The time is coming near of a day that I have been dreading for some time. As I watch so many others go through what I'm about to face. I've seen my share of it in my life time. It's no stranger to me. Maybe more so that the average Joe. But certainly not as much as our veterans, first responders, and medical personnel. It's never easy no mater who it is. But it is part of life. Unfortunately, for those left behind, it's the last part of life.
My Dad (85) has had a spot on one lung for about 1.5 years now. The Dr.s have been keeping a close eye on it. For the last couple of years, he's been loosing weight and getting weaker physically. Mostly loosing muscle mass. And started using a walker almost a year ago.
His last CT scan was in Jan. And nothing had changed in his lung or lymph nodes. But he has been loosing a lot of weight during the last three months. So the Dr ordered another CT scan on July 8th. The radiologist that did the CT noticed he was extremely jaundice. So he went to the ER that night in Mansfield, deemed good to go home. And a told he would be going to see a liver specialist the next day. Well, they admitted him to Richardson Methodist the next day where they began running test on him. And found that he had a cancerous bile duct. And a tumor in is pancreas. After getting a drain inserted to try to relieve the bile build up, dealing with low blood sugar since he's also diabetic, he was released last Saturday to go home for home health care for the next 4-6 weeks while the bile build up was reduced in his body. Save my poor stubborn mother, she insisted on doing the work outside Physical Therapy and HHC. Yesterday, she noticed he had some blood in his bile bag. And he went straight to the local ER. And was then transferred back to Richardson due to his liver Dr was there. And Richardson had the necessary resources to deal with the drain and causes of his bleeding. They've been running test on him since he entered the Richardson ER late last night. And moved him to a room.
They had told him he could possibly go home tomorrow. I had just applied for FLMA this morning so that I can do some of the work he needs at home. I have not been around or visited with them since this past Feb, just to try to reduce the risk that they might contract Covid 19. I've been a 3rd party contact in that area5 times in the last 3 months. And was almost a second party at one point. The closest I've been is seeing my mother at the door 20 feet away. I've been trying to take care of a few things for them since they don't leave the house for any reason except to go to the doctor's office. My mother has been working very hard to keep things wiped down and clean so maybe they can get through all this.
Anyway, my dad was told early this morning he might get to go home tomorrow. That has changed now. As he called mother a moment ago and told her he's tested positive for Covid 19. My daughter, who is a BSN-RN, went to pick him up last Saturday and bring him home, explain the instructions on taking care of the drain tube, ect. And visited with him this week once. She plays a very important roll at a local facility. My sister has been over to help mother a few times with errands. And keep her company while he was gone, including last night. I was just over there today, before the call, to get a key to clean out a storage unit for them. But I kept a good 20 feet from mother. She left the key and some coleslaw for me on a bench that I picked up and left with after our distance conversation.
Now Mother's been in extremely close contact with my dad. And I'd be really surprised if she didn't test positive. We're in the process of trying to find a local testing facility ASAP so that not just my mother, but my sister, and daughter the nurse, can go get tested if needed too. They both have families as well.
So please, if you find a moment, we all, including this great nation we live in, could use some prayer. My family's faith is very strong. My dad was a minister the first 10 years of my life. And both he and mother stayed very active in our church (including preaching for the preacher when he needed to be absent, and leading a Sunday school class of over 150 seniors) up to this Covid thing where we do on-line church now.
Bless you all. For He is with us always.
My Dad (85) has had a spot on one lung for about 1.5 years now. The Dr.s have been keeping a close eye on it. For the last couple of years, he's been loosing weight and getting weaker physically. Mostly loosing muscle mass. And started using a walker almost a year ago.
His last CT scan was in Jan. And nothing had changed in his lung or lymph nodes. But he has been loosing a lot of weight during the last three months. So the Dr ordered another CT scan on July 8th. The radiologist that did the CT noticed he was extremely jaundice. So he went to the ER that night in Mansfield, deemed good to go home. And a told he would be going to see a liver specialist the next day. Well, they admitted him to Richardson Methodist the next day where they began running test on him. And found that he had a cancerous bile duct. And a tumor in is pancreas. After getting a drain inserted to try to relieve the bile build up, dealing with low blood sugar since he's also diabetic, he was released last Saturday to go home for home health care for the next 4-6 weeks while the bile build up was reduced in his body. Save my poor stubborn mother, she insisted on doing the work outside Physical Therapy and HHC. Yesterday, she noticed he had some blood in his bile bag. And he went straight to the local ER. And was then transferred back to Richardson due to his liver Dr was there. And Richardson had the necessary resources to deal with the drain and causes of his bleeding. They've been running test on him since he entered the Richardson ER late last night. And moved him to a room.
They had told him he could possibly go home tomorrow. I had just applied for FLMA this morning so that I can do some of the work he needs at home. I have not been around or visited with them since this past Feb, just to try to reduce the risk that they might contract Covid 19. I've been a 3rd party contact in that area5 times in the last 3 months. And was almost a second party at one point. The closest I've been is seeing my mother at the door 20 feet away. I've been trying to take care of a few things for them since they don't leave the house for any reason except to go to the doctor's office. My mother has been working very hard to keep things wiped down and clean so maybe they can get through all this.
Anyway, my dad was told early this morning he might get to go home tomorrow. That has changed now. As he called mother a moment ago and told her he's tested positive for Covid 19. My daughter, who is a BSN-RN, went to pick him up last Saturday and bring him home, explain the instructions on taking care of the drain tube, ect. And visited with him this week once. She plays a very important roll at a local facility. My sister has been over to help mother a few times with errands. And keep her company while he was gone, including last night. I was just over there today, before the call, to get a key to clean out a storage unit for them. But I kept a good 20 feet from mother. She left the key and some coleslaw for me on a bench that I picked up and left with after our distance conversation.
Now Mother's been in extremely close contact with my dad. And I'd be really surprised if she didn't test positive. We're in the process of trying to find a local testing facility ASAP so that not just my mother, but my sister, and daughter the nurse, can go get tested if needed too. They both have families as well.
So please, if you find a moment, we all, including this great nation we live in, could use some prayer. My family's faith is very strong. My dad was a minister the first 10 years of my life. And both he and mother stayed very active in our church (including preaching for the preacher when he needed to be absent, and leading a Sunday school class of over 150 seniors) up to this Covid thing where we do on-line church now.
Bless you all. For He is with us always.
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