family health

My loving grouchy old Aunt (by the way if you knew her you would know this is a pretty accurate description written with love) has been in the hospital since New Years Eve.  Obviously this lady knows how to party right?

Well, she has a whole load of hereditary health issues (as well as a couple of self inflicted ones) which include:
Congestive Heart Failure
Diabetes and Kidney Failure
Stroke/Heart Attack (At the same time when she was in her 40's)
COPD and Emphysema *caused by YEARS of smoking*

So on top of all these things she deals with daily, she has been really struggling with pneumonia.  In the last year alone she has been hospitalized for it at least 3 times.  She is 68 but hasn't been a healthy woman since her 30's.   Well after her admission into the hospital this time things got more severe than any of the other stays.  By Thursday, she had to decide if she was willing to go on a ventilator for support with her breathing.  She agreed so she has been sedated and trying to get better for this last week.

For an old lady with a LOT of problems, she's not doing half bad.
This said, she could probably be doing much better also.

I just didn't know how serious pneumonia was to older people.
It's eye opening to see this process not only once, but twice.
my uncle joe died from pneumonia two years ago.
...she is his sister. 

BUT today is the day they start to see if she can pick back up on breathing by herself.
today is the day they see if this tough bird has beaten the odd...again.
She's pretty stubborn---so really this is an anything goes kind of game.
...she has too much nagging left to do.



***My personal reflection***
I haphazardly try to take care of my health and often think about the potentially impending family genetic traits that could be headed my way...it's terrifying.  It's terrifying for those family members enduring those conditions now and for those of us who may have to endure those issues later.

so I will try not to dwell too much on the future.