Gram's not doing well again

Oh, Lor I feel so bad, that surgery is a tough one. What is your grandmother's first name, so I put her on my list. Don't worry we will pray for her. I had 3 great grandmothers too. 1 was a step grandmother. We are very lucky, grandmothers add lots to our outcome, I think.

Lori - I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.  I hope if they decide to do the surgery that it goes smoothly and she can begin to heal.

Thank you!
 
I just spoke to her.  She's bleeding internally from somewhere.  They aren't sure exactly if it's from the infection in her hip or not.  They are going to check her GI system and do both upper and lower endoscopy tomorrow and the next day.  She said her poop is BLACK, not good.  She told me her mom died of colon cancer that spread. 
 
Generally, she's feeling pretty good today, ate lunch and had cake and coffee.  She's got a normal temp and BP.  She was talking to the nurses and watching soaps when I called. 
 
So, I guess we will see.  They can't even think about surgery for the hip until they know where the bleeding is coming from or at least rule out that it's in the GI tract. 
 
So far, it's only the 2nd and I'm already worrying about things.  Not a good start to 2007.   

Oh, dear.  Sorry to hear this.  We will keep her in our thoughts, Lori.

Well, Lori, you've got the power of the idog prayer board in her favor.
 
Prayers for grandma and hugs for you.  I'm lighting the candle now.

Thank you Anne and  Glenda!!

Lori, I am sorry to hear that Gram's isn't doing well.
As Glenda, the candle is burning here and prayers are coming her way.

After having gone through hip surgery for a dog, I can't imagine it for a person, let alone a "revision" to one to handle the infection.
 
I'm sending you lots of prayers, non-stop, too!
 
Nancy

Lori, I'm so sorry to hear that your Gram is facing a possible surgery.  You mentioned in one of your notes to me that she'd been struggling with another infection.  Could the blood in her stool be the result of gastro issues brought on by the powerful antibiotics she's been on for so long?  They sure can wreck havoc on the intestinal system.  I hope they find out the source of the blood is something benign. 
 
I can't imagine the worry you're feeling about such a special person in your life.  It sounds like you've been blessed with the type of grandmother/grandchild relationship I've always envied (one of my grandmothers died when I was 2, and the other was rather cold and formal and not an intimate part of our lives).  Your Gram sounds like a strong, active person, with a spirit that will serve her well as she faces whatever the doctors decide to do.  I'll keep her in my thoughts (and you, too!).  Tell her that there's a half-Italian New England-born Red Sox fan 3,000 miles away who is sending her lots of good wishes!

Thank you Lena and Nancy!
 
Tracy--She would love that you are half Italian and a Red Sox fan!  She's fun like that she likes sports even the Patriots!  And, she says she doesn't speak Italian but I've heard her more than once at times when she was either hospitalized or in the nursing home respond in Italian to someone talking Italian to her. 
 
When my grandfather was still alive they were so great together.  He was a fun guy, loved to eat, dance, dress up, gamble, flirt.  He was a WWII veteran and was very proud of that.  He still kept in touch with the men that were on his ship with him when he passed.  I will inherit the many letters he wrote to my grandmother.  I told her I don't want money (not that she has much but even if she did it wouldn't matter).  I want the love letters and pictures.  She offered me her wedding gown, which is in perfect condition when I got married.  I would of loved to wear it.  But, this body wasn't fitting in there! 
 
He had an incredible funeral with military honors.  I watched with my grandmother as they folded the flag that draped his casket and then they gave it to her.  They had a 21 gun salute and gave us some shells.  I'll never forget it.  She was so dignified thru the whole thing. 
 
They traveled a lot when they were young, they lived in Florida.  They honeymooned in New York and met Mickey Mantle and watched the Yankees, yikes!! 
 
Anyway, she's had many, many friends and lived a full life.  I'd just like for her to get past this hurdle and be able to live out whatever time she's got left just being able to do the limited stuff she does now like playing cards and going food shopping or to Walgreens.  She still likes to cook and bake to pass the time too. 
 
Thank you so much for praying and thinking about her.  I will let her know today when I speak to her.  If  you all could speak with her in person you would instantly like her.  She's just kind, not judgemental of people at all. 

My prayers are with your Grandmother, Lori.  She sounds very special.

Lori, you really make me want to meet your Gram from the way you described her!  She sounds like a cool lady - and she must feel extra-protected with your Grandfather watching over her.  What a fun couple they must've been.  Has she been without him for many years?  I'm sure she misses him, but tell her if she needs another handsome face to bring a smile to her own, then all she has to do is look at Tom Brady as he leads the Pats to another (hopefully) Super Bowl!  Come to think of it, there are plenty of cuties to watch on both the baseball and football fields!  Of course, the Sox faces are more visible in baseball caps rather than helmets! []
 
Speaking of Italians who love to eat, my husband loves to cook, and he's also a big fan of Giada DeLaurentiis (she has a show on the Food Network, "Everyday Italian").  Her recipes are really delicious, and she also happens to be stunningly gorgeous, so he watches her show regularly and drools due to the food AND the eye candy!  Anyway, for Christmas Eve, he decided to make her Braciole recipe.  When he was cooking it, the house smelled just like my Grandmother's when we went there for spaghetti dinner.  She wasn't one to share her recipes (can you imagine that??), so I've not had her sauce in YEARS.  But that sauce from Giada for the Braciole tasted just like hers, and I was in heaven!  One of my gifts to DH for Christmas was Giada's cookbook, so we'll be tasting more Italian specialties in the coming weeks!  I'll bet your Gram has lots of wonderful recipes if she loves to eat!! 
 
I really hope she continues to stay strong so you can enjoy lots more time together.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for her!

Thank you so much! 

Tracy--Yes, my grandfather has been gone awhile now.  My husband never got a chance to meet him.  He loved to play cards.  All I'd have to do is look at him and say, Grandpa, wanna deal??"  and he'd smile and say "Get the deck"!  And, he taught me to be really good at it too.  I can shuffle a deck of cards like a pro too.  The first time my husband saw that he asked me if I'd worked at a casino! When he died, I put a deck of cards in his casket which they buried him with. 
 
He taught me to swing dance too. And, they were very good at it.  My grandmother made us get her a CD player last year so she could listen to her music. 

He had seven labs, his favorite was named Flip.  My grandmother still tells Flip stories to this day.  He used to go everywhere with them.

Anyway, she's having the upper endoscopy now.  So, we'll see. . .THANK YOU! 

Lori, one again, I'm late but that doesn't lessen my thoughts for you & your Gram.