Briefly (I hope!) - Stepmom has been sickish since Christmas - head/sinus/chest. She'd previously been diagnosed with asthma. She finally went to another doctor, who said she doesn't have asthma, she has acid reflux. This was Tues. Apparently, she's been worse the last 3 days. This evening dad calls to say she's been admitted to the hospital near me (where this new doc is), after being in the ER all afternoon. Stepsis and BIL are going to stay up there a while longer, which is fine 'cause he knows they've had more rest than he has the past 3 days.'
Oh, and he'll call me back when he gets out to the car to go home.
Yippee.
Dad is not the most positive or mentally healthy individual you'd ever meet.
He is just 72, but compared to my 80-yr.-old stepdad, Dad acts like an old man. Every ailment is worse for him than for anyone else who's ever had it. Oh, did I mention sexist? He can manage 'cooking' a bowl of cold cereal, and can take the trash out. Everything else but taking the car to the shop, and mowing, is 'wimin's work'. He is cranky, and paranoid, bigoted, and loves to fight, have a cause, get one over on 'the man'. Whatever. (As far as I can tell, he's a MCOWG* and has no room to bitch.) *middle-class old white guy.
Anyway, he called back, ranting about the dr.s 'girl' who he got into it with, about the nurse at the hospital who didn't tell him either the phone number in the room, or what time the doc would make rounds tomorrow. (Oh, DUH!! Been there) He's headed home, 'might' get something to eat, he hasn't had anything all day but a cough drop.
(He's been in central Indiana, not central Mongolia). I told him he can't do that, he needs to eat...and he says, 'You can't eat if you spend all day for three days taking care of a wife who's sick, and is as stubborn as her mom & won't take her medicine right, tries to cut the dose when I'm not looking, (she thinks god is going to heal her) and with trying to fight with these damn doctors!'
OH REALLY???
I am tired, cranky, and not feeling my usual diplomatic self, but I took a breath, clenched my jaw, and said calmly, "Dad, I did that for several years, remember?" Thank god for his sake he acknowledged that I was right.
Heaven help me if something happens to her - I will jump off a high bridge into shallow water if I have to take care of Dad. I have 'done my time', and I've counted on her being there to 'do her job' (not without our help, but as point-man). I realize that sound so shallow and so self-centered, and I'm sure I'll just do what I have to do if it comes to that, but MAN O MAN I don't want to think about it!!
Thanks for being here.
