Home

Dad just got home from the hospital. He is moving a little slow, but is glad to be home and looking forward to settling back in. He and Mom will have to find a new normal routine. Dad is very anxious to get outside and enjoy the nice spring weather. Thanks for your continued prayers and all you do for Mom and Dad!

Mmmmm....Pizza!

Dad is continuing to recover well.  He has been moved to the ortho-neuro floor.  (He was put in Progressive Care following the surgery so his blood pressure could be closely monitored).  The staff physician who was with Dad during his past hospitalizations has been assigned to Dad.  Dr. Dave knows Dad's case very well and works well with Dad.  We are grateful for all he has done!  Dad's PT is going well.  He is up and walking around the room a couple times a day.  The therapist is pleased with Dad's progress and can already tell that he is getting stronger.  Dad is having some swelling issues due to the steroids that are given post surgery.  The Dr. is starting to reduce the dosage so hopefully the swelling will start to go down.  The Dr. is starting to talk about sending Dad home in a day or two, but is cautiously not making any promises.

The challenge is going to be preventing this type of fall from happening again.  Part of Dad's condition is that when he stands, his blood pressure can suddenly drop.  Dad does not have any warning that this is about to happen.  That is what caused Dad to fall.  We all want Dad to be up and active and doing the things he wants to do.  But, we are going to have to use some precautions.  The blood pressure drops seem to be more frequent on days when Dad is tired or in his words, feeling "dumpy".  He is going to have to learn to allow us to help on those days.  We definitely don't want a repeat performance of his last big number!

Doing Well

Dad is recovering well from the surgery.  He slept well last night and woke up hungry!  He ordered his own breakfast and was telling all his nurses about the pizza party he has planned with the grandkids tonight.    

Out of Surgery

Dad's orthopedic surgeon just came to let us know that Dad is out of surgery and did very well. He will be in recovery for 45 minutes or so and then will move back to his room at Lakeland. At this point, they are planning for a 3-4 day hospital stay unless other medical issues dictate he needs to stay longer.
Thank you for your prayers. Dad will be resting overnight, but the Dr. expects him to be up and moving tomorrow. He and Mom enjoy your calls and visits.

Two Steps Back

Dad fell at home yesterday and has a broken hip.  Mr. Independent was trying to do things on his own while Mom was out doing some yardwork.  Of course, Dad did not want to bother her and ask for help.  He is now in Lakeland Hospital awaiting surgery.  He is very uncomfortable, but they were able to put him in traction and that has relieved some of the pain.  The surgeon has met with them and said the ball of the hip will need to be replaced.  The surgery is scheduled for today between 4 and 5pm.  The good news is that they plan to have dad up and moving the day after surgery.  I don't think he could handle another extended hospital stay of just bed rest.  Dad's health is pretty good right now, so hopefully this surgery will not be too much of a set back for him.  Please keep Mom and Dad in your prayers today as they prepare for this surgery.  

Happy Easter!

An update on Dad - overall he continues to do well, all things considering.  He has good days and not so good days.  He has a hard time not getting discouraged on the not so good days.  He sees them as setbacks, although the doctor has told us that down days are quite normal with a chronic illness.  Dad did have a two week period where he was fighting a urinary tract infection and he had to go in for IVs several times.  His blood work was good indicating that he wasn't dehydrated, but his blood pressure continued to be low.  It was decided that his blood pressure meds needed to be increased.  Hopefully this will help to maintain his blood pressure at a healthy level.

Mom and Dad were able to take their annual trip to Gatlinburg.  It was good for both of them to have a change in scenery.  Dad did pretty well, but they are both glad to be back home.  

We all had Easter dinner together today.  Below are a few photos.

Please continue to pray for Dad's treatment.  Each round of chemo has gotten harder on Dad physically.  The chemo is necessary to control his disease, but it is also taking a toll on Dad.  Pray for the doctors as they direct Dad's treatment.  Pray also for Mom as she is Dad's primary caregiver.  She does it all with a happy heart and not a word or complaining.  But, we all know it is hard on her as well.  She daily sacrifices so much to take care of Dad.