My Dad

A couple weeks ago (It feels like an eternity ago...) I was on my way back from seeing the kids in Penang and stayed a couple extra days in Bali.  You know, I had to get my hair done and stuff... ;)  Anyway, mom mom called me on Tuesday (local time) and told me that dad had a CT scan to try and figure out why his hips and lower back had been hurting so badly.  The CT scan results came back and the doctors didn't like what they saw "inside" the bones.  So a bone scan was scheduled for the next Tuesday.

Wednesday Morning, Mom called me the second I woke up and told me that she and dad were not going to tell any of us kids, the five siblings, that the reason for a bone scan was because they were looking for cancer.  I am not a scientist or a doctor and never wanted to be either one, but when mom told me about the bone scan, those were my first thoughts.... So like everyone these days, I went to consult Uncle Google. And yes, cancer is the main reason for doing a bone scan along with a few other reasons.

I finally decide to quit messing around in Bali and go home Thursday morning.  Thursday afternoon Chris and I decide that I would take emergency leave from site to go back home to be with mom and dad when the results of the bone scan came in.  I left my house Sunday afternoon (early Sunday morning Aberdeen time, there's a 14 hour difference) and arrived in Aberdeen Tuesday night around 11:30pm (Wednesday afternoon Papua time) I couldn't get an earlier flight out of LAX on Tuesday, so I actually missed being there for the bone scan...  

I'm just going to say right here that I am sooooo thankful for two ladies on site (you know who you are) for encouraging me to leave as soon as possible because yes, you definitely do not want to be flying and get bad news.  I was on the flight from LA to MSP when the results of the bone scan came in.  I has a thousand messages on my phone that I did NOT want to look at when I landed in MSP because who wants to be sobbing as you run from one plane to another?!?!?  So I waited until I arrived in Aberdeen to check out all the messages on my phone...  

The bone scan came back and showed lesions on bones, but was inconclusive, so they scheduled a bone biopsy for the next day.

This is where all the "fun" began for the last week....

Tuesday night, while everyone was waiting for me to get to Aberdeen, mom, dad, Brandei, BJ, and maybe their boys went out for dinner.  While at dinner, dad started to slur his words, but then was fine.  No one really thought anything of it other than "What the heck did he just say???"  I arrive at Brandei's house around midnight and everyone was up.  Dad looked noticeably sick to me.  I have not seen him since last August.  He was also talking kind of slow.  When he got up to use the bathroom, he was walking very slowly, kind of shuffling...  When he came back and sat in the recliner, I had to lift his legs up to put a pillow under them, he could not do that himself.  Then we all went to "bed"...  Well, we had a big camp out in the family room.  I of course did not sleep...  It was day time for me.

Wednesday Morning... 5/2

We are all sitting around drinking coffee and catching up.  I'm trying to sleep, but it's not happening... My brother calls dad and talks to him.  As they are talking, my brother tells dad that he is slurring his words.  Dad gets up after a bit and is walking, more like shuffling, around.  He's talking to my mom, sister and me.  He sometimes talks like he has food in his mouth, but then he talks fine.  I'm thinking to myself, am I hearing things???  My brother texts me to be on the look out or be aware of dad's behavior... When mom is on the phone with the doctor, dad is joking around about asking for a handicap parking sticker because he wants to be able to park out at the country club in the handicap parking spot that NO ONE ever uses.  So while mom is asking questions about the scan and other things, she also asks them to sign the paperwork for the handicap sticker.  They tell her to come in and get the paperwork. So my parents leave to go run a few errands before the now scheduled bone biopsy.

After leaving Brandei's, they stop in at a medical supply store to get a walker for dad with four wheels so he could still go out walking because he thinks he's Superman, and still needs to walk, because he is used to walking 6 to 8 miles a day. I think they also stopped someplace else before going to the Doc's to pick up the sticker, but a small detail that really doesn't matter.... When they are at the doctor's, mom talks to a nurse about dad slurring his words.  So the nurse makes an appointment for the next day to go in and see the doctor again.  They leave to run a couple more errands before the bone biopsy.  About 15 minutes later, give or take, mom gets a call back from the nurse to take dad immediately to the ER.

(I also forgot to add in there at some point Wednesday morning, dad had a CT scan of the lungs.  They were clear, thankfully.)

I get a call from mom saying that dad was in the ER and they said he had had a heart attack!  They hook dad up to all kinds of monitors, give him blood thinners, and schedule a heart ultrasound and brain MRI for Thursday morning.  Needless to say, he did not have the bone biopsy Wednesday.

Thursday morning... 5/3

...rolls around and they do the ultrasound and MRI.  The ultrasound showed that the right side of his heart was working overtime and most of the time that means that there is a blood clot in his lungs.  So they schedule a CT scan of his lungs, again, later that day.  For all those that don't know, I guess the amount of dye and timing between the injection and the scan, picks up different things.  Which is why dad had to do two different CT scans of the same area.

The brain MRI showed that dad had had multiple mini strokes (TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack), probably happening within in the last two months...

The heart doctor comes in before the CT scan of the lungs and almost guarantees dad that he has a clot in his lungs, just by the way his heart is acting.  Well, guess what??? NO clot!!  

Now what???

They move dad out of ICU because they didn't find a clot, but they keep him in the hospital to try to figure out what is going on with the heart and brain.

Yes, we haven't even gotten to the bones yet!!!

Friday... 5/4

Today's test include a camera stuck down dad's throat to look at the back of his heart (ECHO), a spinal fluid draw, and a chemical stress.  We are also hoping, because they took dad off blood thinners yesterday, that they can do the bone biopsy. Well, that was a no go... :( 

The great news is that all these tests, with the exception of the spinal fluid draw (it doesn't come back until Tuesday) came back with out any major problems.  That's great news, but we still don't know what is causing all the problems.  AND we still have not done the bone biopsy to figure out why dad has all these lesions!

Saturday and Sunday were more of the same... 5/5 and 5/6

More ultrasounds, with nothing major found.  Dad however has a high pulse, the right side of the heart is still working overtime, and he is still out of breath.

So that's what's going on as of now.  I will try to keep this updated as we go along and more results come in.  I forgot to say that one of the reasons they cannot do the bone biopsy is because dad has to be heavily sedated and until his heart is strong enough, they cannot and will not do that.  So please say your prayers that dad gets strong enough so the biopsy can happen.  I believe that is where we are going to find our answers!

Now, here are some of the positives... Yes, in everything, there are always positives!

My brothers and I get to hang out... Yah, a hospital is not the best place to do it, but even so...

I, well really dad via my phone, Skypes with this brother and family every day!  I've always said, thank goodness for Technology!!!

My Aunt and Uncle, whom I have not seen in approximately 17 years, drove over to see dad Saturday!  You know, they always say do not wait until times of crisis to get in touch with family members!  A good lesson here!

Another Aunt and Uncle, it's only been three years since I saw them last... (Yes, I am rolling my eyes. I should be better at this visiting stuff!!)

Pretty sure I've never had a picture taken with my mom and her two sisters...

It's been a long time since the six of them have been together! Toooooooooo long!!!!

Another Aunt and Uncle.... sorry I didn't get you all. :(

My nieces and nephew and a sis-in-law! :D

Cousins...

And of course... Dad showing off... LOL :D

He did give the nurses a chuckle with this one... ;)

So thankful I came home!!  You never get the time back...  

So that's it for now.  I will keep everyone updated as I can.  Please, Please, Please do not correct me on medical jargon.  I actually hate all that stuff... AND I am not a good nurse!  LOL!  All weekend long I was wishing Brandei was here because this is her cup of tea...

To Be Continued....

PS... This is my story... some events may not be in the exact order, but close... my opinions too except where there are facts involved... ;)

PSS... I think I have used this bed more than dad... Jet lag is a &*%$#!!  :D  And no, I'm not cutting toe nails!!!  Proof that I'm not a good nurse! :D

WAIT!!!!  There is one more thing....  

Through it all...  Every test, every non answer, every frustration, every tear, every good answer, every BAD answer, every "everything"... We know this...

And truly, that makes EVERYTHING easier! 

Love to you all! xoxo