Exit Stage Left

So, due to my cleaning frenzy last night I didn't get out of my PJ's until 6. But, who am I kidding? It's Saturday I probably wouldn't have anyway. I went out to run a few errands around 6:30 and as soon as I walked into a store I'd driven half an hour to find my cell phone rang. It was my sister, Joan, who was in complete hysterics. She was crying so hard she could hardly breathe and I could barely understand her. What I got from the conversation was that my brother-in-law, Mark, was bleeding from his mouth and on his way to the hospital in an ambulance. She said she needed me to meet her. No problem. I immediately turned around and left to come back up North.

Mark had surgery to help alleviate his severe sleep apnea about ten days ago. They removed his tonsils and adenoids, his uvula and part of his soft palette. Ordinarily a sleep apnea patient would get a CPAP machine, which helps control breathing during sleep, but Mark's was so severe the surgery was his only option. The doctor said that if he didn't take this seriously his life would be in jeopardy. So he had the surgery. It's rather intense, to be honest. He hasn't been able to eat much, can't cough, or clear his throat and has, to some extent, had to learn how to talk again. In the long run he'll be a lot better off, but this first couple of weeks are painful and challenging.

When I got to the hospital and finally found them in the ER I found Mark sitting up in bed with a basin of blood in front of him and my sister bawling hysterically beside him. It was almost grizzly to see that much blood and Mark looked terrible. Apparently what happened is pretty "common"; some blood clots had formed over the sutures where they took out his tonsils and one of them got knocked loose causing the bleeding to start. He was told to gargle with ice water, which should close up the vessels. We waited for awhile and the doctor came back and found another clot on the other side of his throat. Mark tried to knock it loose with the gargling, but had no luck. No luck with trying to suck it out either, so the doctor (who was AWESOME) reached in with a pair of forceps and pulled it out---it was quite gross, but also kind of cool. A few more minutes of an ice water gargle to close everything up and we were on our way. A rather anti-climatic ending to the evening, but that was a good thing in this instance.

I found out this evening that my Gramma is also in the hospital. They're not sure what's wrong with her, but I'll post an update after I go visit her tomorrow. She went in this morning and I didn't find out until I called my mom tonight, who's more than 1,000 miles away. I sure appreciate the fact that my family lets me know what's going on. That's just Grrrreat!