May 14, 2008
Sorry to be so far behind on updating the blog. When Daddy is in the hospital, things just don't run smoothly around here at all.
As expected, Daddy wasn't released on Sunday either; but on Monday when we arrived at the hospital, he was convinced that he was being released that day. However, a check with the nurse quickly quashed that hope. On Sunday they put a portable 24-hour heart monitor on him and they needed to get the readings from it before he could be released. So he resigned himself to the fact that it would be Tuesday at the earliest for him to go home.
Sure enough, the nurse called fairly early Tuesday morning to tell us that Dr. John had discharged him. It wasn't much later that Daddy himself called to say he could go home. By the time we got there he was dressed and sitting in a chair reading, waiting patiently for us to arrive. Before we even got out of the hospital he was asking where we were going to eat. Honestly, he really IS like a teenage boy - always hungry! I guess if you don't eat for three and a half weeks, once you finally feel better, you have to make up for lost time. We took him to Smitty's - a local family restaurant - where he ate an omelette and TWO pancakes. See what I mean???
Halfway home we discovered that his IV port had not been removed. Some nurse certainly wasn't paying very good attention. I started calling Dr. John's office on the way home, but could never get through. Finally this morning I connected with them and we had to take Daddy to the office to have the port removed. I don't think Dr. John was very happy with the nursing staff at the hospital!
Last night I spent the night at Daddy's; tonight (Wednesday) Arend is there. I am a bit apprehensive about leaving him home alone after what happened last week. He doesn't want to be at our house, so that means we are taking turns staying with him 24/7 at his house. From past experience we know how tiring that can be for both of us, so I think we will try to wean him (and ourselves) off of that soon (read "once I get over my anxiety about leaving him by himself"). We know that the time will probably come when we will have to move him into our home - to maintain everyone's sanity.
Today Daddy has been very good. He is able to walk with the standard walker better than yesterday, so that is progress. He is also able to get up from the sofa without help (most of the time) which is great. Hopefully he will continue to improve and soon be back to where he was a week ago.
Daddy had a nice little chat with Noah on the phone tonight which brightened his day immensely. Noah loves to talk on the phone and we love talking to him, too. We have a new appreciation for how much my parents enjoyed talking to our boys when they were growing up. I wish I could figure out how to turn one of Noah's messages to us into our Call Answer message. It is SO cute!
The frustrating thing about all of this is that we still don't know what is wrong with him. Arend and I both think that this episode was a repeat of what happened on February 14th, but that isn't much help since the doctors weren't able to determine what caused that seizure either.
And so we continue somewhat in the dark, but we know that our Father in Heaven has the answer and in His own time He will reveal it to us and to the doctors. The "fixer" part of me hopes that won't take too long!
Till next time,
Willa Dale
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Round Three - Part Two
May 10, 2008
Charles arrived in Ridgetown Friday night about 11 o'clock. He decided to avoid the rush hour traffic by leaving later in the evening. I think that was a smart move, but it worried us a bit that he was so late arriving. He and Arend went to Daddy's fairly soon after Charles arrived to work on Daddy's computer. While he isn't really interested in using the Internet, he still would like to use his computer to write letters since he receives so many from friends in Pennsylvania. It's all fixed now so he will have something to "play with" when he comes home from the hospital.
Yes, you read that correctly. He isn't home yet. He was disappointed when we arrived there just after noon today because it had become clear that he wasn't going home at least till tomorrow. We are guessing that it will probably be Monday at the earliest since tests aren't usually done in hospitals on the weekends. The doctor told him this morning that they don't know what is wrong with him, but they are going to find out. Right now it appears that they are testing him for diabetes since they keep checking his blood sugar. We really don't know anything about blood sugar numbers but his have ranged between 6.1 and 8.6 over the last 24 hours. He is on an IV to help re-hydrate his body and is being encouraged to drink a lot more than he has been drinking. Having a Tim Hortons in the hospital makes it a bit easier to get him to drink more because he likes Tim's decaf coffee.
He was very happy to visit with Charles whom he hadn't seen since Easter. The four of us talked for nearly five hours straight. From that you can tell that he is feeling pretty good which makes it even more frustrating that he is still in the hospital. We are hoping that they will find an answer before long.
We appreciated having Charles here for it gave us an opportunity to discuss what we need to do to continue to care for Daddy once he is released from the hospital again. We bounced a lot of ideas around and have come to some good conclusions that we think will work out well for all concerned.
What a blessing it is to be able to talk to your children as adults! Our sons have been very helpful in talking with us about what is going on with their granddaddy and how all of us are coping with it. When your children are little, you don't think about the fact that they will (all too quickly) be adults and be able to talk to you on equal terms. And then, suddenly, there you are with four adult sons who love and care for you and for each other and have a mature view of the world. Wow! My mother was right!
Our thankfulness to the Lord continues unbounded. He has watched over Daddy and over the health care professionals who are working with him. We are confident that He will continue to hold us in His hands and give us the strength we need to cope with what He has given us.
We thank all of you for your support, too. It is wonderful to enjoy the communion of saints!
Till next time,
Willa Dale
Charles arrived in Ridgetown Friday night about 11 o'clock. He decided to avoid the rush hour traffic by leaving later in the evening. I think that was a smart move, but it worried us a bit that he was so late arriving. He and Arend went to Daddy's fairly soon after Charles arrived to work on Daddy's computer. While he isn't really interested in using the Internet, he still would like to use his computer to write letters since he receives so many from friends in Pennsylvania. It's all fixed now so he will have something to "play with" when he comes home from the hospital.
Yes, you read that correctly. He isn't home yet. He was disappointed when we arrived there just after noon today because it had become clear that he wasn't going home at least till tomorrow. We are guessing that it will probably be Monday at the earliest since tests aren't usually done in hospitals on the weekends. The doctor told him this morning that they don't know what is wrong with him, but they are going to find out. Right now it appears that they are testing him for diabetes since they keep checking his blood sugar. We really don't know anything about blood sugar numbers but his have ranged between 6.1 and 8.6 over the last 24 hours. He is on an IV to help re-hydrate his body and is being encouraged to drink a lot more than he has been drinking. Having a Tim Hortons in the hospital makes it a bit easier to get him to drink more because he likes Tim's decaf coffee.
He was very happy to visit with Charles whom he hadn't seen since Easter. The four of us talked for nearly five hours straight. From that you can tell that he is feeling pretty good which makes it even more frustrating that he is still in the hospital. We are hoping that they will find an answer before long.
We appreciated having Charles here for it gave us an opportunity to discuss what we need to do to continue to care for Daddy once he is released from the hospital again. We bounced a lot of ideas around and have come to some good conclusions that we think will work out well for all concerned.
What a blessing it is to be able to talk to your children as adults! Our sons have been very helpful in talking with us about what is going on with their granddaddy and how all of us are coping with it. When your children are little, you don't think about the fact that they will (all too quickly) be adults and be able to talk to you on equal terms. And then, suddenly, there you are with four adult sons who love and care for you and for each other and have a mature view of the world. Wow! My mother was right!
Our thankfulness to the Lord continues unbounded. He has watched over Daddy and over the health care professionals who are working with him. We are confident that He will continue to hold us in His hands and give us the strength we need to cope with what He has given us.
We thank all of you for your support, too. It is wonderful to enjoy the communion of saints!
Till next time,
Willa Dale
Friday, May 9, 2008
Round Three
May 9, 2008
Just when we thought things were just about back to normal, POOF, and we are into "Round Three"!
Arend stopped by Daddy's this morning to tell him that I wouldn't be there until later in the morning. (I'm not sure why we decided that he would stop by rather than calling. I think it was God's Hand guiding us.) What he found when he walked into Daddy's house was Daddy lying on the kitchen floor unconscious. Arend called me and I went right over and decided that we needed to call 9-1-1. The ambulance was there almost before Arend hung up the phone! That's the advantage of having an ambulance depot in town, I guess.
We weren't really sure what had happened, but as the morning progressed the whole thing became clearer. Apparently Daddy had gotten up and made himself a cup of coffee and put out the peanut butter, jam and margarine for his toast. He didn't make the toast, though. He started feeling a little weak and decided that he should sit down. He was leaning against the counter and just slid down the cabinet till he was seated on the floor. That is how Arend found him. Daddy does not remember losing consciousness.
He was still not responsive when I got there (we only live three blocks away, so it only took me a couple of minutes to get there), but when I started to talk to him I could tell that he was trying to respond to me. The more I talked to him, the more responsive he became; but he definitely wasn't "normal". His eyes were just "blank" and he didn't really talk.
When the paramedics arrived, they first checked his blood sugar (normal) and his blood pressure (high for him, but high-end normal for most people). They were able to talk to him but he wasn't making a lot of sense. Since they weren't sure exactly what injuries he had sustained, they decided to put him on a back board and in a neck brace before they put him on the stretcher. This involved securing the brace with long pieces of tape that wrapped around the brace and the back board. Daddy fought the paramedics like crazy trying to keep the tape off. He also pulled off the oxygen mask. All the while he was moaning and groaning.
The paramedics asked for one of us to ride in the ambulance with him to keep him calm. Arend usually has a more calming effect on people, so he was the one who went in the ambulance. As it turned out, I probably should have gone instead since Daddy kept asking for me all the way to the hospital. I followed in our car. "Followed" is probably not the best term. The ambulance doesn't have to adhere to speed limits, so it was at the hospital quite a bit ahead of me.
By the time we saw him in "Emerge" he was very alert, his eyes were clear and he knew exactly where he was and what was going on. It was Daddy who told the nurse and doctor (and Arend and me) what had happened, and he was quite clear about it. It was truly amazing!
After a myriad of tests and x-rays, they decided to keep him overnight in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) for observation. He was fine with that as long as they promised to feed him! That was a definite indication that he was fine. When he isn't feeling well, he doesn't eat. Today he ate everything that was put in front of him - including pears which he doesn't really care for at all. He even sent me to Tim Hortons (like Dunkin' Donuts in the U. S.) for a coffee and doughnut after he finished his dinner tonight! Ever since he came home from the hospital in Port Huron he has been eating like a teen-age boy - something we have had a lot of experience with over the years!
We are hopeful that he will be able to come home again tomorrow (Saturday), but we are not sure how we will work things out. Perhaps we will have to go back to the 24/7 care of him. If so, we will either have to work out a better sleeping arrangement at his place or set up a bed for him on the first floor of our home because whoever slept over at his house before never got a truly restful sleep. That is something we will have to talk about tomorrow morning.
Off and on through today I have had a hymn running through my head. It happens to be one of my favourite hymns and seems to be quite appropriate to our situation.
If you but let the Father guide you,
Relying on His faithfulness,
He will be evermore beside you
In all your sorrow and distress.
He who on God Most High depends
Builds not his house of shifting sands.
How thankful we are that we may trust in the Father to be beside us and to guide us through this valley.
Till next time,
Willa Dale
Just when we thought things were just about back to normal, POOF, and we are into "Round Three"!
Arend stopped by Daddy's this morning to tell him that I wouldn't be there until later in the morning. (I'm not sure why we decided that he would stop by rather than calling. I think it was God's Hand guiding us.) What he found when he walked into Daddy's house was Daddy lying on the kitchen floor unconscious. Arend called me and I went right over and decided that we needed to call 9-1-1. The ambulance was there almost before Arend hung up the phone! That's the advantage of having an ambulance depot in town, I guess.
We weren't really sure what had happened, but as the morning progressed the whole thing became clearer. Apparently Daddy had gotten up and made himself a cup of coffee and put out the peanut butter, jam and margarine for his toast. He didn't make the toast, though. He started feeling a little weak and decided that he should sit down. He was leaning against the counter and just slid down the cabinet till he was seated on the floor. That is how Arend found him. Daddy does not remember losing consciousness.
He was still not responsive when I got there (we only live three blocks away, so it only took me a couple of minutes to get there), but when I started to talk to him I could tell that he was trying to respond to me. The more I talked to him, the more responsive he became; but he definitely wasn't "normal". His eyes were just "blank" and he didn't really talk.
When the paramedics arrived, they first checked his blood sugar (normal) and his blood pressure (high for him, but high-end normal for most people). They were able to talk to him but he wasn't making a lot of sense. Since they weren't sure exactly what injuries he had sustained, they decided to put him on a back board and in a neck brace before they put him on the stretcher. This involved securing the brace with long pieces of tape that wrapped around the brace and the back board. Daddy fought the paramedics like crazy trying to keep the tape off. He also pulled off the oxygen mask. All the while he was moaning and groaning.
The paramedics asked for one of us to ride in the ambulance with him to keep him calm. Arend usually has a more calming effect on people, so he was the one who went in the ambulance. As it turned out, I probably should have gone instead since Daddy kept asking for me all the way to the hospital. I followed in our car. "Followed" is probably not the best term. The ambulance doesn't have to adhere to speed limits, so it was at the hospital quite a bit ahead of me.
By the time we saw him in "Emerge" he was very alert, his eyes were clear and he knew exactly where he was and what was going on. It was Daddy who told the nurse and doctor (and Arend and me) what had happened, and he was quite clear about it. It was truly amazing!
After a myriad of tests and x-rays, they decided to keep him overnight in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) for observation. He was fine with that as long as they promised to feed him! That was a definite indication that he was fine. When he isn't feeling well, he doesn't eat. Today he ate everything that was put in front of him - including pears which he doesn't really care for at all. He even sent me to Tim Hortons (like Dunkin' Donuts in the U. S.) for a coffee and doughnut after he finished his dinner tonight! Ever since he came home from the hospital in Port Huron he has been eating like a teen-age boy - something we have had a lot of experience with over the years!
We are hopeful that he will be able to come home again tomorrow (Saturday), but we are not sure how we will work things out. Perhaps we will have to go back to the 24/7 care of him. If so, we will either have to work out a better sleeping arrangement at his place or set up a bed for him on the first floor of our home because whoever slept over at his house before never got a truly restful sleep. That is something we will have to talk about tomorrow morning.
Off and on through today I have had a hymn running through my head. It happens to be one of my favourite hymns and seems to be quite appropriate to our situation.
If you but let the Father guide you,
Relying on His faithfulness,
He will be evermore beside you
In all your sorrow and distress.
He who on God Most High depends
Builds not his house of shifting sands.
How thankful we are that we may trust in the Father to be beside us and to guide us through this valley.
Till next time,
Willa Dale
Saturday, May 3, 2008
A Good Day
Friday, May 2, was a good day!
Daddy had an appointment with Dr. Button, our family physician, in the morning. I had slept at home Thursday night and by the time I got to his house around 9:15, he was nearly ready to go. He had even eaten a good (lactose-free) breakfast. It took both Arend and me to get him to the car and then into the doctor's office even though Daddy is using a standard walker. We just don't want him "traipsing around" by himself.
Dr. Button was happy with the improvements he saw in Daddy. He wants to see him in four weeks with "more meat on your bones". We are certainly working on that. Thursday night he ate two servings of the meal Marlene had brought for us plus a piece of apple pie sans ice cream or cheddar cheese and a small bowl of yogurt. (For some reason, yogurt is okay on a lactose- free diet.)
When we were done at the doctor's, we took him home for his dose of antibiotic and then we were off to Chatham to the hospital lab for some lab work for Daddy. The lab work had been ordered by the doctor in Port Huron, but Dr. Button had to re-order it since the local lab couldn't accept an order from a "foreign" doctor. We will have the reports back on Monday, but we don't expect any surprises.
Before we had hardly left Ridgetown, Daddy was already asking about lunch. That's a good indication that he is feeling better! After the lab work, we went to Swiss Chalet for lunch. You should have seen him eat! A good-sized bowl of chicken noodle soup, half of a grilled chicken wrap and part of my French fries!
When we had finished lunch, we were headed home but Arend decided that we should detour to Cedar Springs (the local fruit growing area) and buy some apples. I was concerned that the trip was getting to be too much for Daddy, but he didn't seem to mind the side trip to Cedar Springs.
Finally at home again, Daddy was happy to go to his bedroom and sleep. But surprisingly he only slept for about an hour and then was up again till after our evening meal. I think that indicates that his body is finally healing and he will soon be able to get back into the routine to which we've become accustomed in the last ten months.
We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed all of us is such a wonderful way. A week ago we truly thought that he might not make it and yesterday he was sitting in a restaurant eating whatever was in front of him. The Lord is such an awesome God and we stand amazed at everything He has done in our lives. We certainly have been blessed beyond measure!
I learned a very good lesson in all of this. The Lord has told us that He will not give us more than we can handle. He has also told us to place our burdens on Him. With Daddy's illness I was able to do that much more easily than I ever have before. Our human nature makes us want to be "fixers", but that isn't the Lord's way. I understand that much more clearly now.
Till next time.
Willa Dale
Daddy had an appointment with Dr. Button, our family physician, in the morning. I had slept at home Thursday night and by the time I got to his house around 9:15, he was nearly ready to go. He had even eaten a good (lactose-free) breakfast. It took both Arend and me to get him to the car and then into the doctor's office even though Daddy is using a standard walker. We just don't want him "traipsing around" by himself.
Dr. Button was happy with the improvements he saw in Daddy. He wants to see him in four weeks with "more meat on your bones". We are certainly working on that. Thursday night he ate two servings of the meal Marlene had brought for us plus a piece of apple pie sans ice cream or cheddar cheese and a small bowl of yogurt. (For some reason, yogurt is okay on a lactose- free diet.)
When we were done at the doctor's, we took him home for his dose of antibiotic and then we were off to Chatham to the hospital lab for some lab work for Daddy. The lab work had been ordered by the doctor in Port Huron, but Dr. Button had to re-order it since the local lab couldn't accept an order from a "foreign" doctor. We will have the reports back on Monday, but we don't expect any surprises.
Before we had hardly left Ridgetown, Daddy was already asking about lunch. That's a good indication that he is feeling better! After the lab work, we went to Swiss Chalet for lunch. You should have seen him eat! A good-sized bowl of chicken noodle soup, half of a grilled chicken wrap and part of my French fries!
When we had finished lunch, we were headed home but Arend decided that we should detour to Cedar Springs (the local fruit growing area) and buy some apples. I was concerned that the trip was getting to be too much for Daddy, but he didn't seem to mind the side trip to Cedar Springs.
Finally at home again, Daddy was happy to go to his bedroom and sleep. But surprisingly he only slept for about an hour and then was up again till after our evening meal. I think that indicates that his body is finally healing and he will soon be able to get back into the routine to which we've become accustomed in the last ten months.
We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed all of us is such a wonderful way. A week ago we truly thought that he might not make it and yesterday he was sitting in a restaurant eating whatever was in front of him. The Lord is such an awesome God and we stand amazed at everything He has done in our lives. We certainly have been blessed beyond measure!
I learned a very good lesson in all of this. The Lord has told us that He will not give us more than we can handle. He has also told us to place our burdens on Him. With Daddy's illness I was able to do that much more easily than I ever have before. Our human nature makes us want to be "fixers", but that isn't the Lord's way. I understand that much more clearly now.
Till next time.
Willa Dale
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