Update #14

[ravan]

This is "better", or at least more realistic (and considerate of N):

I had a conference this morning with various doctors who have been involved. We have gotten approval from the Santa Clara Kaiser Hospital Ethics Committee and N is being put on "Comfort Care". This means she is receiving no medication except for pain. She is to be monitored to maintain her comfort. She is being moved to a private room.

As far as I know she may receive visitors, but I do caution you, she is not the image of her former self. When I saw her this morning, her heart rate was down to the nineties, her blood pressure was good and her oxygenation was about 93%. She was getting her voice back a little bit. She did recognize me.

Any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.

Blessed be, G

So even the medical establishment is finally agreeing that N is dying. They don't have to try to force her to live with a ton of drugs, too little pain relief, and lots of tubes and pumps. I'll probably be going to see her sometime in the next few days.

When all's said and done, G will probably need financial help to pay for dealing with the "biological waste" that will be left behind. (N is not picky - whatever's cheapest. At that point, she wouldn't be using her body anymore anyway.)

Comments

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Where is she staying, and could you clarify what the visitor policy is?

I need to say goodbye, and it's getting to be time.

-- Lorrie

[ravan.livejournal.com]

She's at Kaiser Santa Clara, I don't know the room # - ICU, or ??. Apparently, they *have* been letting visitors in - or just not screening. Another of her craft friends got in to see her.

Let me know when you're coming down, and we can get together.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

When I can make it down to the South Bay is iffy -- Mike (countgeiger) and I only have one car between us, so unless I can convince DLP to come as well, it'll depend on it being a day when he's working from home and I don't have work.

If you do get to her before I e-mail you about coming down, e-mail me and let me know where to find her? So much less embarrassing than having to ask...

I think I would ideally like a private moment, and then maybe coffee or such afterward? No-one I've ever been close to has been near dying before, so this is all new territory for me.

-- Lorrie

[ravan.livejournal.com]

Actually, G asked me today, when I talked to him, if I had contact data for DLP, because he doesn't. He wants to be able to include her in his update mails.

I figure that if worse comes to worst, I can pick you up at Fremont BART if you call ahead (I sent you my # in a separate email). If DLP comes down too, we can all go for coffee and celebrate N's accomplishments (and console each other on her situation).

[bellacrow.livejournal.com]

*sigh* It only took them how long to face facts? I hope G has a support system to help him deal with all the weird emotions.

[ravan.livejournal.com]

G's support system is largely made up of me, my roomie, and a few of his other pagan buddies, most of whome he talks to only in email.