It has been such an intense week. My dad became very ill and was rushed to the hospital. He was not expected to make it through the night on Tuesday. After they did everything they could for him, it was a waiting game. We spent the entire night at the hospital.
They sent us home in the morning to get some rest when he was finally stable but still in critical condition. The nurse explained that he was at the doorway of life and death and he would decide which way he was going to go.
Later in the evening we went back to see him. He was AWAKE and coherent. They allowed all nine of us into his room and told us to surround him with love. Every time one of the grandchildren came into the room he began to cry. It was so touching to see how happy he was to have all his family there. It was astounding to see how well he was doing compared to the night before, even though he was still critical. The nurse said he was a tough old bird and a fighter. He was talking about baseball to my son and he was back to his old self.
The next day he was still stable, but later in the evening they called us and told us to get to the hospital because there were many complications and they did not think he would make it once again. We all rushed up there to find him in quite a bit of distress.
I can't go into all the details of that night but it was truly a very difficult night. Difficult because he was in distress, difficult because we thought it was the end, but the most difficult part was being told all our options and trying to make those hard decisions. What made it so hard was there were conflicting opinions between the nurse practitioner and the doctor, and families members were not on the same page. But how could we be on the same page when some of us did not even understand the options?
It was a long night, but he began to make progress and the crisis passed. We all went home to get some sleep. When I called later in they said he was better.
Fast forward two days and he is off the critical list and moved into a regular room. He is still fighting some serious health issues, but he is improving daily and holding his own.
I am still sorting out the experience of the other night. I hated feeling so ill prepared and uneducated. So I plan to do some good research so I can be more informed for the next crisis, if that is even possible.
They sent us home in the morning to get some rest when he was finally stable but still in critical condition. The nurse explained that he was at the doorway of life and death and he would decide which way he was going to go.
Later in the evening we went back to see him. He was AWAKE and coherent. They allowed all nine of us into his room and told us to surround him with love. Every time one of the grandchildren came into the room he began to cry. It was so touching to see how happy he was to have all his family there. It was astounding to see how well he was doing compared to the night before, even though he was still critical. The nurse said he was a tough old bird and a fighter. He was talking about baseball to my son and he was back to his old self.
The next day he was still stable, but later in the evening they called us and told us to get to the hospital because there were many complications and they did not think he would make it once again. We all rushed up there to find him in quite a bit of distress.
I can't go into all the details of that night but it was truly a very difficult night. Difficult because he was in distress, difficult because we thought it was the end, but the most difficult part was being told all our options and trying to make those hard decisions. What made it so hard was there were conflicting opinions between the nurse practitioner and the doctor, and families members were not on the same page. But how could we be on the same page when some of us did not even understand the options?
It was a long night, but he began to make progress and the crisis passed. We all went home to get some sleep. When I called later in they said he was better.
Fast forward two days and he is off the critical list and moved into a regular room. He is still fighting some serious health issues, but he is improving daily and holding his own.
I am still sorting out the experience of the other night. I hated feeling so ill prepared and uneducated. So I plan to do some good research so I can be more informed for the next crisis, if that is even possible.
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6 comments:
So sorry you all went through this. It's amazing how life is both precarious and tenacious. I'm thinking of you all.
I'm glad your dad is better, but this must be a very difficult time for you and your family.
I'm so sorry to hear about this trouble. Sending you warm thoughts and prayers.
Oh---I am so sorry that things took such a bad turn with your dad. I know how hard and confusing it all can be. I hope that if you have siblings, that at least you were all on the same page, as not being that way just makes everything so much harder. I will pray that your dad continue to improve. You hang in, without taking care of you, you cannot take care of your dad. Hugs, honey. Serious hugs.
Lena, first big long distance hugs! What a night for you and your family and father to go through. I am so glad to hear he is pulling through.
I hope you find some answers. I fear things like that because you could hear so many different things from nurses, docs, etc.
I am here if you need to vent or need prayers.
My husband went through this with his grandfather. The whole family rallied around him and he pulled through. You just keep visiting him and it'll help him fight to live. Hope he can come home soon.
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