Monday, November 24, 2009

Dad was taken to the E.R. earlier this afternoon from the dialysis center because they were having some "problems." He is bleeding internally and they are not sure from where. The bleeding could be coming from an ulcer, but right now the doctors just don't know the source. They gave him a couple of units of blood and are admitting him to ICU so they can check things out further. He has been fairly ill the past few days. Hopefully, they can figure things out soon.

When Mom left the hospital around 5:00, they told her they were going to do an endoscopic study to look for ulcers in his G.I. tract, since that was the easiest place to start looking for the source of the bleeding. If they didn't find anything with the scope, they would move on from there. I spoke with her around 8. She said the hospital had called, asking for permission to do a CT scan on Dad. We assume that means they didn't find the source of the bleeding with the scope, but will just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday, November 23, 2009

Dad looks really good. His color is good and he is pretty alert, but he just hasn't felt good the past few days. He has had a lot of nausea, throwing up and coughing. One of his nurses told us that they are doing some labs to check for bacteria, etc., because he just shouldn't be feeling sick to his stomach all the time like he has been. Hopefully, they will figure out what is causing Dad to be so nauseous all the time and he will feel well enough to be agreeable with the physical therapists. We should know more tomorrow.

Since we complained to his heart doctor about the conditions at the rehab center and the lack of treatment Dad was getting, he has received much better care. I guess the squeaky wheel does get attention.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Dad looked really good this morning; however, he was in another of his "mean" moods. He apparently kicked the physical therapist out and refused to even let them get him out of bed to sit a while. Medically, he is improving. It seems his biggest hurdle now is his attitude. We keep trying to impose on him how important it is that he do the physical therapy, but he just points his finger at us and says, "Don't you preach at me. If I don't feel like doing it, I'm not going to do it." I don't know how we can motivate him to do the the things he needs to do to get strong enough to come home. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to e-mail or call me.

I honestly have never seen Dad this ornery....even when I was younger and was being punished for something I did wrong.

I went to the ISU women's basketball game with Mom. It was great to see her visiting with friends, smiling and having a good time, even though the team lost the game. I may even go to the next one.

Thanks for all your support.

Wednesday, November 18, 2008, 8:26 p.m.

Mom and I met with the Admissions Coordinator at the Idaho State Veterans Home located in Pocatello. It was a very informative and encouraging meeting and Mom and I left there feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders.

Mom said Dad was better today than she has seen him since the surgery. She spoke with two of the physical therapists and both said Dad did very well at physical therapy. He was able to work much better with the exercises for strengthening his arms and worked very hard at everything they had him do.

This was a very encouraging day and we look forward to Dad making continued progress….even if it is baby steps. I think Mom will get a much better night’s sleep tonight. You could see the relief in her eyes as we were leaving the VA center. It was good to see Mom a little relaxed for a change!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Not much to write about these days. Dad's condition just doesn't seem to be changing much from day to day. He is still not able to eat and still having a lot of nausea and vomiting. We are trying to get the internist to talk to us and let us know his thoughts on what's going on with Dad's GI tract and if there's hope it will resolve. It seems the only doctor willing to take the time to talk to us is the cardiothoracic surgeon.

In the meantime, we are meeting with the Veteran's Administration to get Dad's name on the list for the rehab center in Pocatello. It's a much cleaner, better rehab center than where he's at and he may as well use any benefits he can get from the V.A.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Murry and I went to see Dad today. Since the visitation policies at Portneuf Care and Rehab are much more relaxed than the hospital, Patty and Brianna also made a visit. Dad was not having a good day. He said he didn't feel well and didn't feel like even trying to talk. He was nauseous and having pain in his abdomen.

We thought that seeing Brianna for the first time in a month would maybe lift his spirits, and maybe it did....it's just hard to tell. He smiled at her, held her hand for a couple of minutes, but then just went back to sleep. I would like to be able to report more, but Mom's not too talkative these days. We are all just taking things a day at a time.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I was more encouraged with Dad's progress tonight than I have been since his surgery. He looked good (other than the fact he's still in a hospital bed). He was awake, alert and his speech was more normal than I've heard in a long time. He was able to describe his physical therapy session today and we discussed what he needs to do to get out of rehab and back home. He said at first he was angry with Mom for putting him in that place, but now he realizes why she had to. He realizes he has to work hard so he can go home. He was a lot more positive tonight than he has been in a long time.