It's been a difficult several days.

Avatar for gmapat539
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
It's been a difficult several days.
12
Sat, 05-22-2010 - 4:03pm

I have lost a good friend. She was struck down almost 10 years ago with a neurological disease called Chronic Inflammatory Demylatory Polyneuropathy. CIDP for short. She went from an active grandma to a wheel chair, but always kept a positive outlook and did all she could to get better. Everything was a struggle. Two other friends and I took turns on different days going over to help her out. we did litttle things around the house and helped her with her exercises and did foot massages on her poor sore feet. And while we were there, we visited with her and she was a joy to visit with, always interested in everyone else and never feeling sorry for herself.


In Feb. the disease progressed further and she wound up coming home after 3 months with a tracheotomy and even less quality of life than she had before. A week ago Wednesday, while I was there, she was having considerable trouble breathing as it was a very humid, windy day. She told me to call her DH to come home and suction her tube, something that only trained people can do. That wasn't unusual. He had to do that at least once or twice every day. She seemed fine, but wehn he got there and was doing it or had just finished (not sure which) something went wrong and in a matter of seconds she was no longer breathing. Paramedics came and mechanically jump started her heart and took her to the hospital. She was w/o oxygen for sometime.


Tests showed no brain function, but they kept her on life support and did some things they hoped (a very small hope) would help and still no function. They said they could keep her alive on life support but her brain would never function again. So her DH made the difficult decision to take her off. She had told all of us as well as him that she would never want to live that way. She looked forward to Heaven and had no fear of death.


So from Wednesday until the next Monday she was lying there all hooked up but we pretty much knew she was gone. Her DH wanted to hang on to hope, which all of us did. But the rest of us could see it was over. She was very loved and the hospital staff could not believe all the people that poored in and out of the hospital. We buried her yesterday. It has been a trying time, but I know she is better off. I think she would have been good naturedly aggravated with all the attempts to save her in her last few days. I told my other friends who also helped take care of her that I could see her getting inside heavens' door, rolling her eyes and saying, "Finally. I thought they never were going to let me come here." I am happy for her, but I will miss her very much.

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Avatar for oahe
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-27-2003
Tue, 06-01-2010 - 8:35am
It's sad news to hear of the the passing of your dear friend.
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Avatar for grammyellen
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2007
Tue, 06-01-2010 - 8:42am
oh pat, i am so sorry. my thoughts and prayers are with you and her family.
hugs,
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