So on Wednesday the doctor put Dad on bed rest, a low sodium diet, and restricted his fluid intake. He was in bed for less than a day, and he asked me to buy him some beer today. I also bought various other odds and ends for him. I sat down and asked him if he wanted quality or quantity in his life. He told me quality. I suggested that we look at hospice, and explained that if the focus were on quality over quantity, we wouldn't worry about what he was eating and drinking so much, we'd focus on what made him happy.
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Tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 the hospice people will be there to talk to us. I will be there, and will head home after the conversation. Far Away Sister and I are relieved, Sister is struggling with it. Dad said, "Sister has some strange ideas." Yes, she does. I told him that she was afraid that if we mentioned hospice he'd think we wanted to get rid of him. He laughed. I assured him that we didn't want to get rid of him. I asked if he was afraid to die. He said he wasn't. He pointed out he doesn't have anything to live for. I told him if there were an important family event coming up, I'd encourage him to aim for it, but since there isn't, I agree with him. I reminded him that whatever happens, he wins, whether he has more time with us, or is with Mom sooner.
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Sister kept asking me if I'd inspected Dad's feet. I pointed out to her that I wouldn't know if they looked better or worse. She was frustrated with me. I wanted to visit with Dad, not inspect his feet.
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We're now in a motel, and Daughter just came back from walking across the parking lot to buy us supper at Wendy's. She's very proud of herself for that accomplishment.
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