Sick @ MindSay

Date:  November 13-24, 2008

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Top leaders and key decision-makers of major companies representing a broad range of industries will meet with distinguished scientists, public health officials, law enforcement personnel, first responders, and other experts to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery at the 7th International Bird Flu Summit.

At the summit, attendees will be able to draw on first-hand best practices to create the solid business continuity plans that their companies and organizations need in order to prepare for, respond to, and survive a pandemic.

The summit draws on the success of the six previous summits which featured as speakers several distinguished personalities such as Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, Alex Thiermann of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and Dr. Wenqing Zhang of the WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response.

Well-known emergency responders, heads of hospitals from around the world, and poultry industry leaders also spoke in previous summits. Included in this list are Adolfo García-Sastre of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, John Thompson of the National Sheriff’s Association, Prof. Oleg I. Kiselev of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Anna Thorson of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and Dr. Bruce Stewart-Brown, Vice President of Food Safety and Quality for Perdue Farms.

Topics Include:

Country Report & Situations Update

Surveillance and Data Management

Preparing Communities Strategies; Local Partnership and Participation

Delivery of Vaccine and Antiviral Medication

National Pandemic Influenza Medical Countermeasure

Socio Economic Impact on Poultry Industry

Benefit-risk Assessment: Public Health, Industry and Regulatory Perspectives

Prevention Education Efforts and Risk Communication

Command, Control and Management

Emergency Response Management

Business-Based Planning

School-Based Planning 

Community-Based Planning

More Information

http://www.new-fields.com/birdflu7/index.php

I'm home from the day's events.....right now I'm not sure where to start.

I was on the phone off and on with patchesmom earlier in the day getting updates on my grandpa's condition.  He was in considerable pain and they were taking him in for CT scan, etc.  Right now I can't even remember much of the earlier calls, just the last one.  That she was on her way up to the hospital, as my grandpa was being readmitted to the ICU.  He was doing alright Thursday when I saw him!

So what happened?  I still struggle with it....6 weeks ago, I remember the call at 11:30 pm.  The frantic sound in my grandma's voice, asking "if it wasn't too much trouble", could we take her to follow the ambulance up to the ER.  Now, he's gone.  Gone.  It doesn't seem real.

I'm having the hardest time putting together a string of thoughts that will make sense.  So bear with me.

Over the past few days he was complaining of knee and back pain.  Today he reported stomach pains, and a CT scan showed a potential bowel obstruction.  They also found blood clots and air in his liver, as well as intestinal....something.  Almost like it was eroding or something.  From what I understand they think it was like he had a blood clot "shower" that took over his body.  Basically the doctors told us that there was nothing they could do for him - that it wasn't worth taking him into surgery.  That he wasn't going to make it.  That it would only be hours....a lot of this is foggy to me because I tuned it out as I lost my composure.

After that news, it was all a blur.  I don't remember what I sent for text messages, I do know that at one point I emailed a few people from a computer in the waiting room.  I called my dad and brother to fill them in.  I'll not waste time bitching about the emotionless person my brother is, and that he used the weather and gas prices to not drive 4 hours to be with the family.  Once we were able to be with my grandpa, that's what mattered.  Two uncles who live out of state, as well as a cousin out of state, were able to say their goodbyes over the phone....sounds funny, but the hospital chaplain suggested it.  I'm not sure if it brought my family comfort to know they said their goodbyes that way, but I hope it did.

We all stayed with him the 5 or so hours he stayed on this Earth.  At one point the doctors talked to us about taking him off his blood pressure medication because it was only prolonging the inevitable.  After that, it was only an hour or so before he was gone.  He was not in any pain from what we could tell - the morphine helped with that I suppose.  I know he was there, he could hear us, and his tears were an indication of that as well.  He looked so scared.....but that eventually turned over into peace.  I think.  It was so hard for me to watch my grandma say goodbye, to tell him that he fought a good fight and that it was okay to let go.  God, that was so hard!  Once he started slowing down though....it was only a matter of time.  It seemed like it happened so quickly too - the slowing down to actual....you know.  Seeing him as he was going, and after he was gone, was very hard for me, but I know it was something I needed to do, and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

My family jokes a lot so there was a lot of laughter and reminiscing as he was fading from this world.  We cried a billion tears it seems, and we said our heartfelt things too.  My last words to him were to tell him that I love him and that he was my favorite grandpa, and that I will never, ever forget him, that he would always be with us.  I know he loved me, even though he rarely said those words.  I know he was proud of me, for just yesterday (!) he asked me if I was doing well in school.  He was the only grandpa I have that ever showed interest in me and my life.  He talked to me like an adult, we even agreed on politics!  His stubborn Irish temper will carry on no doubt.  Most of you have seen that in me!  He gave my grandma 58 wonderful years - many ups and downs along the way, but as she told him, it was all worth it.

And it was....I hope my grandpa is looking down on us all tonight, pleased that we're taking care of grandma, that we will make sure his final wishes were carried out....but most of all, that we live on in his memory.

Around 8 pm CST, my grandpa left this world and became an angel.  He's up giving St. Peter grief right now, possibly bribing his way in with his delicious chicken soup recipe, and playing the slot machines in the sky. 

I will write more later....but this is all I can manage for now.  I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers over the past 6 weeks.  It means more than you could know.  If I can, I'd like to ask you to keep my family in your prayers, that we have the strength to get through this difficult time ahead.

For a bit over a week the glands in my neck have been swelling up more and more...my left gland (it would be my left gland if you were looking at me) has swollen so much that its in allignment with my jaw line:| my right one is not as bad..still swollen though..its about have the size of my other gland...

and this morning i woke up and theres this sick goop on my teeth which i had to scrape off (and i brushed my teeth before bed and everything!) and i could feel a massive amount of flem at the back of my throat, so i tried to get it out, and it took like and hour and a half to get rid of it:| i had to take a cough drop (which didnt help with any of the pain) and just kept swallowing and spitting until it finally disappeared

sorry about details by the way..

so, this could be anything from mono to a minor infection..i have no idea...

ill keep undated

-:|Kristal:|

-1: My throat hurts. Feels like someone shoved a cheese grater down there. Dang allergies.

-1: I'm allllllmost finished with one project, but it's being a pain in the ass.

-3: I have another project that's going to ruin my entire summer.

+3: My car was at the Acura dealership yesterday so I could finally have the squeaking issue addressed. Acura, however, thought the problem may have been caused by PepBoys back in April when I had brake work done. I called PepBoys, explained what was going on, and they're putting Acura-brand brake pads on my car for free today. Hooray!

0: My weekends for the next month are jam-packed. All are good things (wedding, baby shower, birthdays, etc.), but are all also fairly expensive. Bye-bye moneys.

+1: A woman with an Australian accent (I think) is in the office around the corner from mine. She's on a call right now. I like hearing her talk.

That's all for now.

iFeel:  crabby

iTunes: "I come from the land down under..."