Thursday

Blood test and chest xray...check
Got to the first appointment with 60 seconds to spare...check
Didn't raise blood pressure enough...dang it!
Doc said he didn't need to see Dad for 60 days...check
Got to the 2nd appointment early...check
Didn't raise BP though....dang it!
NP (didn't rate a pulmonologist) said that slight improvement in BOOP...check
Didn't lower steroid dose though...dang it!
Need another xray in 30 days...check

Other than Dad worrying about getting there on time, the doctors appts. went well. Low BP is only concern, but the meds he is taking that may be causing it are more beneficial to his heart in other ways so we will just keep an eye out on BP.

God is good!

Wednesday

Yesterday morning, Dad had a little trouble getting out of bed. He did a little rocking to get to the side of the bed and up and off the "springy" mattress. This may have triggered a bout of Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This is nothing new for Dad. He has had episodes of varying length for several years. He took a half a tablet of meclizine and did the canalith repositioning procedure and was able to walk to the recliner in the den. He was drowsy most of the day from the meclizine but the vertigo dissipated. They didn't have any appointments for the day so it was just a lazy rest day.

Today the vertigo is gone and Dad feels much better. I went out to let Mom go the grocery store and ran into the PT who was doing his final paperwork before next weeks Medicare evaluation. He assured us that Dad would get another 60 days of PT and OT. It will probably go from 3 days a week to 2 but that is good news.

Dad's PT consisted of a full lap on the drive way around the house. They were on their way for a second lap and it started to sprinkle so they came back inside. I am sure that the aim was to get Dad used to uneven terrain and work on balance.

We had a good visit while Mom was at the grocery store. We go for our monthly doctor visits tomorrow. We are hoping for some med reduction.

God is good!

Saturday

It has been a good week for Mom and Dad. I really believe that some thresholds have been crossed and barring any set backs the next 30 to 60 days may be pivotal in regaining Independence. We are nearing the end of the first evaluation period for Medicare coverage for in home care. We are hoping and will be pushing for another 30 days of OT and PT.

The home health staff is dwindling. The nurse dismissed Dad, no need for her to continue coming. His OT has moved to Oregon and has not been replaced yet. He still has the aide and PT coming but the aide may be on her way out if Dad continues to improve.

Our gratitude is on going and fails to fill the debt that we owe to you and our Father.

A special thanks and prayer request for Mom and Dad's long time neighbors, the Childress family. Leslie extended the back door landing to make it easier for Dad to get in and out of the house. It has made a huge difference. However, his wife Betty was in a car accident this week and broke her neck. I think she got to come home this weekend but will have a long recovery. We ask for your prayers for them today.

God is good!

Thursday

This is a short clip of our Easter Feast.

Our granddaughter Adalynn will make the introductions.

Wednesday

It is a flamboyant day! After the ice disaster and cold rains and winds we finally have had a beautiful spring day. The azaleas and dogwood are flashing their blooms in the sunlight in a splendiforous array of colors! It would be a great day for a hike, so Dad and Dameon (PT) went for a walk around the house! I am elated. I was thinking before I dropped by that by hook or crook I was going to get him outside sometime this weekend.

I have been praying for a significant breakthrough in Dad's therapy, confident that at some point if would happen, but reticent in the knowledge that it would be a long time for any appreciable advancement would be recorded. While I was visiting, Dad got up to go to the bathroom, I was slack jawed. I can no longer call it a transfer from the chair to the walker, he got up and walked, not shuffled, walked to the bathroom. He still has some balance issues and will always need a walker or cane, but I can not believe how much stronger and confident he is since Easter. His decline was exponential and I hope that we have come to that point in recovery. If he can continue progress as he has in the last week, I don't think it will be long before we will be able to see the summit of this mountain he has had to climb. I told him how impressed I was and how proud I was of him, and Mom said holding in a tear, that she said that she thought he had turned a corner and for the first time she had hope. Wow...if that doesn't churn your gut, nothing will.

Mom said that she thinks the change in the inhaler had made a huge difference in his breathing. She said that they have even missed a treatment here and there with the albuterol and have not seen any adverse effects. I checked his pulse and listened to his heart with a stethoscope to see if I could tell if he might be in sinus rhythm, but in my civilian opinion, he is still in a-fib. We hope that when we see the doctor again that he may get the steroid reduced again. If we can get him off some of this medication, his progress may speed up even more.

Dad is so faithful in doing extra work both in PT and OT. He is taking over some of the daily chores such as putting on his socks and shoes. His right hand is still weak and not as coordinated as it should be, but he is constantly working on the exercise regimen laid out by the OT. The more he can do for himself the less Mom has to do.

Dad is starting to read more and make a lot of phone calls which is another indicator that he is returning to more normalcy.

I am grateful to God for His faithfulness to Mom and Dad and all of us. Mom and Dad still have so much to offer this kingdom on earth and I feel privileged to be an observer of God's creative genius at work!

God is good!

Saturday

Well I have been remiss in updating the blog lately and I apologize. There has not been much new to report and my work schedule has changed and I have had trouble getting into a routine. Every time I start feeling sorry for myself about changes at work, I remember those who have experienced an even more drastic change. You are in our prayers.

I spent some time with Dad on Friday while Mom went shopping. He is improving one muscle fiber at a time. The most noticeable change from my perspective is his demeanor and conversation. He is more animated and is back to discussing weighty issues and his favorite topic, family and friends. I don't remember if I mentioned that the doctor now thinks he had a small stroke during surgery that affected his right hand. Originally they told him that they had stretched a nerve during surgery and it had caused weakness in his hand. I relate this because his propensity and desire to write all of you is one of the casualties of this ordeal. In lieu of the writing, he has started to make phone calls between PT sessions and is trying to reach as many of you as possible. He probably will not get to everyone, but rest assured he is humbled by the on going concern, support and prayer he receives from you daily and wants you to know how much he appreciates the love you have expressed in so many ways.

Many of you including my siblings have asked me if I think Dad will get much better than he is now. I am not a prognosticator and will only say that goals are important but the journey toward those goals is life. If Mom and Dad and the rest of us can stay positive and find meaning in the journey, then the goal will find itself. Physically speaking, keeping the principle of inertia is important. A body at rest, stays at rest, a body in motion, stays in motion...come to think of it, inertia applies to the mind and soul as well!

Stay inertialized!

God is good!

Sunday

Happy Easter!
It was a very rainy blustery raw Sunday morning and I spoke with Mom to see what she thought about our plans for lunch at our house. We decided that it was just too much to try to get Dad out in the weather. After church there was a break in the rain and so Nathan and I went out and got Dad loaded up and we made it to our house without getting drenched.

All local and semi local family (we missed the rest of you sibs etal.) present and accounted for. Adam, Kelsey, Adalynn, Nathan, Rachel, Jordan, Hannah, Charlotte, Nancy, Madeline and I all had a wonderful meal together. It may not have been completely heart healthy, but our Hearts were sated.

God is good!

Wednesday

Dad has had a couple of good days. He has had a parade of therapists and nurses in and out suggesting this and that and performing their mandates. Mom talked to the pulmonologists nurse,(I guess he is just to busy to talk to a "dead man"). The nurse changed his inhaler prescription to eliminate the Ipratropium bromide. We will see if it has any effect on his breathing. Tonight I asked him if he could tell a difference and he said that there might be a slight change. Mom said that she thought he slept better last night.

I reminded them that the CHF that he has is not reversible and it may be that since his heart is only working at 20% efficiency that he will just have to be careful and watch his salt and fluid intake and watch for edema and other symptoms. We sure don't want to have to go back on lasix.

He looked good tonight and we had a good visit. We are hoping that this weekend will not be too stormy so that Mom and Dad can eat Easter lunch with us. We hope to have a house full.

It has been 98 days since we started this saga. A look back reminds us how far he has come. Where will we be in another 90 days? I don't know, but I enjoyed our time together today.

We are praying for my cousin Sarah's son Andrew, who is having knee surgery in Little Rock Thursday. Andrew is a student athlete at Ouachita and hurt his knee during spring practice. Hopefully it will go well and he will rehab quickly. God's speed Andrew.

God is good!

Monday

Charlotte and I had a good visit with Mom and Dad Sunday afternoon. I am always glad to get the medical Q&A out of the way so we can talk about other things.

Dad exercised quite a bit yesterday and the shortness of breath is still pestering him. I have researched the symptom extensively and while there are numerous possible causes that could be probable for Dad, most have been looked at by the doctors and dismissed. We hope to get an answer on the xray today and ask some questions. Dad is using an Combivent inhaler which is supposed to relax his bronchial track for this BOOP. From what I have read it can actually do the opposite, so I want to check that out.

God is good!

Saturday

Dad has had a couple of worrisome days. Everything has been normal with the exception of some breathing problems. He has had episodes of shallow breathing. It is disconcerting especially after getting such a good report from the pulmonologist. I told Mom not to hesitate to call 911 if an episode becomes prolonged.

I mowed his lawn and came home and mowed mine. While I was mowing, Cindy called and spoke to Charlotte. She had just gotten off the phone with Dad and was concerned that he was breathing so heavily during their conversation. I called to check on him and he said that everything was the same as when I was there earlier. I suggested that he try to sit in a regular chair or the wheel chair some and to watch his salt intake. I guess we will follow up Monday if things have not changed.

God is good!

Thursday

Jamie III arrived around noon bearing Mexican meatloaf and other things to nosh on. Dad said, "Now I can taste this!" Jamie said that he ate a lot.

The first appointment today was with Dad's primary care doctor. He had some lab work done and vitals checked. They discussed the weakness in his legs and the sleep aid. The PCP told Dad that the med mix he is taking may be exacerbating the lethargy and weakness at night. He suggested that he take the prescription medication around the evening meal and wait to take the sleep aid at bedtime. Overall the PCP was pleased with Dad's condition and told him he would see him in 30 days.

The pulmonologist is in the same building and just a short jump. Dad had a chest xray and waited for the Doc. I think this is the first time that Dad has seen this doctor since he prescribed the pednisone for the Boop at Regency. He told Dad that he didn't think he would see Dad again! It seems that every doctor involved with Dad's case didn't give Dad a chance of pulling through.

When I talked to Dad, he said that it made him wonder why he was still here. I told him it was to humble the Dr.s and show them that they need to be careful about prejudicial-prognosis. I guess faith vanquished their self fulfilling prophetics.

Anyway, he tapered the steroid dosage again which hopefully will have some positive consequences, both physically and emotionally. There are so many side effects associated with steroids that counter measures have to be taken to minimize the complications that can occur.

Barring any surprises from the xray, Dad got another glowing report. We shouldn't have to come back for 30 days.

I am off for a couple of days and hope to spend some time with Mom and Dad and have a frank discussion on how they feel they are fairing at home and their assessment of the home care so far.

Dad had a good day, and once again I am thankful for my sibling's help in providing all kinds of assistance.

Job.13
[1] "Lo, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
[2] What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
[3] But I would speak to the Almighty,
and I desire to argue my case with God.
[4] As for you, you whitewash with lies;
worthless physicians are you all.
[5] Oh that you would keep silent,
and it would be your wisdom!

Luke.17
[19] And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
(for our physician friends, I am reminded that Luke was a doctor)

Wednesday

Tuesday 11:30 pm the phone rang, I scrambled to find the phone and the battery was dead. I located the second handset and the caller ID was Mom and Dad. "Hello?" I said in earnest, hoping that it was not the last ring before the machine picked up. Mom was on the other end of the line, "I need your help, your Dad's legs won't hold him up long enough to get him into bed and I can't wheel him to the bedroom." (Sigh of relief) "I'll be there in 5 minutes".

I grab the keys and head for the homestead. When I get there, I find Dad in the wheel chair sitting on the edge slumped over. He is groggy and pale. I get him to sit up and get him situated in the chair so he won't slide out into the floor and assess the situation. He told me that he had been short of breath part of the afternoon and evening but would not let Mom call me or 911. Mom said that when he tried to walk to the bedroom he just couldn't make it, his legs just wouldn't hold him up. He got to the wheel chair but Mom didn't have the strength to wheel him over the little step to the kitchen. I wheeled him to the bedroom and got him transferred to the bed. We got him undressed and with a little effort got him situated comfortably. He was asleep almost before we left the room.

I asked Mom to give me a run down of the day. He didn't have any PT or OT but did have the nurse drop by to take vitals and check the leg wound. He had exercised on his own with leg weights and had walked some. He had taken a sleeping aid about an hour before I got there along with the rest of his evening meds. He had vegetable soup for lunch and dinner with various side dishes including peanut butter crackers. I could tell this incident was wearing on Mom.

Dad was blaming the NPH for the weakness, and it may have been part of the equation, but she doesn't need to let him dictate what action she takes. She had a worried look on her face, and I feel verklempt. I told her not to let him do a self diagnosis but instead call me or 911 if she had any doubts. I suggested that she give him the sleep aid after he was in bed or just before he was ready to go to bed because he seemed very groggy to me and was not as responsive as usual. I told Mom I would be happy to stay there if she wanted me to but she said that she thought he would be fine now. I checked on him before I left and found him sleeping and breathing "normally". I went home but didn't sleep very well.

He was doing "okay" this morning and tried to cancel PT because he had the Dr. visit in the afternoon. Dameon, the PT, came anyway and was filled in about the nocturnal episode. He expressed concern that Dad wasn't getting stronger as fast as he hoped but gave Dad a workout anyway. (Dameon is proactive and I appreciate that) Dad survived and was up and ready when I got there at 2:30 to take him to the Dr. He made the walk and transfer to the van without any problem.

We got right in to see the "Dr" (actually his nurse) and she checked his leg wound and pronounced it healed. We don't have to dress it anymore or wear the support hose. I asked her to check his blood pressure and listen to his lungs after relating the incident of the previous evening. She said that everything sounded good and his BP was about perfect. She told him to be patient and that it would just take a while to regain his strength. She told him that he didn't have to come back to them any more. One down, 2 to go. He transferred to the van without any problem and we got back home without incident.

Tomorrow is round 2 with the Dr.s and Jamie III is supposed to be here to assist. I think I got the point across to call me as soon as they needed help. It is hard for them to get over thinking that I am being inconvenienced. Hopefully we are over that hump, even if the one from the den to the kitchen is still a problem.

I hope that this is just one of those daze, and that they can move past it and keep making progress. I know that assisted living is lurking in the back of their minds. It is a tight rope that we are walking, as far as what is best for both of them. My focus has shifted a little more to Mom.


Some "foolish" scipture:

Prov.11
[29] He who troubles his household will inherit wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.

Prov.17
[28] Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; (Opps...I am what I am)
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

1Cor.3
[18] Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

1Cor.4
[10] We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.

May we all be "fools for Christ"!

God is good!