| "12/30/2008" "08:54 PM" | | "dad is doing better. they were able to take him off the ativan today but he still is taking librium. Still breathing fast and fast heartbeat though. They did a cat scan of his head and said it looks ok. They are giving him breathing treatments to help with the congestion. When i talk to him he lifts his eyebrows, but does not open his eyes. It is like he is in a deep sleep." | | | |
| "12/31/2008" "03:06 PM" | | "Not as good news... They are going to do an MRI to figure out why he is not waking up. The nurse said that he could respond to certain requests. She asked him to move his thumbs and he was able to comply, but still cannot open his eyes all the way or talk. They described him as somnolent. They also mentioned some investigation on his heart. No details yet on that..." | | | |
| "12/31/2008" "08:01 PM" | | "Haven't done MRI yet. Not sure if they will get to it tonight or if it will wait until tomorrow. He is breathing alot better, but still pretty much asleep. He just tried to talk to Tasha, but it was pretty much just mumbling. She sure seemed to get his attention. I cant blame him, she seems to do the same for me." | | | |
| "01/01/2009" "09:53 PM" | | "Apparently, they forgot to request Dad's MRI. They re-requested it today, but it hasn't been done yet. They also had me sign a form to do a scan with contrast to check his corrated arteries. They moved him to another room in a less critical area. 3401w. He looks alot better today, and seems more attentive, although he still cannot speak. He can open his eyes farther, and he looks at you when you talk to him., and he tries to talk, but only a mumble comes out. But he still drifts off to sleep. He is off the librium also. They are only giving him nourishment now. He is on an IV and the food goes through a tube." | | | |
| "01/02/2009" "09:18 PM" | | "More progress today. We were actually able to hear some of what he was saying. Unfortunately, he was saying he wanted to get out. They did the MRI and the scan of his corated arteries, but the results are not available yet." | | | |
| "01/05/2009" "08:07 PM" | | "Things have been crazy lately. I have to wean off my lortabs, so i am pretty sore. My surgery was in September, but it is still quite sore, and i am not even putting any weight on it yet. We visited dad on saturday morning and he looked alot better. He was more alert and was breathing well. He was pretty responsive too. We thought it might be better to visit in the morning, but he still would go in and out of sleep. Sunday was not as good. When we arrived he was shaking and breathing hard. The nurse said he was probably having more dt's, and they gave him more ativan. By the time we left he stopped shaking but was still breathing pretty hard, but still barely responded to us. Later Sunday night, the nurses called for authorization for a pic line (a special IV) because his blood pressure was low, and they called again later because they moved him back to ICU so they can more closely monitor his blood pressure. he is in 3124w. I am feeling pretty sick today, so i am not sure if/when we will visit tonight. i have to wait for tasha anyway because i cant drive." | | | |
| "01/07/2009" "12:41 AM" | | "We finally got to the hospital at 6:45 Monday night. Unfortunately they change shifts from 7-8, so we went down to the cafeteria and had dinner til 8. Dad was doing much better too. He was very responsive and was telling stories again. He was saying that his friend Jim Dressler had pulled a prank on him. Something involving two cups of yellow liquid and the end of the world. (he was still quite hard to understand). he was also convinced that ""some dude switched trailers with him"" (not true). Tasha and I wondered if he has stumbled into someone else's trailer. he may have some apologizing to do when he gets out. We saw him tonight also. Even more full of shit than ever. The nurse said that he told her ""he is gonna make her earn her pay."" He is still convinced his trailer had been switched but is much more legible. he looked alot better. They moved him a couple of rooms down the hall. It seems they are always moving him around. I guess hospitals are pretty busy though..... I really feel sorry for those nurses.... Gotta go now. I've been pretty sick the last couple of days too, but i know everyone wants some updates." | | | |
| "01/08/2009" "10:24 PM" | | "Dad has been pretty much stayed the same the last couple of days. His physical health is pretty good, but his mental state is still not back to normal. They are going to move him to a place called Kindred. it is an acute care facility. They are more of a long term care place. I take it as good news, since it means that he doesnt need to be near an ICU or a bunch of doctors. Tasha picked up his mail. She is good at piecing together what needs to be taken care of. (Her usual customers are in much worst shape though.) She is so good to me. And since it is my blog, I get to mention some news about me. Yesterday my doctor told me i can start walking with crutches , and in the next few weeks without them completely. And this weekend i will get to drive!!!" | | | |
| "01/10/2009" "09:14 PM" | | "Dad was moved to Kindred hospital. His condition hasnt changed much though. He doesnt know what the day or date is. He wakes up then falls back asleep. yesterday they had quite a challenge keeping his NG tube in (up the nose down to the stomach for food and medicine). He is currently on his fourth. it was a pretty horrible scene watching them try to cram the tube up his nose as he coughed and squirmed. Even after they were done, he was very uncomfortable, coughing and wheezing. I asked the nurses to give him a breathing treatment which seemed to help. His latest NG tube is alot thinner, so hopefully he is more comfortable. We are having some issues getting ahold of his keys and wallet so we can take care of his truck and trailer. We are having to involve the police, it is quite frustrating. on a more positive note, i was able to drive today. it was awesome. I only scared Tasha once ;) I am walking with crutches too. I'm starting to feel like a man again. everyone says ""i forgot you were so tall"" not much else to add other than keep Pa in your prayers." | | | |
| "01/13/2009" "09:08 PM" | | "sorry i havent updated lately. things been crazy, and been getting home late. freezer didnt close properly because of my b-day cake, so it and most everything else in the freezer melted. spent most of yesterday trying to save food, throwing away bad stuff, and watchin the chargers lose:( (i had it recorded). didnt get to see dad til 7:30. Now that i can drive, i can stop by on the way home from work. Unfortunately ther hasnt been much to report. He remains in somewhat of a sleepwalking state, sometimes he remembers current stuff, sobout the sewage being hooked up. he seems a bit feverish today, and was saying something about his feet falling off." | | | |
| "01/16/2009" "12:42 AM" | | "Great News! Dad is much better. He is speaking clearly and is remembering things clearly. I sat with him for 2 1/2 hours chatting. He is not completely better yet, but is clearly on the way. There were signs yesterday that he was getting better, he knew it was January 2009. I had no idea that he would show so much improvement overnight. I finally heard from the doctor also. apparently dad had/has pnemonia also, which explains the whispering too. He will still have quite a bit of physical therapy, but at least he will have his mind back." | | | |
| "01/19/2009" "07:40 PM" | | "sorry to not update over the weekend. was waiting to have better news. unfortunately I dont. the day after my last post he fell back out of reality. but he seems to be in a pretty good mood. said he was partying with Morey and Carol. they went out on the boat and everything. he has a new roomate, that is even worse shape. he thinks he is on a ship and is holding long conversations with the people in his head. finally got dads keys so i can move his truck somewhere safer, but still dont have his wallet. will need to call the banks tomorrow, so i can make sure his payments are made. his biggest discomfort is being thirsty. there is a ng tube up his nose and he is breathing through his mouth. dr just came in and said they are going to give him a swallow test. if it goes well he will be able to eat and drink. he really would like that." | | | |
| "01/20/2009" "09:03 PM" | | "Dad is pretty restless tonight. he wants to leave. mostly because he is thirsty. I think because his brain is still not firing correctly, they are worried that if he tries to drink, it may get in his lungs and cause pnemonia. They were talking about doing a swallow test last night. Hopefully he will be able to swallow soon. Eating and drinking may make him feel more normal. Sometimes it seems like my visits make him more agitated. They want me to sign something tonight, but i haven't seen it yet. He is still plenty out of it too. I dont know if it is getting better or even worse." | | | |
| "01/21/2009" "06:56 PM" | | "I got a call last night around 10 that dad had climbed out of bed, and they found him on the floor. They checked him and didn't find any broken bones, then did a CAT scan of his head which came back OK. They switched him to a floor bed that is only 2 feet from the floor, so if he happens to fight his way out of his restraints again, he won't fall as far. They did a swallow test that showed that things aren't working quite right, but he didn't get any in his lungs, so he may be able to start feeding / drinking orally, as long as the material is thick enough - a honey consistency. They have something they can add to juice or water to thicken it up so he can drink it. They have also scheduled him to be evaluated to go to Health South, which is good because he actually liked that place. The case manager said that Health South can put him in a type of tent bed, which can keep him in place without tieing his arms or feet down. I will be visiting him again tonight, but I wanted to get this on the blog before I forgot the details :)" | | | |
| "01/24/2009" "08:39 PM" | | "Not much to tell still. Just waiting for dad to come back to reality. I visited him on Thursday night after work, and he was in a mean mood, so I left. Danielle and i visited him Friday night. (Tasha sat with Yassi in the waiting room. Yassi doesnt do well in hospitals.) He was pretty tired. Has has the chills for the last couple of days, but it looks like hes feeling better today. As soon as he is healthy and done with his antibiotics they can move him to Health South. He keeps pulling out his NG tube too. He is allowed to eat soft food, but he isnt too interested in it. I guess he ate his pudding though. Oh, he said he went dancing last night at a bar down the street. Waylen Jennings was performing. I guess its good he thinks hes getting out every now and then." | | | |
| "01/26/2009" "07:01 PM" | | "Not much to tell. I guess the best news is that dad is doing better at eating. Sunday he ate about 1/3 of his food, and most of his dessert :) I imagine it is hard to build an appetite when all the food you eat is pureed. he wouldnt mind it if it was ice cream, pudding and popsicles, but it is mostly mashed potatoes, peas, and refried beans (i think). hopefully he will continue to improve his eating, as that is the road to recovery, and the way to get rid of one more tube. I was just talking to him, and he drifted off to sleep. He seems to be breathing well though. He is probably enjoying the silence, as his roomate is out of the room at the moment. Yesterday, his roomate thought he was fighting a fire or something, and also had the tv blaring." | | | |
| "01/26/2009" "07:07 PM" | | "Some other good news is that Tasha decided to enroll at UNLV, so we spent most of the day there yesterday, and are going back today. She will be seeking a bachelors degree in accounting, and maybe pursuing a law degree after that. The funny thing is she inspired me to return, so when we were ther yesterday, we found out I still have 94 credits there. I might only need 34 more for my bachelors in electrical engineering. (although i might have to take some classes over, since it has been so long). Funny thing is it wont make a difference in my job, but im sure it will feel good to finally finish it." | | | |
| "01/27/2009" "08:41 PM" | | "Dad is pretty restless again. I got a call this afternoon that he climbed out of bed again. Fortunately, they have him in a low rider bed. only 1 or 2 feet off the ground, so no danage. He sure hates to be tied down. doesnt like to be told he has to stay either. He can become quite combatative. He's singing to the nurse now. She did a little dance for him. He can be quite the charmer. He is still thinking he gets out from time to time, and was asking about the races. He asked if Bonnie and Julie were coming down. I told him they probably will." | | | |
| "02/09/2009" "01:17 AM" | | "well, i decided to give dad another chance. again. he is in health south now. doing alot better. we payed up his cell phone, so you can call him if you want. His mind is clear. He is eating regular food. still stir crazy, but he is getting better every day. sorry i havent updated lately. he really upset me and it was hard to get over it. but i decided to let it go, and i am glad i did. gotta go." | | | |
| "02/11/2009" "07:38 PM" | | "Apparently, Dad was moved to St. Rose last night. Don't know many details, but I'm going to pick his stuff up from Health South to make sure it doesn't get lost again." | | | |
| "02/16/2009" "02:49 PM" | | "Dad is in St Rose siena. He has a blockage in his stomach/ intestine. His kidneys had also failed. Kidneys are better now, and things are ""processing"" through his stomach. As of yesterday, he was not cleared to eat or drink. On Saturday, a nurse accidentally brought him food. since it was a couple hours after his test, he figured it was ok, and he ate it. He was alright though. but they told him no more. i visited him yesterday and he said someone almost gave him breakfast, and he told him to get the hell out. when i left i told him to make sure not to eat. he said ""yeah, don't feed the bears"". His cell phone is working though, so you can try to call him." | | | |
| "02/17/2009" "11:32 PM" | | "well, the good news is dad is out of the hospital. The bad new is he is treating me like a criminal again. When we first found out he was in the hospital, we went into his trailer and took out his lock box and briefcase, to make sure nobody got ahold of his birth certificate or anything else that could be used for identity theft. ( his trailer park is in a pretty rough neighborhood). As soon as he got home today, he called me and told me i needed to bring him his stuff and ""to make sure all his stuff was in it"", especially his checkbooks. I just cant believe that after all I have done he still treats me like i would steal from him, and he trusts complete strangers over me. So I took his stuff to his trailer and gave it to him and left. If he wants anything from me from now on, he will need to apologize to me and my family." | | | |
Welcome to Clay's Blog
Update
|
