1.3.07
my sister's brain.
shut up.
it's how i process stuff.

so this was probably the worst day ever.

Amanda is sleeping now. She's awful loopy, but I'm pretty sure she knows what's going on. And she's cracking jokes. Decent ones at that. Maybe that's a bad sign. Anyway so I guess I'll start from the beginning for those who have only a panicked call from me at midnight yesterday. I mean today? I'm not sure.

Yester-today was my mom's 47th birthday.
Twenty-three years prior, she gave birth to a little blond-haired brat with legs till Tuesday, a tendency to fall in ditches and an Arterio-Venous Malformation. For 23 years, four arteries fed her brain with oxygenated blood. One of these "brain trees" one was missing some branches. This increased the pressure on the trunk of the branchless tree, and it became weak.

Twenty minutes into my mother's 47th birthday dinner, this brain tree started to bleed. She said she had a bad headache and her boyfriend drove her home. We thought she had better parties to attend, so when we called to check in about a half hour later, we were surprised to learn she "was in a bad way," B.J. said, asking us to come over to her apartment.

Just picture a trying to pick up a pale drunk girl passed out on the bathroom floor and every time you touch her she screams and vomits. Except she hadn't had a sip of alcohol. Fast forward twelve hours later and we still don't know anything about brain trees, headaches or why my sister can't move her head without barfing.

I don't think there is anything worse than waiting on test results for a loved one in the wee hours at a hospital. When your little sister is lying on the bed, scared to death, "unfortunately we did find some bleeding," being all that they would tell us.

There was a lot of staring until I picked up father at the airport at 6:40 a.m. He had been navigating his way through LAX three hours earlier. We had some Pizza Hut. I felt stupid for all the things I've thought about ever.

Around maybe 11:30 a.m., we met with the Brain Pasting doctor, of the Neurological Cut and Paste team. We learned about AVM then. We learned this was a rare case because she is so young. They treat about 20 bleeders like this per year. Most of them are older. The AVM is small, but in a tricky area near the brain stem. Lots of words no one understands, etc.

So next, the blood clot in my sister's brain has to dissolve without damaging any of the surrounding tissue. They'll probably keep her in the hospital at least a few more days.

The cutting and the pasting doctors are meeting tonight and will decide tomorrow how best to proceed. The likely scenario is bedrest followed by gluing part of her brain, and then cutting some of it out in 4 to 6 weeks.

I think I went to Cleveland.

This is so ... Effed up.

Thank you guys so much for all the calls and texts and prayers and blubbery-talking. I have the best friends ever. You mean the world to this little Teterbot. I know I can call you if I need anything.

1. This happened when we were with her.
2. She wouldn't have gone to the hospital if she had been alone.
3. In the ER, her physician's name was Dr. Kwak.
4. God is a tricky, tricky man.

Labels: ,

posted by Class of 2000 officers @ 5:34 PM  
1 Comments:
  • At 04 March, 2007 16:44, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It seems very lame to leave a comment to express my sympathy and support - but that's all i got lady. Hang in there. Keep us posted. You are loved.

     
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I was on the front porch, drowning a mouse in a bucket when this van pulled up, which was strange.

my first lover

user guide.


Name: Seth
Alias: Teth Seter or Steter.
In Brief: The Steter in his natural habitat. Married to theteet.blogspot.com since August 2004. Often the victim of serious hyperbole. Handy.
Hates: Noise, Dominion Homes, above-the-nipple touching, when people get 'handsy.'
Loves: pies (of any kind), dirt, smoking a pipe after eating pie. also, cows.

Name: Maybel
Alias: The Pig or Boobles.
In Brief: Kentucky-born English Bulldog since February 2006.
Hates: Watermelon. All other kinds of melon. The sound of a new trash bag being opened and sitting in the back seat.
Loves: Treats, walks, Charlie, 'humping it out' and barfing.


Name: Amanda
Alias: The Sister.
In Brief: theteet's younger (but larger) sister. Survived a brain bleed in February 2007.
Hates: minor inconveniences that make her blurt out uncontrollably, brain bleeds.
Loves: UFC, cornhole, texting, fast food and her dog Charlie.


Name: mom and dad.
Alias: the 'rents.
In Brief: Ashland natives and frequent visitors. They taught me how to swear.
Hates: hospitals.
Loves: squirrels and lattes.


Name: Mae
Alias: Klingler or Maddog.
In Brief: Cincinnati resident and former college/Old Towne East roommate. Once wrote a song that made theteet cry.
Hates: Hate.
Loves: Jesus, family, puns, guitars and gardening.


Name: Colleen
Alias: Crankin and Rankin.
In Brief: Akron resident and former college roomie. Arguably more handy than Seth. Nice bosom for hugging.
Hates: all drivers.
Loves: beer, coffee, cigarettes and boys we all find strange.


Name: Talya
Alias: Strader and Sweet T.
In Brief: Chicago resident and former college roomie. served brief stint at theteet's 'accountability partner.' collects monthly fee for keeping quiet.
Hates: people who do not comment on her blog.
Loves: social justice, eggs, her boyfriend monsterbeard and the occupation of barista.


Name: Chris
Alias: Christopher, Monsterbeard and Nadine.
In Brief: Chicago resident and college buddy. Maker of 'We once waited up in the dark with a gun,' and other misadventures.
Hates: people who are looking the other way.
Loves: history, film, his girlfriend Strader and acronyms.


Name: pdawg.
Alias: none needed.
In Brief: Former co-worker who is willing to eat waffles with theteet at 4 in the morning regardless of level of snow emergency.
Hates: anyone under the age of 35.
Loves: Hostess pies, old man rants and golf.


Name: Linsly.
Alias: MERLIN, lin or newbie.
In Brief: Former co-worker who lived with us for a week. I can tell this kid anything. He's like a brother.
Hates: sexual predators.
Loves: zombies, guns, porch chats and movie quotes.


Name: jaydubs.
Alias: jwray and 10bagspacking.
In Brief: Co-worker who taught me everything I know about the world.
Hates: mean jokes, mushrooms, clipping fingernails in the office.
Loves: crafts, her gay-together but also betrothed person Kyle, Columbus Bride Magazine, veggie-friendliness and basil.


Name: jessica.
Alias: jessm.
In Brief: College buddy with the amazing handshake. I believe she might be back from Alaska and living in Hudson now.
Hates: poverty.
Loves: Jesus, jazz, geography and hilarious t-shirts.


Name: brittiny.
Alias: Brit-Brat, experimental dater or The Dunlap.
In Brief: Former co-worker (notice a theme here?) who started with me at SNP on the same day. Former Sorority president taught me the ropes of being a lady. her wisdom did not take.
Hates: visible pany line.
Loves: cocktails, shoes, 'the blue box' and her boyfriend the Lizard.


Name: garth and jen.
Alias: not safe around house plants and the real spider-man and/or HSnothingswronghere.
In Brief: Co-worker couple who proved themselves fun at work and on the farm. Periodically forced to kiss in gas station parking lots.
Hates: local broadcast news reporters.
Loves: zombies, movie quotes, Indianapolis and lin rice.


Name: Angie.
Alias: captain cool.
In Brief: Former co-worker who stole my heart. She is the only thing I've ever lost to the Youngstown Vindicator.
Hates: joe and misogynists.
Loves: celebrity gossip, hilarious captions, biking/hiking, her boyfriend Jef, her mom and Columbus.

Name: Melville.
Alias: welcome to earf or bad town.
In Brief: Former co-worker who let me inherit his seat at SNP. For a while, he was the only one who would talk Reynoldsburg politics with me.
Hates: fleas, eminent domain and people who flip the bird.
Loves: his evil cat, running, opinions, beer and Tom Waits.


Name: The Gerish.
Alias: The Gerish.
In Brief: Co-worker and rare, elusive creature. If you're lucky, you'll see a tousle of black hair breeze by over the cubicle wall.
Hates: Things that aren't crackers.
Loves: crackers.


Name: Dennis.
Alias: secret reading.
In Brief: Co-worker and rare, elusive creature. If you're lucky, he'll walk over and talk to you. But he probably won't. Once took my sister-in-law to Homecoming.
Hates: The damn kids who walk in his yard.
Loves: Corgis, Cedar Point and Rachael. But not the one you're thinking of.

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