We love Dad!

I thought about the scripture tonight "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." It's moving to care for our father in his final days. Tender moments of tonight:

• Lana feeding Dad vanilla ice cream
• Ryan holding up a bowl so Dad could throw up the ice cream (Bummer! Dad was loving that ice cream)
• All the kids lifting Dad to another bed
• Reading through old love notes, some 40 years ago, with my mom
• Watching a slide show of my parents throughout the years
• Browsing through old photo albums and comparing the looks of my Dad back in the 70s to now.
• My siblings attempting to write an obituary.
• My older brother Reid phoning to tell us his family is coming tomorrow! Yea!

It's good to be together and support each other. I love our family!

Drugs and hugs

It was good to see Dad in his own bed finally! He was pretty out of it yesterday afternoon and evening. He was still able to communicate but kept his eyes closed. We gave him lots of hugs and any time he would start to really complain, mom would give him the morphine. At one point when he was really doped up he said "Do you know what the one fault of this family is? We can't get anywhere on time!" I laughed because that truly is the fault of our family. He kept crying out "Let's go! We gotta go!" I love Dad so much and am glad he can still have a sense of humor to make things not so gloomy.

Home at Last

Welcome Home Dad and Grandpa! He just got home today around 1:15 pm. It was a bumpy ride down the stairs and back to his room in the stretcher, but once he got to lay in his bed he said "This is wonderful!" It was so cute. He felt so good to be home in his own bed. I got the whole thing on video tape and took lots of pictures. Hospice came in and talked to mom about everything. I don't know what all they talked about because I was back laying down with dad, but Kelly said they help with all the funeral plans, too. It's a glorious day for all of us.

Welcome home!

Mom walked in the door last night with a big sigh and said that Dad was coming home. I think we all feel a little anxious about this, but mom feels it is the right thing to do. Whether he has hospice at the center or at home-does it matter? They are going to bring in a hospital bed and set up his stuff in the livign room. Mom is such a strong person the way she has dealt with all these ups and downs and big decisions . I think of her famous saying-"God's in charge!" and I find immediate relief.

The Latest

I talked to Kelly. Dad is experiencing the same kind of pain that he was on Friday. They are trying to use every method they can to get his bowels moving, but if nothing helps then it's either take Dad to the hospital or take him home and call in hospice. Kelly said the care center will not bring in hospice so Dad will have to come home for it. Mom is scrambling, taking care of last minute very important items of business and Kelly is staying with Dad. We'll keep you posted on what happens.

Decisions, Decisions

It seems like things are constantly changing and I think we all feel like we are riding an emotional rollercoaster. Mom found out that she can have Hospice come in if they change the orders at the care center from rehabilitation to hospice care. If they do that, Medicare will cover hospice care. Once Hospice comes in, Dad won't receive anymore physical therapy. Mom feels like it would be best to have them do hospice at the care center, so that is the plan FOR NOW. Like I said, with Dad things could always change. He is known as "the come back kid." I think before Craig and I left we heard Dad sat on the toilet and pooped. The question is will he be able to continue having regular bowel movements? We're just all waiting to see what will happen and trying to support Mom and Dad the best we can. I know Mom is inspired to make the choices that are best for her, Dad and our family.

Week ahead

Dad was released from the hospital after spending the night and his stomach has discended again. Our family has decided rather than taking him back and forth to the hospital to bring in hospice instead. Medicare will only pay for hospice if Dad is at home. The problem with bringing him home is that there will be no 24/7 care. Only a nurse will come to administer morphine once a day which means Mom will be the one to provide all his physical and emotional needs. If he has hospice at the care center Mom will only have to provide emotional support. So we're trying to figure out as a family what we should do. Any input would be great.

Slow movin

Dad's feet are moving fast, but not his bowels. They are trying to help him anyway they can instead of taking him to the hospital. Dad hates the hospital and it always takes a toll on him so we'll see how the next few days go. Poor mom can't catch a break! She is supposed to go back to wk on Mon but with Dad's state she is very nervous. Hopefully all will work out.

Visit to the Care Center

Our family paid a visit to Roy this past weekend. We got to spend Sunday evening and the majority of Monday with Mom and Dad at the care center. I was very impressed with how well Dad is doing! He is definitely on the thin side--mom said he weighs 140 right now-- but other than that he sits up straight, follows conversations well, and doesn't squint or make writhing motions with his head and neck. He walked several feet with his walker.

He is currently on heart medication because his heart is in heart failure with the atrial fibrulation. Mom has really noticed a difference since he has been using it. Dad breathes easier and doesn't tire as easily.

Dad is in good hands! Of course Mom is the best caregiver around. I asked Dad if he thought mom was the best caregiver and he said "Oh heck yes. She should be president!"
The staff at the care center are all very sweet, well-trained, and very professional. They were commenting "Oh you're Dad is so sweet. " "He's so cute." "We just love him!" My dad was shocked when I told him what they thought of him. He assumed it was the other way around!

Mom asked that they discontinue laxatives and enemas for Dad's bowels and instead provide prune juice with every meal. So far, that has been working well for Dad.

Thank you for all the prayers. They are helping!

Prayers Answered!

I talked to mom this morning and she has the best news...Dad pooped a good solid poop! Yay! The first good one in about 6 weeks mom said. This has been what we've all been praying for! He just needs to keep it up. This is such a relief to mom who has been constantly worried about it since dad broke his hip. Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. Oh and she said dad is very alert and has also been sleeping better at night.

Meds

Kelly told me that when Dad was staying at the hospital the doctor discontinued his medications and only gave him Tylenol. He suggested focusing on his quality of life and not quantity of life. Kelly said Dad acts so different now. His head doesn't hang low, he can stand up straight, and he mostly understands what's happening. We are going to visit tomorrow and Monday. I am anxious to see Dad and help Mom get caught up on her stuff.

Doing well

I dropped by yesterday to bring mom and dad a fruit and vegetable drink that mom requested because she says dad isn't getting a lot of fruit and veggies at the care center. She's hoping that will help his bowels. Dad was sleeping when I got there and mom was at the post office, so I didn't get a chance to talk to them, but the nurse said they were at the VA most the day for dad's follow up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. I'm not sure how that went, but the nurse said she thought dad seemed like a new person since he got back from McKay. She said it is amazing how well he is doing now and how much energy he has. I also visited on Wednesday and I was impressed with how well he could hear me and communicate. I've been thinking that it would be good for dad to move himself with the wheelchair because it might be a good upper body workout, so I was trying to teach him how to move the wheels if he wanted to go forward. He moved a little in his room and was turning himself a little, too. He was also moving the wheelchair with his legs because the foot rests were off. I think any movement is good for him. I see the people there moving themselves all the time down the hall. Maybe we could encourage him to do that more until he can walk. Anyway, that's all I have to report on. :)

Great News!

Mom has great news- Dad is back at the care center and in very good spirits! Mom said the staff and residents welcomed them with excitement and expressed how happy they were to have them back again. The doctor at McKay Dee sent orders to the center that Dad is to receive AGGRESSIVE therapy which means "work his tail off". Mom is so cute with her lingo to Dad. I swear she was sent to this earth to be dad's wife. The way she talks to him and calms him down and stays so---o positive. She mentioned that Dad and her are calling his therapy "training". I think I can hear "Eye of the Tiger" playing-ha! Also he will no longer be on any meds, just Tylenol to control pain. From now on the doctor wants to work on the quality of Dad's life, not quantity. Without all the meds we are hoping he will get stronger faster. Thanks to all for your prayers and concern.

Next few weeks

I think we are going to take Dad to the care center to give him another opportunity for physical therapy. Last night when he awoke from his nap he was in very good spirits and was cooperating. Mom and I discussed this morning our options and we decided that we should take him back to the care center even if he objects and try it for a week or two to see how he does. Mom said he never took lortab (sp?) or his simenet (Parkinson's meds) while at the hospital this past week and he didn't act doped up like he did at the care center. So she is going to pass that info on to the care center staff and see if we can continue that way so he'll be more apt to doing his therapy. I also suggested making a giant poster with some pictures and a calendar charting his progress reminding dad that it's up to him to get home.

One more thing--the doctor concluded that his bowels are having a difficult time because the colon is weak. He explained that the colon is a muscle and if you aren't up and moving around it becomes weak. So hopefully if we can get Dad walking again, he'll experience less problems with his bowels.

What to do?

The doctor said he wants to discharge Dad tomorrow. He doesn't want to do any operations because Dad is too frail to handle that. We agree. He also doesn't see any signs of my dad improving since he's been at the hospital this past week. So, we need to figure out if we are going to send Dad home to the care center for rehab or home to his real home and do home health care or hospice. I hate to even say that word. The facts are mom can't take care of Dad alone in his current state because he is bedridden. If we take him to the care center we wonder if it will be just as it was before--Dad not willing to do physical therapy. The doc wants an answer at 10:30 tomorrow morning. What are everyone's thoughts on this? Please share comments. Thank you.

The Latest

If we are so tired of this whole scene I can't imagine how Mom and Dad feel! He has been there for over a week and things don't seem any better this morning. Mom just left for the hospital feeling overwhelmed about Dad's condition. The doctor has said to keep him off food right now because of his bowels. He is getting jell-o and broth (yum). His heart is struggling again and that always complicates things because it tires Dad out. Dad has moved to room 5105. More x-rays will be done today (even though every single test they have done so far has come back fine). Look for an update later today! Mom said something to me this morning that is worth passing on. She said her wish for her family is that we remember every day to be grateful for our good health and that we enjoy every moment with our loved ones!

Still at the hospital

Dad is still at the hospital. They are waiting for him to have a BM and want to review the x-rays they took yesterday. I declare that the waiting game is the worst game ever invented. Who agrees?

Stabilized

I just talked to mom. She asked the nurses last night if there was anything to help his bowels move along besides colon surgery. The nurse said magnesium citrate would probably help. So this morning when the doctor came to discuss surgery or no surgery mom mentioned magnesium citrate and the doctor said he was going to prescribe that. Dad had at least 2 ounces and that really helped his bowels.

His mind is not doing so well. He is very confused, due to the fact that he's been away from home too long. Nights are very hard on him so mom is going to stay longer at night to make sure he is settled and then arrive later in the morning. The doctors say he will probably need to stay on oxygen when he leaves the hospital. Mom concluded the conversation saying "He is stabilized."

He's Walkin on Sunshine Wo-oah

Dad got out of bed and walked today with his walker. Hooray! His heart is still in atrial fibrillation. The docs just did a chest x-ray to make sure his heart is okay. Ryan brought him his favorite sandwich from Subway tonight. Thanks Ryan!

Dang those bowels!

(Just talked to Mom) If dad can have some good bowel movements and his vitals (heart, lungs, etc.) are consistently doing good then Mom thinks it will be more like Saturday before he comes back to the care center. We are praying that his stomach and colon will cooperate and he can have some much needed relief!

Looking Good!

Dad is doing very well. His bowels are moving along and he should be returning to the care center tomorrow or Friday. We'll keep you posted!

Hello family and friends!

On this blog we will be updating family and friends on our dad's health. Please check it as often as you'd like. We hope this will allow our mother to get more rest and provide her more time to accomplish tasks. Thank you!