The closest member of my family is more than 2000 miles away from me, and grandma is almost 10,000 miles away. I'm overtaken with grief and loneliness. I wish I could hold her hands and kiss her goodbye.
Grandma had a fall a few months ago, fractured her hip. In the U.S, about 15-20% of patients die within one year of hip fracture. Taking into account that my grandma is almost 90 year old and lives in a third world country, the mortality risk is extremely high in her. Despite the best effort of caring of her there, she had a pulmonary embolism (a blood blot in her vein in the leg that travels to the lungs and blocks the blood flow to the lungs). She was in life support for awhile, but her health degenerates slowly and its time for the family to let her go.
I remember Dr. Stern often taught that we, doctors, were not God, and we had to learn how to let our patients go in peace and dignity when it was their time to go.
Still it is hard when you know you won't see them again in this life...
Last time with grandma, summer 2011
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