I forgot to mention... Friday, Jenn, Don & children left for a week's vacation. They generously let Chris have Jenn's car for the week. As it turns out, Chris can't use it now, but I sure could. My van lost its rear lights for some crazy reason, so I couldn't drive it at night. Got it into the mechanic's & found out it was some module or other that was going. Rob, our mechanic, wouldn't let me drive it because he said the rest of the lights could go at any time making for a dangerous situation. (no brake lights or signals) Thank goodness I had the use of Jenn's car.. even if she didn't know it.

It's been forever since I last posted anything. Not that there is a lot of things to post!

Dad is still in the hospital, although he's now at St. Joseph's rehabilitation centre. They have to pay for that privilege & for those of you who know my dad, you know he's not overly happy about that.

During his stay in hospital, I've discovered that the pain in his legs that he has been complaining about for a couple of years was probably from a slipped disc. Too bad he neglected to tell his doctor about that.

He had a funny gait before he went into hospital which we thought was because of the "pain" he was in. When he was walking with his physio-therapist I noticed that he kept tripping over that foot. When I questioned him about it, he said he could not pick his foot up... that triggered the memory about the slipped disc. I put 2 & 2 together & came up with slipped disc damaging nerve resulting in "drop-foot".

I talked with the therapist about that & he said that is probably what has happened & because it has been so long since it started, Dad would probably not get the proper use of his foot back.

Tom had "drop-foot" years ago after surgery on his knee, but because he had prompt treatment, has total use back again. He had a splint to help keep the foot up & I asked Dad's therapist if he could get something like that too.

Dad has had one made specifically for him & he now walks better than he has in a long time. He still gets quite winded of course but he is gradually gaining strength.

He was home last Saturday, for the day. Mom says it wasn't long before he wanted to go back to the hospital. Crazy character! He had to wait though because Tom & I had other, more urgent calls on our time.

Christine was taken to hospital on Saturday & ended up having an appendectomy. She came out of hospital Sunday night. Chris & Brianna are staying with us until Chris is well enough to take care of Brianna.

CALGON... TAKE ME AWAY!!!!

It's been a busy week. In the mornings I have been trying to weed my gardens, then off to the hospital to see Dad. I have weeded, roto-tilled & planted all the back gardens, mowed the back lawn, partly weeded the front garden, & hopefully I will get the rest of the front finished before the weekend. Ann is going to be here tonight so that I can take her to the hospital for her angioplasty tomorrow morning. She will be staying with us until Friday. Jim & Muriel arrive Friday... not sure what time though & Kelly-Ann's wedding on Saturday. Never a dull moment around here!

When we went to the hospital on Monday, Dad was using oxygen again. He wasn't feeling up to snuff obviously. Yesterday he was hooked back up to an IV for antibiotics. They think he's got pneumonia again or still. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in quickly. He might be moved to a rehab hospital in the next week or two, so that will make him feel better too. I'm not sure if they will move him until he's clear of any pneumonia. oh well.. back to work I go! :-)

Nothing much new to report on Dad's condition. He's still quite weak. Some days are better than others. His breathing was bad yesterday & he had further x-rays. He's short tempered... oh wait.. that's normal :-)

Doreen left on Saturday. I still have some busy days coming up helping Tom's sister Ann. She has some appointments at the hospital & I will be taking her to them. We also have a wedding coming up on the 10th & Tom's brother Jim & his wife Muriel will be staying with us. I am really looking forward to their visit as they are always a pleasure to have around. It also means a weekend off hospital visits for me :-) I think Terry will take over when he knows I won't be available. He came down & took Mom to the hospital on Sat. I took the opportunity to do some gardening. (There's still tons of weeds in the gardens if anyone wants to volunteer to help hehehehe... ) On Sunday, Terry came back down again & did the gardens at Mom's. They look great & Mom is so pleased too.

May 22.
Dad was sitting in a chair when we got to the hospital this afternoon. He could barely hold himself up, but at least he was out of bed. He needed a LOT of help getting back into bed of course & was huffing & puffing a lot then. None of his muscles are working well. He has probably lost about 50 lbs. (he could afford it) but now that he is on a regular diet, he might put some back on. He is very wheezy which is why he is still in the step-down-unit. I wish they would move him out to the ward because he can't have a tv where he is & the days are very long & boring for him. He has no memory of the past 2 weeks & very few of the week he was in for the pneumonia. I find his short-term memory is not all that good either. He keeps asking the same questions.. even when I've answered them a short time earlier. But I'm sure that is normal after what he has been through & it will eventually get better. When Dad first came out of his "sleep" he could not hear anything unless you leaned in close. He was still a little confused about things too .. not really understanding some things you were telling him etc. I'm wondering how much he heard & understood from that doctor regarding the tracheotomy etc.

Mom is coping ok but this is starting to wear her down. She has not fully recovered from her ordeal. Her memory isn't what it was. I'm not sure if that was already fading somewhat before her accident & I didn't notice it or if this is a new thing. No point in asking Terry as he hasn't been around her as much as I have been. (until recently) He's been coming down quite often since Dad was in hospital. I think the seriousness of Dad's condition has made him realize how vulnerable our parents are.

Doreen leaves here on Saturday. She's not been any trouble at all & I've enjoyed her visit.

We have our small group here tonight. Doreen is going over to Mom's for supper & we will bring her back here after small group. I'm looking forward to getting together with the group again.

Here are a few pictures of the spring flowers in my front & back gardens. I'm not the photographer Carolynn is nor do I have as good a camera, but I think these turned out ok anyway

HE'S OUT OF ICU!!

It's hard to believe, but he was moved to the step-down unit this afternoon. No more tubes, IV only when meds are given. His head is much clearer now too. He has no memory of the past few weeks. He can vaguely remember being in for pneumonia but that's as far as it goes. At least he doesn't remember any pain so that's a blessing. I've had to tell him some things that happened. He was really upset when I told him about having to be tied down & why. He was afraid he had hurt someone. We assured him no one was hurt but he was still upset by it. A nurse came in & talked to him about it & I think he was satisfied then. He's able to sit up a little more (with support), but at least he's not sliding down the bed now. His mind is still a little muddled. He is positive that he has been working on a computer program & it's been hard to convince him that he has not had a computer there. He also says he hasn't slept at all in the past couple of weeks. He's obviously been dreaming & it explains why he was always on about the computer whenever we could get anything out of him.

God is so good & He is the Great Physician. Thank you Lord.

Yesterday afternoon Dad got the breathing tube removed. We got there just after he had it out. He was awake, talking (sort of) more aware of his surroundings & asking when he could go home. His throat was VERY sore of course, but other than that he seemed fine. About an hour later, the nurse sat him up at the side of his bed. He is so weakened he could not hold himself up at all.. including his head. By the time he lay back down, he was tired & went to sleep.

Today was a much different day. He was sleeping when we arrived but woke up. He was very much awake... talking, laughing, joking. What a great sight to see. He said... "I'm going to be here for at least another week" "well yeah you are Dad.. probably more like 2 or 3 weeks depending on how long it takes to get your strength back!" He did say he was not going to rush things though, which I was happy to hear. Sure don't want him coming home too soon & Nana ending up with more than she can handle... which is not very much.. she has enough looking after herself.

The tube that went up Poppa's nose & into his stomach has now been removed & he is able to have a little fluid. I think they will gradually introduce solids, but it might be a few days yet.

His nurse also ordered rehab for him right away. It's going to take some time to rebuild those muscles but I can see it starting already. He can now turn his head from side to side & he can hold up his right hand for a short time. The left still has IV in it & he doesn't seem to want to move it too much. I think it is painful.

Funny how things suddenly turned around. One minute I could see him fading away & the next I can see him coming home. I think Nana & Poppa will have to move though. I don't think either one of them will ever be well enough to care for themselves AND a home. It's too bad too because I think Nana really likes this house & will probably be sorry to have to leave it. But she can't do much cooking now & Poppa won't be able to for quite a while I'm sure.

But that's for the future... we'll just take the days as they come. Finally good news to report to you all so you can breathe a collective sigh of relief! I think we will all sleep good tonight.

Doreen is doing well too.. she's getting more exercise than she has had for a while I think. Lots of walking in the hospital & we have stairs she has to climb here (as little as possible hehehehe) But all in all, I think she is happy she came & although it has been a little extra for me to cope with, I've enjoyed her being here too.

Guess that's it for now. Talk to ya later!

It's out! The breathing tube came out this afternoon & Dad was breathing on his own. He's really huffing & puffing though & the doctor just said that he hoped Dad could continue to breathe on his own & improve somewhat, otherwise it has to go back in & a tracheotomy scheduled. He was also awake & trying to talk again. His throat is sore (of course) & his voice is really gruff. It will be a few days before the sore throat goes away. He wanted to know when he can get out of the hospital. He expected to be home long before now. Like the day after surgery! The nurse had him sit at the side of the bed with his feet dangling down, but she had to hold him up.. he's as weak as a kitten.

As I suspected, the day was just a lovely gift for us. Yesterday Dad was back to the way he was before. He will follow commands, but that's about as far as it goes. They were supposed to take the breathing tube out yesterday, but they hadn't done it by the time we left. We'll find out this afternoon, when we go in, if they tried it or not & if he succeeded on sustaining breathing on his own. I doubt it very much as his lungs are so weakened now. They were trying to wean him off the breathing tube, & it was very noticeable .. he was having a harder time breathing. If he can't breathe on his own, the tube will be put back in & the tracheotomy performed within the next couple of days. Another surgery, another risk.

I am still glad that the decision on his care has been taken out of my/our hands. In spite of knowing that we were deciding what we thought he wanted & what we thought was best for him, (knowing what his future is) I know I would still be second-guessing & thinking the "what ifs". Now I don't have to.

Sure wish I had better news to tell you.

We had a huge surprise yesterday. Got a phone call from Dad's nurse. He suddenly woke up & was asking for us. We got there & sure enough he was AWAKE!! He wrote things down.. joking & all. Very weak but pretty much aware of most things & a little confused on others. It was great for Doreen (Dad's sister) too as she was with us when the phone call came in & was already going to see Dad.

Another dr came in & he went over things with Dad. & we are going by his wishes... & they are that if he can't breathe, to go on the tracheotomy. So that is what is going to happen. At the same time they put in the trach., they are also going to put in a tube into his stomach so he can be fed that way & get rid of the nasal tube too. He should be more comfortable with it. I'm not sure Dad understood that this will probably be a permanent thing. I think he thinks this will enable him to go home. He was also told that he could die on the operating table & if so, does he want them to try to restart his heart again. Once again he indicated that yes he did. I am so happy that this decision has been removed from us. We are all in agreement there. However, if things don't go right & something happens that Poppa goes into a coma, loses brain function or something like that, we have agreed that no further "heroic" measures will be done. The breathing tube will be coming out in a couple of days. If he cannot breathe on his own, it will be reinserted & surgery will be scheduled a.s.a.p. for the trach & other tube. That's as it stands right now.

We are looking at Dad suddenly waking up like that as a gift to us. Whether it continues or not, we will just wait & see. I'm just sorry that Terry & Wendy didn't have the opportunity to see him like that too. Hopefully he will be awake tomorrow & they can see him tomorrow night if they come.

That's all the info for now.

Not good news to report today unfortunately.

Dad had a CT scan yesterday & we had a chat with the doctor today about the results. He does have a blockage in the small intestines, but it's not completely blocked. The doctor thinks that in time it will sort itself out & there is no need to pursue this further. However, he said that in a few days, Dad's breathing tube has to be removed & if he can't breathe on his own, we have to make the choice to have it re-inserted for another few days after which a tracheotomy will have to be performed or do we let him go? I can't see Dad being hooked up to a ventilator for the short time he has left. I knew this day was coming, but I am still in shock.

Years ago, Dad was put on oxygen. He took himself off it & said he'd never have it again. Hooking him up to a machine to breathe for him seems unjust somehow. And keeping this breathing tube going doesn't seem right either. But, at the same time, taking the breathing support away & letting him go when he's not in a coma or brain-dead also doesn't seem right. It is a dilema that we will have to work out. I'm pretty sure I know dad's wishes on this & Mom is too. I will be talking with the doctor/nurse more today. I want to get as many facts as possible before making a final decision.

Tonight, Terry, Wendy, Mom, Tom, myself & Doreen are getting together to discuss this & come up with a unanimous decision in case Dad can't breathe on his own. I'm pretty sure we are all on the same page, but I wanted to really talk it out to be sure. No regrets. Tom & I have both Mom's & Dad's power of attorney so the end decision is ours, but I would prefer to not have to use it. I also want to give Dad as much of a chance as I can, but we already know that he is suffering even though he cannot talk & is rarely awake long enough (without a lot of discomfort) to say anything anyway.

That's about all I can tell you at the moment. It will be a few days before they attempt taking out the breathing tube & they will let us know ahead of time when they plan to do it so we can be there.

We didn't get much of a chance to visit Dad today. He was sleeping when we first arrived which is what they want him to do. He suddenly woke up but you could tell it was because something was bothering him. Just at that time, the fire alarm went off which meant we had to leave the unit & go to the waiting rooms. After a while in there, the "all clear" was sounded & most people went back to see the rooms. I said to wait a couple of minutes to let the rush finish before making our way back. Good thing I did because the fire alarm went off again. This was not a drill but the real thing. It was a "code red" in the burn unit of all places! By the time the "all clear" was sounded again, I figured Dad was probably back to sleep so we came home.

When we got home last night from our small group, there was a message on the phone from Dad's sister, Doreen. All she said was "I'm coming as soon as I can".. She called again this afternoon with her flight information. She'll be here tomorrow morning at 11:30! She's going to be here for a couple of weeks! I told her that only immediate family... Mom, Terry & myself are allowed in the ICU to see Dad. She'll be staying with me because I know she won't be any help to Mom. Mom would have to wait on her all the time. For the time being we aren't going to let Doreen in to see Dad. The biggest reason I didn't want Doreen to see him is that Dad is convinced he's not going to be going home & we've been trying to convince him he is. If he sees Doreen, he's going to think that we weren't telling him the truth & he will give up fighting.

Pray for me.. I'm gonna need it!

Dad seemed to be doing better yesterday. He woke up while we were there & he managed to communicate a little using gestures & a lot of guess work on our part. It has to be frustrating for him though when we can't figure out what he wants. I'm going to take in some paper & pen ..hopefully he will be able to write down what he wants to say. I'll post later when I get home.

I'm still posting for mom - Carolynn

Sunday... Dad is still under heavy sedation & he still has the breathing tube in. He hardly blinked the whole time Mom & I were there. He still has the restraints on in case he tries to get up again. The nurse said she thinks it was the steroids that Dad has been given that have made him agitated. They will be starting to decrease the tranquilizers soon & hopefully he won't have any more of those episodes.

For some reason my mom is having trouble posting on her blog. So, in order for everyone to know what is going on she's been posting in her comments. I however, am able to break into her blog and post this for her. - Carolynn

Saturday - Dad has had to have the breathing tube re-inserted as his lungs were not as clear as yesterday. Mom & I could not get in to see him as he had become extremely agitated this morning & it took 4 men to hold him down. He almost brought some heavy equipment down on top of him. He is now sedated & in restraints. Fortunately he did not hurt himself nor anyone else, but it sure didn't help any.

UPDATE ON DAD...

Yesterday (Thurs.) Dad had his surgery. He did amazingly well but was still very ill. The next week is when any infection might set in, but each day means further away from that chance.

Today, he was a lot better. Of course, having the breathing tube removed might be a big reason for that. This morning his left lung was a little crackly but later this afternoon that was greatly improved. There is a chance that he will be moved out of ICU tomorrow. He's not really lucid because of the pain medication he's on, but you can sometimes make some sense about what he is trying to say. SOMETIMES!! They tried to reduce the amount of pain meds he was getting, but it took them 2 hrs to get it back under control, so it might take a while. Dad doesn't exactly have the highest level of pain tolerance either. That's about all I can think of at the moment. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add to it. Thanks for all your prayers. I know they have helped a lot.

Here we go again. My dad was admitted to hospital this morning with pneumonia. He was told he'd be in for a few days. Here's hoping it is only a few days!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY PAIGE!

We had a great time at Paige's birthday party this evening. It was noisy but fun to watch all those little ones enjoying themselves. One of the girls gave Gord (Paige's other Grandpa) a little purse to hold. He's such a good sport he held onto it for a while. After a couple of tries, I finally captured him with it!

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TOM!

While we were doing the renovations to our bathroom, the girls were planning a surprise birthday for Tom. It was soooo hard to keep from saying anything, especially when Tom wanted to take a break from the renovations or to continue with our other project (which would really make a mess). Jim & Muriel were going to be staying overnight with us & I sure didn't want all that mess for then. It was hard enough to not do too much in preparation without the extra mess of pulling up the 1/4 round from all of upstairs.

I'm not sure how much of a surprise it was for Tom. I have the feeling someone let it slip, but it was the people who came that was the real surprise for him, like Jim & Muriel from Ohio, or his cousin Pat from London, Pauline, Ken & Megan from Caledon.

Here are pictures of some of the people who came.