 |
| Family photo, around 1963 |
The background
Dad has Parkinsons and early stage Alzheimers. Though you might not notice the latter, the former is evident -- walks with difficulty and shakes, which is probably why hes hospitalized. He was putting salt in the water softening and lost his balance.
Where we are now
The news is not great. He had internal bleeding into the abdominal cavity, damaging his kidneys and lowering his blood pressure. It took two days to find this out, and all the time his vitals have been declining.Today they ran a catheter from his groin into the abdomen, and they used a diluted dye to find the bleeding. A mesh fabric with clotting agent was applied, and this corrected the immediate problem. The question is, will the kidneys be able to recover from this? The next 48 hours will tell us the answer. Meanwhile he is hungry and thirsty, but he can't eat until tomorrow.
Unfortunately there are other hurdles to overcome yet, not the least of which is a possible diagnosis of bone cancer (based on x-rays and MRI findings). The definitive diagnosis will come on Friday with some test results. If it is cancer, it is advanced.
Right now he looks very small and weak, and the problems seem so enormous. Please keep my dad in your thoughts...
.jpg)
It's all a little overwhelming for everyone right now, but your Dad is in good hands and the doctors are stabilizing him to make him comfortable, which is also important. Can't feel better if everything hurts. Prayers still on "go" mode here.
ReplyDeleteThinking of my Dad, too who had similar physical issues--no Alzheimer's, however. I is so hard seeing our parents looking frail when memories always see them as the strong, and loving support of our families.
ReplyDeleteBut the love remains, even as the body ages. Keep that in your heart.
Sending prayers and good thoughts your way.
Love your family photo - especially all the books in the background. We had a ton of books, too, which is why it doesn't surprise me that you're a librarian and I have a serious reading habit! I am always shocked when I go to someone's home and there are NO books, but it happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteI am keeping your dad and all of you in my thoughts.
Sending prayers. Treasure every second you get. Talk, laugh, hold his hand. But talk about what ifs.
ReplyDeleteI lost my dad in June, after a long battle with cancer. It's never easy, even with warning.
My thoughts are with you. I hope this turns out as well as possible for you & your family.
ReplyDeleteSending hugs to you and your family as you deal with this. I am hoping things take a turn for the better.
ReplyDelete