Crazy Ride

Since Dad went to the hospital for his knee replacement surgery 22 days ago we have been on  a crazy ride.  Mom has spent 15 of the last 22 nights at the hospital. Larry has been poked, suctioned, scanned and tested.  Dad has been on a variety of trips without ever leaving his room. And well my car believes it is to drive to the hospital and/or nursing home before heading home at the end of the day.  There have been some tense moments as fear, fatigue and frustration have taken hold.  

And yet there has been crazy moments of peace and humor.  Mom and I have spent more time and had more meaningful conversations the past three weeks than the three months prior.  Though Dad occasionally gets confused and slightly agitated I have seen a side of him that I have not seen much of in the past.  He can be funny and has taken a lot things (that would have made him crazy in the past) in stride with calm and ease. And Larry well tonight Larry talked to me more than he has in the last month . And I was actually able to understand most of it with little trouble.

Larry had a PEG ( a feeding tube) put in today.  You would have thought something in the brain had been altered by the change following this procedure.  Maybe it was just the relief of finally having the procedure done after all the long long waiting with all its testing and poking that preceded it. When he came out of the anesthesia he told the Anesthesiologist thank you, that he did a good job and he hoped he could do something for him some day. Tonight he was on Morphine and I was told that he would probably fall asleep.  Yeah when mom came back from visiting dad he hadn't slept a wink and I was the one sitting in the chair with my eyes closed and my mouth wide open.  This was after Larry and I talked (mostly at his initiation) about Jesus, Peter, my kids at school, relatives, the folks at "the old folks home" who were probably missing him, why I wasn't running, Dad, and hockey. 

The hope is that Larry will return to the Old Folks Home (his terminology) tomorrow.  Thus far we are told that he will be able to return to his room without issues even though he will have been away more than 7days.  There is a care management meeting for dad tomorrow that will hopefully give us an idea of how much longer he will remain at Rehab.

Thank you for your continued support of our family.