It feels SO good to stay home today! Other than picking Nam up this morning, I haven't left the house all day. My body is revolting after the way it has been treated for the past week, so it's a good thing that I can stay in! I still need to run check on the folks later, but I'm waiting until I'm feeling a little better.
So...I took Dad to the doctor last Tuesday for his normal 3 month checkup. He had gained 18 pounds of fluid since his last visit, and his oxygen saturation was in the low 90's. His legs were so swollen that they were weeping, and his lungs sounded crackly. The doctor gave us two options: either go to the hospital or double up on diuretics, get some bloodwork and chest x-ray done, then come back in two days for a reevaluation. Daddy didn't want to go to the hospital, so we chose door #2. When we returned on Thursday, nothing had improved, the x-ray showed a little pneumonia, and his oxygen had dropped into the upper 80's. The doctor gave him no options. (Do not pass go, do not collect $200.) Not only did he say he must go straight to the hospital, but he insisted on calling an ambulance to carry him there (even though the hospital is only a couple of blocks away). They started him on oxygen, and he hasn't been able to get off since. We were in the ER until about 7:00 that evening, while they ran a bunch of tests and started him on IV diuretics and antibiotics. His legs were so swollen and heavy that he wasn't able to move them without help. We started seeing improvement in the swelling by the very next day. His pneumonia cleared up after about 4 days. He was finally released on Day 5 and taken back to MWN&R by ambulance. He and Bobbie were VERY happy to see each other! The separation had been especially difficult for Bobbie. She was still trying to get used to her new home, when he disappeared for 5 days. She has difficulty with time, so it seemed a lot longer to her.
All of the tests that they ran on Dad in the hospital showed that he was in pretty good health for the shape he is in. His heart was functioning fine...as were his kidneys. They had to tweak his meds a little to stabilize his heartrate (too slow) and blood pressure (too high). His blood sugar ran higher than normal, so he had to have a few shots of insulin. That isn't unusual under the circumstances though. Stress definitely effects blood sugar! I ordered him a new chair which came in this week. It is a power recliner. He couldn't work the other one and needs to be able to keep his feet elevated. He will also be on oxygen until his numbers improve. I hope that after some intensive PT, his levels will improve so he can get off it. It can really tie a person down! I plan to discuss our options with the doctor at Dad's follow-up visit on Friday.
My brother and I had planned to meet last Thursday morning to move the rest of the stuff out of the Brookdale apartment. He contacted me early that morning that he was having to go to the ER! He ended up spending a couple of nights in the hospital with cellulitis in his leg. So Toni and John met up with Dennis and I Friday after lunch and finished the job. It felt SO good to get that behind us! Toni and I had been busy all week trying to get things settled and "homey" in the folks' new room, which included doing a lot of laundry and labeling. (The nursing home will do their laundry as long as their names are on everything.) I think we finally have things they way we want them. We only took a few pieces of furniture, including their recliners, and hung a small fraction of pictures on their walls of what they had had at Brookdale. We added a few odds and ends on the tops of the dressers. They have a round table in their room, which serves as their game table. So the room is about as full as we can get it without causing any safety issues! (With 2 walkers and a wheelchair, it is already hard to maneuver in!)
I was really glad to see my Nam today! I'd talked to him a couple of times on the phone, and Dennis had brought him by the hospital for a few minutes yesterday morning, but other than that I hadn't seen him since last Thursday before I left to take Dad to the doctor. I had really missed him! I got some good hugs and a few kisses throughout the day! He didn't want to admit it, but he kind of missed me, too!
I hope things are going a little more smoothly for all of you. Take care now, y'hear!
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