Tanya has been gone 10 days now. She took the train to Moscow then flew to Abakan. Her sister Luda had surgery (5 hours) on Friday to renew circulation in her leg. Similar to heart surgery I guess with a chunk of clogged artery replaced. She is still in ICU until possibly Tuesday. Tanya is looking after her in hospital and again when she goes home. Now she is limited to taking her food as she is not allowed in ICU to protect against flu. Hospitals in Russia (and in Ukraine) are so starved for funds that the nurses are only able to administer meds and related. Patient care must come from family of friends.
Tanya could be gone one to two months. So there is just me and the critters. Her family in Zholti Vody is looking after me. Friday I had enough of my own company so went to town and had lunch with Lina and Sveta, then we went grocery shopping and made a late supper for Andrei's family. Masha had dance class until 7:00. First thing Dasha asked when she got in the door "Do you still have the trampoline?". It was great to have some activity in the house.
The girls are coming again on 23rd to clean house for 25th when we will celebrate "Catholic" Christmas. Mostly clean cat hair off the carpets and muddy cat footprints off the floor and window sills. It is constantly damp outside. Today it is +10C. I gave up trying to clean their feet and just say to heck with it and clean the floor and window sills.
I should have gone to the market today for a goose or turkey for Christmas Day but maybe they will have one in the supermarket. They had no beef on Friday. "Maybe next week". I grabbed the last two pkgs of ground beef.
Luda's operation was at the hospital in Novokuznetsk, which is about 400 km from Abakan and halfway between Abakan and Novosibirsk. The hospital specializes in locomotion problems. And there were lots of people there in wheelchairs. Luda's roomie had exactly the same problem with her leg so they got to compare notes.
Tanya has rented a small flat for her stay in Novokuznets, close enough to the hospital, but with good local transport, too. She did some walking around town as she had not been there since she was 10. She says that she has distant relatives there but had lost tract of them over the past 45 years. She took pictures to send me which I am sharing.
We talk on Skype when it works which is sort of hit and miss. And message back and forth on Facebook.
Tanya could be gone one to two months. So there is just me and the critters. Her family in Zholti Vody is looking after me. Friday I had enough of my own company so went to town and had lunch with Lina and Sveta, then we went grocery shopping and made a late supper for Andrei's family. Masha had dance class until 7:00. First thing Dasha asked when she got in the door "Do you still have the trampoline?". It was great to have some activity in the house.
The girls are coming again on 23rd to clean house for 25th when we will celebrate "Catholic" Christmas. Mostly clean cat hair off the carpets and muddy cat footprints off the floor and window sills. It is constantly damp outside. Today it is +10C. I gave up trying to clean their feet and just say to heck with it and clean the floor and window sills.
I should have gone to the market today for a goose or turkey for Christmas Day but maybe they will have one in the supermarket. They had no beef on Friday. "Maybe next week". I grabbed the last two pkgs of ground beef.
Luda's operation was at the hospital in Novokuznetsk, which is about 400 km from Abakan and halfway between Abakan and Novosibirsk. The hospital specializes in locomotion problems. And there were lots of people there in wheelchairs. Luda's roomie had exactly the same problem with her leg so they got to compare notes.
Tanya has rented a small flat for her stay in Novokuznets, close enough to the hospital, but with good local transport, too. She did some walking around town as she had not been there since she was 10. She says that she has distant relatives there but had lost tract of them over the past 45 years. She took pictures to send me which I am sharing.
We talk on Skype when it works which is sort of hit and miss. And message back and forth on Facebook.
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| Tanya is a long way away from me |
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| One of the dozen or more buildings on the hospital grounds |
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| Not yet cold enough to freeze the river |
Sympathies.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Tanya says we are both too old for this. But Luda spent most of her life looking after others so now it is someone's turn to look after her.
DeleteWow, we complain about our hospital care here, but I think maybe we should shut up now. At least our patients still get fed.
ReplyDeleteSending best wishes to Luda for a speedy recovery! (And sympathies to you in your state of temporary bachelorhood... though my Hubby would probably call it 'time off for good behaviour'. He's joking... I think...) ;-)
In a way, home alone is a nice break for both of us. We will appreciate each other more. The cat curled up on the foot of the bed is some company but. . .
DeleteVery sweet of both of you to sacrifice the main family holiday of the year. Family is everything, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteReplyDelete
Took me a lot of years to figure that out
Deleteknow you will be well taken care of while she is off taking care of her sister...family..great huh?..
ReplyDeletedid you ever go to the sister city of West in Czechoslovakia? Love to see the pictures.
Yes, they look after me quite well. We have been to Czech Republic a few years ago but not the place you mentioned.
DeleteInteresting way to care for patients. Thanks for the tour, also. I hope Luda does well.
ReplyDeleteLuda is doing very well, out of ICU and likely home next week. then the rehab begins.
DeleteI would be lost without my wife for any amount of time. We have only been separated from each other for less than ten days in thirty five years. She was in the hospital overnight twice and both times I slept in a chair in her room.
ReplyDeleteThe best to both of you - do you get a visit from the star over the orthodox season?
the Ol'Buzzard
Wives tend to be habit forming, don't they?
DeleteI get to celebrate Catholic Christmas and Christian Christmas both. And New Year's in between. The family will come here on the 25th for supper.