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!