They'll turn 78 and 80 respectively this year, and both of them are not awesome health.
Mum's got a list of health issues an arm and a leg long. Skoliosis and spinal stenosis being two of the major ones, bowel issues (ugh), and side effects caused by medicating these problems. She needs help with everything. Can't even brush her teeth by herself anymore.
My dad's been having heart issues for years; he's got arrhythmia and have been fitted with a pacemaker since the mid-90s. Without it he would have been dead long ago... He also has a busted heart valve that leads to poor blood oxygenation. Tonight an ambulance came for him because he's been having trouble breathing, likely because of fluid build-up around the lungs, perhaps due to his heart's diminished pumping capacity.
He came home from a week's vacation on the Canary Islands (IIRC) with old friends from his youth - all ancient people now - and boom, this happens. Having to be at my mum's beck and call day and night must be very wearing on him, especially as he's no spring chicken anymore.
If he gets better now he won't stay that way for very long, because what he's got isn't really something you eventually get well from... He had heart surgery last summer trying to fix the valve, and it nearly killed him, so he won't be trying that again, that's for sure. Ugh.
Being in my mid-40s now with both parents still alive... They've always been alive, as far as I'm concerned, but these past couple years I've been increasingly frequently reminded that it won't stay that way forever. Having to bury my own parents is probably the thing I'm least looking forward to in the remainder of my entire life I think...
Feels freaky, and rather scary. Ugh! (Again.)
Mum's got a list of health issues an arm and a leg long. Skoliosis and spinal stenosis being two of the major ones, bowel issues (ugh), and side effects caused by medicating these problems. She needs help with everything. Can't even brush her teeth by herself anymore.
My dad's been having heart issues for years; he's got arrhythmia and have been fitted with a pacemaker since the mid-90s. Without it he would have been dead long ago... He also has a busted heart valve that leads to poor blood oxygenation. Tonight an ambulance came for him because he's been having trouble breathing, likely because of fluid build-up around the lungs, perhaps due to his heart's diminished pumping capacity.
He came home from a week's vacation on the Canary Islands (IIRC) with old friends from his youth - all ancient people now - and boom, this happens. Having to be at my mum's beck and call day and night must be very wearing on him, especially as he's no spring chicken anymore.
If he gets better now he won't stay that way for very long, because what he's got isn't really something you eventually get well from... He had heart surgery last summer trying to fix the valve, and it nearly killed him, so he won't be trying that again, that's for sure. Ugh.
Being in my mid-40s now with both parents still alive... They've always been alive, as far as I'm concerned, but these past couple years I've been increasingly frequently reminded that it won't stay that way forever. Having to bury my own parents is probably the thing I'm least looking forward to in the remainder of my entire life I think...
Feels freaky, and rather scary. Ugh! (Again.)
