Dragging Facing Today

I left early yesterday morning fighting the rain in rush hour traffic to mom's then to her university hospital. We had a 9:00 MRI appointment. We were early, of course. Lots of questions. Lots of forms. We met with a cardiologist who would be present throughout the test and fell in love with the radiologist. 

While she began the three hour process, I had an iced tea in the cafeteria, walked around, listened to some live music and finally was drawn to the gift store. Well, $125.00 later I had two Christmas presents. I am sending one to Chip and Betty today. It is a very heavy foot-long Airstream camper ornament which has a window on the side. Inside the window is a moving Christmas scene with lights and Christmas tree and a child's train. It also plays a variety of Christmas songs. 

I wandered. I thought I found the right elevator to take me down to the MRI area, it had a line of people waiting so I thought I would take the stairs. Wrong. Bad. It turned out to be the wrong elevator and I found myself in the bowels of the hospital. Me and the maintenance workers. In the elevator on the way back up, one maintenance guy said, let's go back and I will show you how to get to the MRI area through maintenance. We had a ball. It was fascinating. 

There I sat in the MRI waiting room until 1:30. Mom had to have another cardiogram before she was allowed to leave. She was starved as she had not been able to eat breakfast because of the test. I didn't eat lunch either so we drove to a great restaurant near the hospital and never enjoyed food so much.

So, the news: Her heart issue seems to be a small hardened area where the tissue is still alive, thank goodness. She will be presented with the choice of having an angiogram - not through the groin but through the wrist because they are not successful in older, slim women- and a stint installed. The problem is that it is very invasive. One cardiologist said that mom has a very high quality of life and that it would be horrible to lose that if there was a problem during the procedure. She said that she would counsel her own 84-year old grandmother against having one. Also, she said the problem unfixed probably would not kill her for years but is a very easy lovely way to died. Just go to sleep and never wake up. 

Mom and I are meeting with her cardiologist in two weeks. They will lay everything out for her to decide what she wants to do.

I arrived home around 4 and back out into the world for an orchestra sectional rehearsal last night. I am exhausted this morning but must be in the car within minutes to drive to the city for the liver scan.