Update about Dad

I was shocked to see that my last post was in Feb 2009!  So much has happened since then. . .
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Update about dad:  I'm sure I posted previously that dad was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2008.  He was doing well until Oct of 2009.  He went with us to Chuckie Cheese in October for Mercedes' bday and that month was absolutely horrible for H1N1 (flu).  Dad said he still wanted to and that he would stay at the table.  He did that and we all had a fantastic time.  Shortly after that visit, he ended up contracting the virus and was admitted to the hospital.  He wasn't doing well at all and the doctors said they would do what they could, but there was a chance he wouldn't make the night.  He ended up doing just fine and was discharged.  However, ever since H1N1, he couldn't get "fully healthy".  He was readmitted in November for dehydration and then he started losing weight.  I ended up having to shave his head sometime during the month of November as it was falling out.  I have to admit that he looked pretty good like that!  :)  December he still wasn't doing well and started to have fluid removed from his stomach.  He went in as he needed and they would get liters out at a time - that's an outrageous amount.  We could all tell that during Christmas of 2009, he was not feeling well.  At one point, he got up and his jeans fell to the floor because he's lost so much weight.  It was horrible seeing him like that.  He kept moving forward I think because he knew this would be his last Christmas and he didn't want to spoil it for anyone or he wanted to enjoy it.  Man, I just get teary eyed thinking about it. . .  ugh. 

Christmas Day was horrible and the weather was awful.  Dad was not well and was brought to the hospital.  By this time, things were so awful that they told mom they would do what they could, but didn't know if he would make it to HCMC.  Some number was at a "4" and the doctors said generally by this point, the patient is unconscious.  Well, they apparently didn't know my dad.  lol.  He was admitted to HCMC and the prognosis was very grim and we went through lots of things as a family.  There was a time when we all said our goodbyes, held dad's hand, rubbed his head (which we found out later he absolutely hated!  I told dad that I was still going to rub his head!  lol!), and told him how much we all loved him.  We all camped out in this ICU lobby and actually took it over.  There were so many of us there and we ended up sleeping there, too.  We wanted to be as close as we could and were able to come and go as we pleased.  Dad had one test that didn't go well and the docs and nurses had a debriefing meeting about it.  Dad overcame that test as well and was ultimately discharged.  The docs/nurses said they didn't think dad would walk out of the hospital.  There were several times during his HCMC stay that the docs said the prognosis is very grim and to prepare for the worst.  Again, we consoled the doctors and said that our dad is strong and will prevail yet again as he has in the past.  The docs would look at us as though we were out of our minds, but would just nod their heads and agree.  How could they disagree when all of the family members are confident that dad would come home?  Dad's discharge day was a happy one to say the least.  The docs and nurses were shocked that he could be discharged to go home directly from ICU.  lol - I guess that doesn't happen very often. 

Dad did ok after discharge, but things kept going downhill.  In January and February of 2010, dad was on so many RX's, that I had to make a spreadsheet telling us when to give what Rx and what he had to eat with it.  They all upset his stomach so much because he couldn't eat anything, but yet I kept requiring dad to eat something with the pill.  The look on his face was begging me to quit doing that.  Dad and I had lots of quiet times together just chatting about what's going on with the kids and ultimately the songs he wanted for his funeral.  What a tough discussion that was!

I have to get back to work, so I'll continue the post about the funeral discussion next time.  Hopefully it won't be another 4 years!  lol.

Peace.
Becky