Tuesday, July 13, 2010

My maternal aunt is brain-dead today. One of the victims again of slipping on the bathroom floor and cracking one's skull. I've only seen her twice in my whole life and she lived in Davao City with her 2nd husband. For those old and not-so-old folks, please be careful of navigating around a tiled wet bathroom floor.

61 comments:

  1. How old is she? I hope she get's out of her coma okay.

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  2. that is terrible news, i hope comes out of it okay.

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  3. older sister ng mom ko..so late 60s or early 70s...I think both the 2nd hubby and her daughter has decided di na operate...para kasing ganon pa rin ang labas...

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  4. thank you Chito and Dr. Philip...I think they are just waiting na lang...and may just let her go...

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  5. thank you also to Nona and Jing in FB...

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  6. Sad to hear that. Guia's dad slipped on their garage in Quezon City and was found immobile after being in pain on the pavement for several hours. He was brought to the hospital and the doctor was able to do something about his head concussion. But then, hospital pneumonia eventually took him away after a few days..

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  7. We pray for her, Cat.
    Sometimes slipping we think is the problem, but at times, there is a cause to the slipping, such as fainting spells, general weakness, etc. But you are right, we have to be very careful in slippery places.

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  8. am sorry to hear that...for him to be in pain pa on the pavement...hence am worried about my dad...and at least naman may arinola sya at light when he is asleep (mahilig kc mag-urinate at night but he gets up..he doesn't wet his bed, thank goodness even at his age)...

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  9. Thanks Mar...honga eh..kc daw nagka-flu the last couple of days...kaya ayon siguro nga nagka dizzy spell...ok talaga sana if may kasama to help her go to the CR and hold her or something...

    young or old, its bad to fall on the floor unless siguro well-padded..ehehe..am trying to find some humor even though I think its realistic to say that my aunt will never be the same again..whether she heals (and the blood is taken out from her brain, e grabe daw na pag swell nga sa face nya eh)..

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  10. Our sympathies to your family, Cat, especially to your mom. Mar is right. In many instances of people slipping in the bathroom and subsequently hitting their heads and becoming unconscious or even comatose – the fainting/dizziness/stroke/heart attack came first.

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  11. Thank you Ms. Guia...yes, its not an uncommon thing..I just never thought it would happen to my aunt who with her second hubby I thought...since may kasama na sya sa bahay kaysa sya lang mag-isa...that something like this would not happen...

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  12. im sory to hear this Cath...tsk tsk...wet tiled bathrooms are scary...

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  13. I'm sorry to hear of your loss Cat.

    Those wet smooth tiles are treacherous perhaps a rubber mat or changing smooth tiles to course ones would be best.

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  14. I'm so sorry for you and your family, Cat. Are you flying to Davao then?

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  15. Kawawa naman..lets all pray for her. Besides rubber mats, tiled floor bathrooms must have a handrails installed specially for elderly people.

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  16. Am changing the access to this to just the network due to some developments.
    My aunt died yesterday, I confirmed this when I talked to my mom while the typhoon passed us by.

    Suspected foul play, suspect, her second husband. Its beginning to look like one of those crime episodes on tv :-(
    Their suspecting the motive is, as usual, money.

    3 fractures on the skull. Its a long story which may get twisted in the passing on, but there's been argument between the family members for her being autopsied or buried (some of her children are outside the country or outside Davao).

    I will not be going to Davao though. And my mom is not going to also unless they agree to an autopsy for her sister. I also do not want her to leave my dad in Cebu as he is getting on in years and with an older, timid maid am not happy with the possibilities. I haven't pushed for mom to visit me due to my dad's older age, and hard boiled though it may be, am not going to recommend she go to Davao to attend the funeral where things may also get ugly.

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  17. Thanks Chelo - I've slipped once or twice myself, but luckily managed to catch hold of something.

    Thanks Ted - yeah, its a good thing at home our bathroom's floor tiles are of the old type which are made of small squares so it has a better traction. Although it looks ugly after all these years, I'd rather have safety. Would you believe, I've actually slipped instead on the floor outside the bathroom, where its made of shiny, polished cement...

    Thank you Mommy Loy - no I'm not going to Davao. Its a complicated situation now with whats been happening. Worst case, I was thinking if my mom will go to Davao, I will go to Cebu so that I can be with my dad instead.

    Thanks Kuya Rom - here in the Philippines they are not so "forward-thinking" when it comes to bathrooms. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard this kind of thing happening, not just to older folks, but even younger ones.

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  18. Thanks Marie for your text. I'm getting paranoid about July. Last year somebody in my immediate circle of relatives also died, and it was suspected foul play too. Unfortunately, with it happening in the far flung provinces...*sigh*

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  19. I'm so sorry to hear this Cat. Our condolences to your family.

    Nakakalungkot naman if she was really a victim of foul play. :(

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  20. Thank you Oselle. Honga..cliche it may be..sometimes with the price of success (she is the most successful and well-off of her siblings) the result at the end of one's life is just not worth all that money if what they suspect turns out to be true.

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  21. My condolences to your family, Cat.
    Should your mom decide to go to Davao, is there anyone nearby that you trust who can temporarily stay with your dad or at least check up on him a few times a day?

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  22. thanks Mommy Peachy..

    but..unfortunately...no one can do it...

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  23. Our condolences Cat. Prayers for your Aunt.

    On a lighter note, since you mentioned that she died while the typhoon passed us by, maybe I can say, "She's gone with the wind."

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  24. actually she died earlier in the day ....nauna yata sa bagyo...and Davao usually doesn't suffer from storms

    but I appreciate the thought...:-)

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  25. Totoo? Maganda kayang matira sa Davao?

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  26. I think Chiara would be the best source of info on this.

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  27. I visited it almost every month back in the 1990s...its nice there, Davao City is biggest city in terms of land area :-)

    masrap ang pagkain (durian, fresh seafood such as panga etc. brought back from Gen Santos, fresh fruits)...there was a time though na medyo peligroso don but I think its been solved naman with their mayor...

    I think its a nice city to live in kc may beaches din sila..most of my mom's relatives actually settled in Davao after leaving Cebu.

    though of course am biased towards Cebu...kc sa Davao mahahaba ang streets nila..ako pa naman kc mahilig smaller places and shorter streets para malakad lang mga lugar to visit and that I don't need a car..

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  28. tama..si Chiara..and maybe Sir B coz he also travels there..kung anong nakikita nya..

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  29. kahadlok sa developments sa case sa imong aunt, Cat. my condolences to you and ur family. i hope everything straightens out.

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  30. hi peachy,

    if you want: to get many things done in a day; less smog; less traffic; more nature; a simpler life; a more laid-back life; inexpensive restaurants; easy access to cool mountain air; quick trips to the islands and white sand beaches; a typhoon-free life; cheap and abundant fruits and veggies; to live near a church, a school, a mall, a bank, a supermarket; and everything else good in between, he he,come live in DAVAO.

    of course, it's much less exciting than life in bigger cities like manila and cebu ; less variety in terms of venues for gustatory delights, bars, and shopping destinations; less 'fabulous'-looking people [meaning: people who look like they just stepped out of the fashion runway]; and there aren't any skyscrapers to marvel at, and the city streets are practically devoid of cars by 2am on a weekday.

    he he, i just wanted to tone it down a bit, people might think i love DAVAO too much. =P

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  31. my gosh, irealize i just blogged on your blog, Cat. and in this particular post pa. so sorry, i got carried away. sorry gyud.

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  32. oh no worries Chiarz...its a discussion leading off from a related post (still Davao City), so I have no issues if you sing Davao's praises :-)

    do feel free to continue if you have anything to share as I also like Davao a lot...

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  33. oy, wala na sa Cebu kaha *grin*

    you know our rep..we are so informal that even in business meetings, if you see one nakabarong ma-aan nagwork sa banko...hehe...

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  34. The understatement of the year! Hahahaha....

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  35. Accept my condolences.Our thoughts and prayer are with the family
    It is well.

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  36. Our condolences to your family, Cat. Your aunt's death is doubly tragic because of the cloud of doubt that now hangs over it. Will pray that things be resolved soon.

    Take care of your dad, if and when your mom decides to go to Davao. I remember you telling me that your long-time maid is also getting on in years. Hehe, kailangan na rin niya ng taga-alaga.

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  37. i stand corrected, he he. may be that's why i see cebu as my second home. lol!

    have you been to Cagayan de oro, the people there are fashionistas.

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  38. I'm so sorry to hear the passing of your aunt..may she rest in peace!! and i don't blame you..your own family must come first..take care Cat! Kuya Rom

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  39. Hi, Chiara. You've made Davao a very attractive place...great to read what you've written....kahit biased ka....lol. These are all pluses for me:

    "if you want: to get many things done in a day; less smog; less traffic; more nature; a simpler life; a more laid-back life; inexpensive restaurants; easy access to cool mountain air; quick trips to the islands and white sand beaches; a typhoon-free life; cheap and abundant fruits and veggies; to live near a church, a school, a mall, a bank, a supermarket; and everything else good in between, he he,come live in DAVAO."

    When Cat (I think it was she) wrote that Davao has no typhoons, my ears perked up. I will suggest this place to my sister, who hasn't really decided on where she wants to settle down. By the way, one of my best friends (Nelia Sancho) was from Davao. I never thought to ask her about the place (I did ask about the areas around Boracay) since Mindanao seemed so far away....but now I think, "far away" from what?

    Thanks for the info, Chiara. Good that you live in a place that you seem to love.

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  40. I think Chiara was describing her house and it's location. Kaya when she says, "Live in Davao," she probably meant, "Live with us!" Hehehe...

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  41. one more place I'd like to live in is Palawan :-)

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  42. Thank you Tunde, the thoughts and support given to me here in Multiply do help a lot...

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  43. Thanks Ms. G! Am still waiting for developments...it will be a pity if they just let this slide away without resolution....

    the good thing about being at home is I can always point out tongue in cheek that I'm the youngest :-)

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  44. hi Chiarz...

    siguro people have evolved...I've been around Mindanao - Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Gen Santos, Davao, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Iligan etc.

    the thing I remember about CDO is that it was super clean, but I enjoyed going to Davao more because of the variety and foods of course *grin* Note at that time (around 1990s) it wasn't even that safe pa (remember those years?)

    The only con for me is that well, its not like Cebu where I can just walk for example from uptown to downtown...and usually like going to the beach (in Mactan) is just like 20 minutes away before (baka 30 minutes na ngayon with traffic)...but well, if one compares Manila to both Davao and Cebu, shempers masarap sa atin! :-)

    Comforts of city life without the hassles and traffic of the city life...besides di naman ako mahilig ng bars (which by the way seems to have also proliferated in Cebu..hmph!)

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  45. Kuya Rom, thank you for your support and sympathy. God Bless you and your family...

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  46. Hahaha...just because I invited myself to your area for picnic, you're already trying to pass me on to Chiara, Toch? Bakit naman...you ought to know I don't eat quite as much as Cat does.
    Oops...pasensiyahan tayo ng Tita ni Cat. Parang lamay Italiano tayo...puro tawanan.

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  47. Di naman pala nalalayo sa lamay Pinoy. Meron din bang sakla sa lamay ng mga Italiano?

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  48. Minsan meron bakla, pero hindi ko alam kung ano ang sakla, so I can't tell you about that.

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  49. Ni-delete ko yung irreverent comment ko.

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  50. *intrigued* anong irreverent comment? PM mo na lang po..hehe

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  51. oh no...so sorry to hear this cat! any developments?

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  52. thanks Meann....ayon, burial was saturday last week...I thought for sure di matuloy...pero am not sure whats happening, baka ipa-exhume after burial (it sounds silly its done after the burial pa..tsk..tsk..)

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  53. Hi Cat. Why exhume? Is there suspicion of foul play? By the way, exhumation is really done after the burial. Baka you meant that she should have been autopsied (post-mortem operation to determine cause of death). But if she had been embalmed, that would be a waste of time (and money) because the organs and things that could reveal cause of death may have already been disposed of.

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  54. hi Chito,

    medyo mahaba na nga siguro ang thread na to...hence you may have missed what I wrote back in July 14 saying yes, may suspected foul play (this was the part wherein I said I was talking to my mom when the typhoon passed by)

    my aunt should have been autopsied before being buried...but for reasons I don't know at this point, why they decided to just bury her and said ipahukay na lang afterwards para ma investigate further - well, I will not write down here my opinion of such an idea....kc puro symbols lang ng keyboard ko ang masulat ko.

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  55. Yes, I missed that part. In any case, it's not only going to be messy but expensive too, to exhume a body and do forensics. And that's just the start of a long process. And from a religious-spiritual perspective, hindi pa mata-tahimik yung Aunt mo. I'll just continue to pray for her soul's eternal rest.

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  56. it should have been just done before any burying was done...para isang bulabog na lang sana (her body for me is an empty shell)..so I do appreciate your last sentiment...thank you Chito.

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