Dad skipped the wedding festivities, but Mom went and enjoyed them all. She recognized old friends and was excited to see them This morning Sister, Niece, Mom, Daughter, and I woke up in our adjoining motel rooms. Mom was all smiles. The plan was that we would pick up Dad and meet his nephew for brunch. We kept trying to call Dad, but his home phone was busy and he wasn't picking up on his cell phone. Far Away Sister and I both headed to the apartment while Sister headed to the brunch with Mom and Niece.
We were somewhat concerned about why Dad wasn't picking up the phone, and hoped nothing had happened. As I was approaching the apartment, Sister called. "Mom just had a grand mal seizure in my car. I'm on my way to the hospital with her and the medics will meet me at the door." They lifted our unconscious mother onto a stretcher and rolled her into the ER.
Far Away Sister and I conferred in Dad's kitchen, and decided that I would take Dad to the brunch, and they would head to the ER. She planned to relieve Sister and send her onto the brunch with her family. We called the restaurant and asked them to explain to cousins what was going on and tell them we'd be there.
Mom is now alert and frustrated. She doesn't like staying on the stretcher or the oxygen. Dad enjoyed the brunch and we stopped by the hospital so he could see Mom. He's exhausted now, of course. They are admitting Mom for testing. Her CT scan didn't show any obvious problems. I'm staying for a few more days.
Amazing, Dad is doing much better. He's gone from falling asleep mid-sentence to staying awake for hours at a time. We suspect he was dehydrated (which doesn't make much sense since he's still retaining about 40 lbs of fluid) and that he's improved because the doctor reduced the diuretic. We were expecting health crisis from him, and he's improving. We certainly weren't expecting any problems from Mom.
The joys of aging parents....
3 comments:
Wow. Scary. I hope your mom turns out okay. My husband's grandpa sounds a lot like your dad. He has been to the brink and then rallies back to decent health so many times I have lost count. It seems like at least once each year, we are calling the minister in to say final prayers and saying our goodbyes, and then a week or two later he is getting well again. He has been in a nursing home for several years because of it. Assisted living before that. Your dad just isn't ready to go yet :)
Your nerves must be frazzled beyond recognition! It's nice to have siblings especially in times like this. Try to keep eating healthy and get sleep, you don't want to add your own illness to this! Keeping you in my prayers.
Thank you both. I'm very tired, but we continue, one day at a time. At this point, I plan to head home tomorrow afternoon. For now, things are stable. I can get back relatively quickly if I need to.
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