Posts by neoncrane83

Good day. Life has placed me in a rather peculiar and taxing predicament, and I am hoping to find some clarity here as I navigate the very beginning of this ordeal. To provide a brief overview of the situation... about a month ago, a distant relative of my mother’s reached out after twenty years of complete silence. She contacted my mother specifically asking for me, claiming she was alone in her apartment and awaiting surgery. She lives by herself with a dog and has relatives living in the unit directly above her, yet it is patently obvious that something is amiss if she felt compelled to make such a reach after two decades of estrangement. Driven by a sense of duty, I felt she required assistance, so I stepped in. I do not know this woman; I know nothing of her life, but I made the decision to watch over her home and care for her dog. A few days later, the doctors determined that an amputation of her leg was necessary... and they proceeded with the surgery. I have been visiting her at the hospital, offering as much support as I can muster. (For context, she has dealt with a deformed left leg her entire life due to being struck by a truck when she was seven, which hindered her mobility; now, in her mid-fifties, tumor cells have emerged, necessitating this amputation). Please forgive my lack of specific details; I am still trying to find my footing. Today, she was discharged and sent home, despite her own reluctance. They released her without further instructions, without a wheelchair, and without even providing crutches... there was no guidance regarding whether she should head to a medical spa or enter a rehabilitation facility. Her relatives upstairs have simply left her here in the apartment, leaving the entire burden on my shoulders. I have never encountered a situation quite like this, and I am at a loss as to how to proceed 😢 She is completely uninformed, and I am even less so. I cannot bring myself to abandon her—I simply don't have the heart for it—even though we are practically strangers and I hold no legal obligation to her. I have taken this responsibility upon myself, and now I find myself needing guidance on how to actually help her. Will the doctors eventually arrange for rehab, or why is there such a total lack of communication? What is the standard procedure in these cases? We managed to acquire some crutches, and she has been attempting to move around with them; today she managed to walk twice to use the restroom, but she suffered a fall during one of those attempts because she lacks sensation in the area. It was quite difficult to get her back into bed. I am truly unsure what questions I should even be asking. If anyone possesses knowledge of what steps I might take or what information I should seek out, I would be profoundly grateful. My best wishes to you all.