My Mom passed away on the 22nd of September. She was buried on the 28th, next to my Dad who passed away 23 years ago from Cancer. I didn't visit Mom near as much as I would have liked to after Dad died. Not because of the distance, (100 + miles or so) but other personal reasons. Mom was 80 years old, she'd had back surgery on the 27th of July and basically never healed from it. They put a steel rod in her back from the nape of her neck down to the top of the crack of her who-ha. They sent her home about a week after surgery, with no antibiotics and basically she got an infection in the incision. When the pain kept getting more and more excruciating after only two days at home, she was taken back to the hospital, where they had to put a pump/sponge like thing in the wound, to drain/suck the "yuck" puss out. Well she didn't get any better, only worse and septicemia (blood poisoning) set in. Her heart couldn't do what it was suppose to, her kidneys didn't want to function right and her breathing became labored. They put her on a Ventilator (even though she told everyone years ago, she never wanted to be vented), but she needed help to breathe. One thing led to another, went to visit her in the hospital and now there are times I wish I didn't. It wasn't Mom, with tubes running here and there and she couldn't talk, they had to restrain her hands to keep her from pulling the tube out of her mouth... it was really awful!
And then she got better, temp went down, she was able to be taken off the ventilator, they even had her up sitting in a chair for a bit, and then she got worse again. It was just one helluva roller coaster ride from one day to the next. Up one day, down the next... back on the ventilator, IV's and those damn tubes everywhere. Toward the end they had to put a feeding tube in and it just became evident that Mom wasn't going to be around much longer. It was sad to see her lying there, not being able to say anything, not really being Mom, she suffered up to the last minute and I regret that better half & myself were in Georgia when I got the news that Mom's heart was weakening. They took her off the ventilator and they said it was just a matter of time.
My cell phone rang, it was my sister,I knew before she said anything that Mom was gone. You just sense things like that you know? And she had to start making preparations for a funeral. It wasn't something I wanted to even think about... 800 miles away, but thanks to Ma Bell and a clear connection, we ironed things out and after sobs and tears, we said goodbye.
I regret not telling Mom I loved her more, I know she knew, but all the same.
I regret not being with her when she passed away, not being there for the last goodbye, the last hug, the last "I Love You Mom".
I regret being such a "hellion" sometimes that I know Mom & Dad wished they could take me to a department store or park and forget me.
I regret so many things, but regrets won't bring Mom back and as much as I wish she was still here, baking and talking on the phone and giving you that long distance hug when you needed it, she's at peace now and I imagine her & Dad are strolling through Heaven, hugging each other and laughing and sharing so many memories. My Sister who passed away 33 years ago, no doubt ran to meet Mom with arms wide open. I miss you Mom, I miss your smile... and yes even the tongue lashing that you gave us girls when we were being "hellions". Rest In Peace Mom, I love you.
Recent Comments