update

Over the weekend I visited mom -- in the hospital. She was readmitted Sunday morning after vomiting blood; I saw her for a couple hours that evening. Apparently, one of the six bands placed in her lower esophagus (used to treat her bleeding esophageal varices) loosened due to a small ulcer, or something -- I can't recall what I was told. Anyway, the band ruptured, which led to new bleeding, which brought her to the hospital. The doctor went in, corrected the issue, and she's been in the hospital since, mainly for observational purposes. I talked to her earlier this evening, and she'll be home tomorrow afternoon -- hopefully, to stay. Thankfully, she has met a new, more competent doctor who will treat her from this point forward. Many frustrating questions remain as to how the previous doc missed her liver-esophagus issue; whatever the case, a biopsy will be done in the coming weeks to ascertain the extent of liver damage, including the possibility of cirrhosis.

In a previous post I mentioned a conversation with sister in which she, after claiming she spoke with a nurse treating mom, said mom experienced alcohol withdrawal syndrome during her first couple of days in the hospital. The following night I spoke to her again, and this time, it wasn't alcohol withdrawal syndrome we had to worry about, it was possible brain damage. Yeah, well, after speaking with mom, stepdad and my aunt, it's unknown from where or whom she got this info -- info that frightened every molecule of my existence.

I hope that some day sister can gather herself and occupy a safe, healthy place in this life; in the meantime, she's a question mark -- a sad, lonely question mark.

xx