Have you ever experienced a dull, throbbing pain running along your lower jaw, gnawing at your sanity for the next 30 minutes or so before it stops?
If so, were you relieved after the pain subsided, thinking "Thank goodness it's gone", only to realize (much to your chagrin) that it returns over and over again in the next couple of hours?
How about waking up (numerous times) in the dead of the night - with the ache and a shooting headache to boot?
Ever been compelled to treat pain-killers like candy on such occasions, when the pain is incredibly intense, only to think twice about the adverse effects before doing so?
I have been through this in the last five days or so, and trust me, it is no fun at all. I am now sleep-deprived, my concentration level is on an all-time LOW, my work is WAY behind schedule, irritability levels are running sky-high and my jaw still hurts as I type this line.
Stupid braces.
But who am I to complain about? This pain is NOTHING compared to what my grandmother is going through at the moment.
She was admitted into the hospital again. My family rushed to her side on Saturday afternoon, and what I saw there shook me completely:
My grandmother, once the epitome of strength, is literally wasting away.
The changes seen in the last one month were simply devastating.
Those sunken eyes.
Hollow cheeks.
Swollen legs.
That vacant and depressed expression....
- The discomfort when her body rejected almost all foods she consumed.
- Her fear of eating for fear of the former.
- The pain she had to endure when doctors spent a long time locating her veins for saline and nutriflex drips.
- Her new-found fear for needles....
- And blood transfusions.
The agony my family felt when we discovered:
- Most of her fragile veins had collapsed.
- She lost the ability to walk due to profound muscle wasting and cachexia.
- She could hardly talk anymore.
- A bout of pneumonia has set in.
- How her now frail body tremored and shook whenever she experienced intense pain...
It was just too much for all to bear.
Father said death is inevitable. That I cannot deny, considering the diagnosis and her age. But tell me, is there anything that could somewhat alleviate her symptoms? So much so that when her time comes, she would go peacefully....and with dignity?
I foresee trying times for my family ahead....
Pray for her well-being....please?
