This afternoon the 3 of us went to the local hospital for a public health check up. He and I made sure of course that we ate healthily for the past few days...since the BBQ blow out....and at 12.30 we joining the quiet little group of people in a screened off area of the hospital. Given our Health Questionnaires to fill out and a little paper cup for a urine sample.
The nurses quickly cottoned on that we should be moved round the checks as a family unit - because the man needed to help the foreigner with the kanji on the questionnaire, and both younger people had to help the old lady with every step along the way.
We had chest echo scans, and measurements, blood test etc
And those little cups for urine.....
I went into the toilets with Okaasan. I held her bag and jacket and sent her into the cubical with the cup.....stood outside making reassuring sounds.....and waving silently to some of the hospital staff who are my students in the staff classes who were just finishing their lunchbreak.
She couldn't pee.
Or she DID pee and forgot to put the cup in place?
I gave her the remainder of my bottle of water..
No go.
Whatever. Couldn't.
Then a nurse tried. Went into the cubical with Okaasan and made reassuring noises. I hovered, listening.
No go. Okaasan, who goes from toilet place to toilet place - with many an accident in between - when NEEDING to produce pee. Couldn't :-)
So, the nurse told us to go off to lunch and come back and try again.
We ordered bowls of noodles with lots of soup. Drank tea etc.
45 mins later I rushed back to the nurse to get the cup with Okaasan's name etc. Back into the toilets.
Back right into the toilet stall with her, actually.
I've crossed so many privacy lines in my relationship with Okaasan. Crouching down on the toilet floor, holding a paper cup between her legs - well......can't get more personal than that! All the while, chatting about wartime food and the heat....
No go.
I'd find it hard to pee in front of someone. So finally I left the cubical and stood guard at the door. Finally! Success!!!
Okaasan looked tired and stressed by it all. Poor thing.
Finally the three of us were brought into the doctor's room to hear the initial results of all the tests. Blood work results come next week.
Okaasan has some heart problem. Maybe before she had stroke or a small heart attack? Something? Nothing that DS can remember.
Mind you - this family is not very open with eachother, I think she may have had problems years ago - and never told her sons. I definitely remember about 10 years ago that she told DS AFTER the event: "Oh I was in hospital last week, that's why I didn't answer the phone"...
The doctor said he would recommend a further check at a local clinic. No problems today....
DS and I? No problems. The eating and drinking can continue. Yay!
Did Okaasan understand? Will she be worried? Will she care? Will DS care? Will he actually get his mum checked out further? I wonder.....she IS 85 years old. She probably wouldn't take medicine. Certainly wouldn't have an operation.
She is very physically healthy for 85 years old.
Like the awful Brexit vote in the UK, this result may go nowhere.
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