There’s no place like home.....maybe.
Well, this should probably be my last email update to you all. Thank you so much for everything...prayers, etc. Because of Dad’s unusual circumstances, no one really knows what to do with him. Unfortunately, Blue Cross Blue Shield has been absolutely worthless throughout this entire ordeal and, avoiding a major soap box discussion, have not approved ANYTHING the doctors have recommended for his recovery effort. Because he did not follow a generic list of requirements, he was refused at rehab and they were not going to allow him to stay another day where he was. His only choice was a nursing home, so we nixed that, and the hospital sent him home Friday afternoon. Baptist provided a bed, wheelchair, walker and potty chair, plus a nurse and physical therapist a couple of times a week to check on him. BCBS refused any coverage of an aide to help Mom carry a 200 pound man back and forth out of the bed to potty, practice walking, etc. He didn’t meet the “criteria”. Good thing ( and I highly recommend this to everyone reading ) they had long-term care insurance and they will get about 8 hours a day of care through that.
Wade and the kids came in this weekend, and we all helped him get adjusted to his new surroundings. For those of you who have been to our house, his room is what used to be the bar, and it works out great, as he can see and get to everything. We had a good time. The best news out of all of this, is after getting some real food in him, his feeding tube out, and a little over a week without sedatives, he is 100% lucid. He doesn’t remember anything that has happened past the last 2 weeks, so we have been filling him in about what happened, visitors, etc.....and me. And of course, he is TOTALLY freaking out about that. He kept waking up on Saturday night telling me that I need to go find a job. I had prayed that I would have had one when he finally was able to understand.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Good News
Well, the prayers are continuing to work! After my last e-mail, Mom had another run-in with Dr. “Doom” and so she went to his main Dr. (Carter) and told him that she doesn’t want him prescribing any more medicine and to take a back seat to Dad’s recovery. We really have no need for him any more and Dr. Carter agreed. Dad’s lucidity is slowly getting better and by Thursday, he was FINALLY able to pass his swallow test. He ate dinner for the first time since February 5th!!! Chicken and potatoes never tasted so good!
Mom and I have been taking turns staying the night and boy is it killing us! He talks in his sleep so we don’t get any! But, I was there for his first breakfast on Friday morning and he drank 3 cups of coffee...he was so excited! Later that morning, the doctor came in and took out his feeding tube. Another victory! Dr. Carter had told Mom that once that happened, that he would really begin to improve. He has been suffering on and off from sinus infections due to the tube, so that alone should help. The infectious disease Dr. came later that afternoon and said that Dad no longer needed regular antibiotics, so that has stopped as well.
The best news is, that although Dad has his moments, he is beginning to understand that he is confused. And lets be honest, you are usually not really crazy if you acknowledge that you are, so it is a good sign. His humor has pretty much come back....when I told him he talked in his sleep, he asked me, “well, did I say anything constructive?”. They have called for a evaluation and even Dr. “Doom” has said it looks like he will be out of the hospital and into a rehab facility in about a week!!! WOO HOO!! Most likely, he will go to Baptist Rehab on Exeter in Germantown, where Mom can practically walk to visit. Here, they will ride him like a wild horse, making him constantly walk, talk, work with his hands, etc., kind of like a mandatory spa. They say here, barring any complications, he should only have to stay 2-3 weeks.
Also, on a side note, Dr. Carter has said that amazingly, since Dad’s surgery, they have had 4 more ruptured triple A’s, all who’ve survived and are in rehab as well. Those odds are incredible.
God Bless you all!
Mom and I have been taking turns staying the night and boy is it killing us! He talks in his sleep so we don’t get any! But, I was there for his first breakfast on Friday morning and he drank 3 cups of coffee...he was so excited! Later that morning, the doctor came in and took out his feeding tube. Another victory! Dr. Carter had told Mom that once that happened, that he would really begin to improve. He has been suffering on and off from sinus infections due to the tube, so that alone should help. The infectious disease Dr. came later that afternoon and said that Dad no longer needed regular antibiotics, so that has stopped as well.
The best news is, that although Dad has his moments, he is beginning to understand that he is confused. And lets be honest, you are usually not really crazy if you acknowledge that you are, so it is a good sign. His humor has pretty much come back....when I told him he talked in his sleep, he asked me, “well, did I say anything constructive?”. They have called for a evaluation and even Dr. “Doom” has said it looks like he will be out of the hospital and into a rehab facility in about a week!!! WOO HOO!! Most likely, he will go to Baptist Rehab on Exeter in Germantown, where Mom can practically walk to visit. Here, they will ride him like a wild horse, making him constantly walk, talk, work with his hands, etc., kind of like a mandatory spa. They say here, barring any complications, he should only have to stay 2-3 weeks.
Also, on a side note, Dr. Carter has said that amazingly, since Dad’s surgery, they have had 4 more ruptured triple A’s, all who’ve survived and are in rehab as well. Those odds are incredible.
God Bless you all!
Monday, April 11, 2005
Sunset on the Mississippi
Ahhhh.....the view from my patio. Can't beat it with a stick. Everything going on in my life...my job, my Dad...God has a way of reminding us to Be Still. Enjoy!
Dad
Back again to tell you to keep up those prayers! They are working! One thing Mom has started doing is bringing his clothes up to the hospital. She puts him in a polo and his swim trunks every day and he looks like his old self. She talked to Dr. “Doom” Vassu, his neurologist, who told her that Dad had Alzheimer’s and was out of his mind. Mom proceeded to ask him if he knew what he did for a living and that he had one of his best days the Friday before he went into the hospital. He looked at her and said “oh”. He assumes that Dad is just an old man who sits around all day and drinks. We are learning to take him with a grain of salt. His regular doctor Dr. Weiss and Dr. Carter (who we LOVE...he saved his life) both think that sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of his confusion, as he has only had about 4 or 5 days of actual sleep since he has been in there, plus, Dr. Weiss said that it takes 3 times as long for all the sedatives/medications to leave your system, so he said it could be another 27 weeks before all that shit gets out of his system. Both told Mom this weekend that they do not think he has mental issues.
It was such a beautiful weekend, so we got him all dolled up and took him outside at the entrance to the hospital and sat in the sun for about 1-1/2 hours Saturday and Sunday. I have enclosed some pictures. He was 90% lucid. He knew where he was, he was worried about missing work, he talked to several people on the phone, and as you can see from the pictures, he looked like he was sitting in his backyard by the pool. He was as relaxed as I have ever seen him.
Thank you again for praying for our family. We are so blessed to have friends like you!!
It was such a beautiful weekend, so we got him all dolled up and took him outside at the entrance to the hospital and sat in the sun for about 1-1/2 hours Saturday and Sunday. I have enclosed some pictures. He was 90% lucid. He knew where he was, he was worried about missing work, he talked to several people on the phone, and as you can see from the pictures, he looked like he was sitting in his backyard by the pool. He was as relaxed as I have ever seen him.
Thank you again for praying for our family. We are so blessed to have friends like you!!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Yep, that's right, update on Dad
Prayer. That’s what I am here to ask you for....again.
Dad, health-wise is going great. He still has yet to pass his swallow test, but other than that, is getting strong. So strong, that he is ready to be moved out of the step-down unit and into restorative care, which technically, is just rehab.
The reason he isn’t being moved yet....his mental state. Dad is confused and combative. He is getting stronger and now the nurses are having a hard time taking care of him. They had to start restraining him at night. The doctors have told Mom that the confusion is no surprise with what all he has gone through. It’s the combatitiveness that they can’t figure out, and they don’t know what to do, because with every kind of sedative, sleeping pill, etc. he has an adverse reaction.
So, I am here once again, to ask you for your prayers. PLEASE pray for dad’s mental state. If he doesn’t get any better, he will have to go to a nursing home, and I just don’t know if Mom will be able to handle that...or Wade and I for that matter. For those of you who may not know, both of my grandmother’s died of Alzheimer’s and Mom and I were the primary caregivers for them. I don’t know if we can go through that again. We know the Lord has a plan, but I just have a hard time imagining that He would want all these miracles to come and go and Dad not be able to understand what all has happened and thank each and every one of you in person for what you have done. Please, please, please, help us pray for his mind.
I love you all!!
Dad, health-wise is going great. He still has yet to pass his swallow test, but other than that, is getting strong. So strong, that he is ready to be moved out of the step-down unit and into restorative care, which technically, is just rehab.
The reason he isn’t being moved yet....his mental state. Dad is confused and combative. He is getting stronger and now the nurses are having a hard time taking care of him. They had to start restraining him at night. The doctors have told Mom that the confusion is no surprise with what all he has gone through. It’s the combatitiveness that they can’t figure out, and they don’t know what to do, because with every kind of sedative, sleeping pill, etc. he has an adverse reaction.
So, I am here once again, to ask you for your prayers. PLEASE pray for dad’s mental state. If he doesn’t get any better, he will have to go to a nursing home, and I just don’t know if Mom will be able to handle that...or Wade and I for that matter. For those of you who may not know, both of my grandmother’s died of Alzheimer’s and Mom and I were the primary caregivers for them. I don’t know if we can go through that again. We know the Lord has a plan, but I just have a hard time imagining that He would want all these miracles to come and go and Dad not be able to understand what all has happened and thank each and every one of you in person for what you have done. Please, please, please, help us pray for his mind.
I love you all!!
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