After she left, I got ready for bed and tucked in his feet – something I never knew he liked. Then we both went to sleep. I awoke in the dark in a state of distress but could not tell what was the matter. I used the bathroom, but was still agitated. Then Dad woke up and called the nurse because he was wet. Afterward, I laid awake listening to him try to breathe. He sounded congested. All too soon, it was 6:45 and a nurse came in with the morning pill. I got myself ready, then opened the blinds. Breakfast arrived. I struggled hard to get his stretch socks on. Then I supervised Dad getting to his chair to eat. But I had to prepare his dentures which took a while. He didn't start eating until almost 8. He asked what will we do to prevent someone from taking the tray? I burst out laughing imagining him tripping the food service person, or threatening them with a walker.
The OT showed up unexpectedly at 8:30 to bathe and shower him. He did so well, that she cleared him to shower at home. She was a little stuffy so I gave her a vitamin C patch and an essential oil beadlet. She had taken his stretch socks off and gotten a larger size for him. She updated all his scores from 'minimal assistance' to 'supervision'.
The nurse practitioner arrived to see how he was doing. Somehow we got started on natural solutions. She asked me to write down health advice for her. She weighed Dad and he was up to 127 from 117 when he came in.
The speech therapist was right behind her. They talked about hearing aids and medications again. She seemed pleased that he knew so much about his meds. After she left, we went for a walk with Dad paddling his wheelchair. When we got back to the room, there was still time before lunch, so we went walking in the other direction. We stared at the parking lot for a bit, but when the lunch ladies came along with their cart, he paddled back to the room to be ready.
He ate his lunch and I got out mine. I had steamed broccoli. I traded him some for part of his spinach. He also ate the yogurt that came with breakfast. After lunch we both laid down for a nap since PT wasn't scheduled until 3.
Just before 3, Allie came by to do quality assurance or customer satisfaction questions. She cleared me to take my dad walking in his rolling walker. Then Saundra, who was filling in for Heather, came to get Dad for PT. She took him to the gym. He practiced sitting and standing a few times. Then exercises with leg weights. She had him march in place. She gently tried to push him off balance which he resisted. They practiced walking forward and backward, with and without a rollator. Then walking on in incline, and then pitching colored bags, first with the right hand, then with the left. It was a lot of movement, but he assured her that he wasn't tired.
I followed him back to the room. He took a nap. I called my pharmacy in Alabama to mail me more hormone pills, but she said she could not mail outside Alabama. So I had her sent it to the house for Chris to forward to me. (BTW, Chris said he had a good interview yesterday for Fort Knox.)
Then supper arrived. It did not take Dad long to get up and sit in his chair. I put coconut oil in the sweet potatoes. He started eating. Faye arrived, with an umbrella. She gave it to me to use to go back to the house. Mary called to tell me I could look forward to a bouquet tomorrow. Thanks, Mary. Then I packed and left the hospital.
When I got to Dad's house, I had the usual stuff to do. But like a kid just getting home from school, I did not feel like doing homework right away. However, I did not want to run out of time for my blog again. So I put some cauliflower on the stove to steam. I washed greens for a salad. I refilled the coconut oil bomb bag. I ate some chicken. I put Dad's clothes in the dirty laundry pile. I got the mail, although there were no bills. I ate supper while reading e-mail. I washed dishes. I typed up this blog post. And I hoped there might be time to add to the previous ones before heading back to the hospital.
No comments:
Post a Comment