What my mother said

She said:

My baby sister has surgery to remove Harrington rods and fuse additional vertebrae which will leave her immobile for a while. First time was a month. Surgery on the 14th - I get there the 13th.

She can't come immediately because she has to have a barium swallow. She has a suspicious lesion in her throat. Baby and baby sister will be my responsibility until she feels well enough to come to LA.

What she didn't say:

Why she went to the doctor in the first place - initial complaint (heartburn/indigestion) or difficulty swallowing.

Instead, she emphasized a few times that I would be in SOLE charge of my nephew, that my sister would be unconscious or totally immobile. Check, Ma.

Babies are a 24/7 deal. Yeah, Ma.

Babies need constant attendance and supervision as he is WALKING now and into everything and I REALLY cannot take my eye off of him for one moment. Unless he is unconscious AND in his crib and he DOES NOT like his crib - so pleaseforthelovegod do NOT put him in his crib unless you absolutelyhave to because he will wake up startled and afraid. He hates his crib!!.

Got it mom.

Yes, I had my nephew for 24 hours one other time. He developed a fever. I spent the entire night with his fevered head buried into my chest while I swabbed him with cold washcloths. I believe this was the illness that resulted in his preference for chest-sleeping rather than crib/bed/car seat/swing sleeping. His father said this event immediately proceeded baby's complete refusal to enter crib under any circumstances. He also said that I fried baby's brain by under medicating him. (I was afraid to overdose him!!) Completely overlooked the brain-frying aspect.

Anyway, my sister has major surgery and my mom has an unidentified throat lesion and she is worried sick about my nephew.

She doesn't have the typical esophageal carcinoma markers. She isn't a man, she's not yet 65, she doesn't have a history of GERD or acid reflux. She does have a history of drinking and smoking though, which would more closely align themselves with EC as opposed to, say, Barrett's esophagus.

My trip home may be significantly longer than I had anticipated. If my mother is unwell, I don't think I could bring myself to get on a plane and come back to MD.

Somehow, if you reach a certain age and are (!still!) childless, people start treating you like you are actually brainless. Or rather, they start treating you like you are a child. Like there isn't a childless adulthood, there is only parenthood and childhood. And adolescence, which is just an extension of childhood. Parenting is a necessary part of adult life, making those who aren't parenting some sort of weird anomaly, difficult to relate to. I guess, even if it's your own kid.

Rambling.