A handful of you are aware of what happened to my dad last week. I'm going to give an update to let everyone know what's going on.
Last Wednesday, my dad was taken to the hospital because he had a fall in the bathroom and seemed to lose strength in his legs. We later learned that he had actually suffered a heart attack and several small strokes. An MRI showed several blockages in the left side of his brain, which accounted for his apparent weakness, particularly on his right side.
The doctor started him on a heparin drip in the hopes they could simply dissolve the clots. (My dad is 94 years old and ANY invasive procedure would very likely not end well. Especially a procedure that is risky on someone who is otherwise perfectly healthy.) This was risky in itself because it could have lead to bleeding in his brain. A regular "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kinda situation.
Luckily, he did not develop any bleeding. A couple nights later, he seemed to be a lot more cognizant of where he was and why he was at the hospital, even if he didn't remember what caused the trip in the first place.
Last night, he was moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation hospital where he has started physical, speech, and occupational therapies. He's not happy about being there. He hates hospitals. And I hate that he's there, too. But he needs help to get his strength back because we (my siblings and I) can't take care of him ourselves. We have jobs that keep us away from the house and we can't worry about him falling out of his wheelchair trying to get to the toilet. And not just when we aren't there. In the middle of the night. Or ANY time.
I hope it's understandable that I have been under a LOT of stress this past week. Things are getting better for him. But until he's back home, I'm uneasy.
Earlier this week, I went to the doctor myself. I hadn't been for a regular checkup in years and I had actually made the appointment last month, well before what happened with my dad. Seeing as there is now a, "family history of heart attacks," it seemed even more important to get checked out. (Also make sure my occasional chest pain really IS just indigestion.) My bloodwork came back today. I need to eat less fried foods and avoid pasta... And I've been wracking my brain trying to think of just how much pasta and fried food I actually eat. (Seriously, I stopped eating fast food for lunch a while back. And yeah, I had lasagna for dinner a couple nights ago, but the last time I ate any pasta was... A month or better. Unless rice is considered pasta. Because I love me some rice.) Oh, and I have an appointment with a cardiologist coming up, too.
On a more selfish note, taking time to be with dad in the hospital has absorbed almost all of my free time. I have been trying to do some drawing at work. But every time I feel like I'm getting into a groove, I get snatched away from it. I don't want to disappear again. But life is REALLY trying to make that happen right now.
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1 week, 4 days ago
24 Oct 2025 04:02 CEST
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