Cipherdom (deprecated)

Another medical miracle

Unexpectedly, my mother-in-law had brain surgery yesterday, although she is doing remarkably well now -- was already alert and talking last night. We had been alarmed on Mother's Day because she seemed to have suffered a stroke, partially losing control of her left side. She said she hadn't felt well for six weeks but is one of these people who hates seeing a doctor. At our insistence, she got blood tests Monday and an MRI yesterday, which revealed a large clot on the right side of her brain, the result of a fall last December. Within three hours, she was in surgery.

Complicating things was the fact that Melinda is out of town, so her folks were scheduled to pick the kids up after school yesterday. Her dad and I kept missing each other by phone, mostly because I have no Sprint cell coverage at the lab where I work -- this is the last straw for Sprint. Not until I left Argonne at 6:30 did I hear his repeated messages. Poor guy had schlepped the kids all over even as his wife was being prepped for surgery. I felt terrible, but Melinda's dad was unfazed when I got to the hospital.

We didn't reach my wife until late in the evening, by which time any major danger had passed. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe they can cut two holes in someone's skull, and that person can be awake and lucid just a few hours later. Her prognosis now is actually much better than if she'd actually had a stroke. This is a wakeup call for my in-laws, who have enjoyed pretty good health but won't be taking it for granted any longer. Posted by Vernam at May 16, 2003 10:32 AM