they reapplied the nasal oxygen feed. She'll go back to assisted living with an O2 tank, and her new walker which showed up today.
My son David and I visited in the morning, took Dad to lunch in the cafeteria and out for a few minutes of sunshine; he got to see David's tricked-out bike. Then David and I did a big ride, the Sand Hill loop, returning at 3:30. A short while later Maureen and Dad slipped away. When Nancy Dudley of Geriatric Heath Services came by, the four of us told stories till 5 o'clock.
I showed Mom photos on the iPhone: grandchildren at the cottage, favorite getaways in Maine, the Coliseum in Rome and photos of all of us siblings with our kids. Mom showed many to Nancy, adding her own commentary. It was quality time and I think I'll arrange our schedule like that for tomorrow, too.
All day different nurses would pop in and hint at discharge "tomorrow". At lunch I told Dad that when this incident first occurred I didn't think she'd ever be going home. "I didn't either," he agreed.
But her blood sugar is high and she couldn't manage without oxygen; didn't last an hour before they reapplied the nasal oxygen feed. She'll go back to assisted living with an O2 tank, and her new walker which showed up today.
My son David and I visited in the morning, took Dad to lunch in the cafeteria and out for a few minutes of sunshine; he got to see David's tricked-out bike. Then David and I did a big ride, the Sand Hill loop, returning at 3:30. A short while later Maureen and Dad slipped away. When Nancy Dudley of Geriatric Heath Services came by, the four of us told stories till 5 o'clock.
I showed Mom photos on the iPhone: grandchildren at the cottage, favorite getaways in Maine, the Coliseum in Rome and photos of all of us siblings with our kids. Mom showed many to Nancy, adding her own commentary. It was quality time and I think I'll arrange our schedule like that for tomorrow, too.
All day different nurses would pop in and hint at discharge "tomorrow". At lunch I told Dad that when this incident first occurred I didn't think she'd ever be going home. "I didn't either," he agreed. 
Do you have a "wisdom tradition" for dealing with end of life issues? What is the 
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