Lemonade Part 4

Good news! Cathy's step-dad is out of ICU and is scheduled to be transferred to a Rehabilitation Hospital tomorrow. He walked about 25 feet today with a very little assistance. Cathy's mother is doing much better also and is more alert and aware and is 3X . She actually asked for her bills and payed some and wrote checks on her own. Hopefully this will be a better weekend then last.
Also, one more week of CWDS testing.

Lemonade Part 3

Just got back from the hospitals. Cathy's Step-dad is doing so much better. They removed him from the respirator today and he is responding well. They also removed the drainage tube and put a new bandage on. He is communicating with and recognizes family, moving all his extremities and understands what is happening. It is still to early to tell but it doesn't seem like there is any permanent damage or lose but time will tell. Cathy's mother is also responding well and today was the first day in which she was very coherent and more herself then she has been weeks, she actually asked for her checkbook and bills and payed some of the bills. Although as the day wore on she started to sundown and became more confused. All-in-all the family is very happy with today and is looking forward.

Lemonade Part 2

Cathy's Step-dad had to have emergency brain surgery today. Around 7:00 this morning we got a call from the ICU and the Surgeon advised us the bleeding in his brain was pushing on his brain more and he had to operate "now" so we had to give permission over the phone and then head to the hospital at full speed. If you know where I live then you will be impressed that I did 95 on Rt 88 into Wheeling. I didn't know I could take turns at 70 (I really love my Mustang). We waited for what seemed forever and at 12:00 the Surgeon came in and advised us he was happy with the surgery and he will keep Cathy's Step-dad sedated and on the respirator until at least tomorrow. When we went back to see him he looked better and his color was much better then when we took him to the ER, the drainage tube coming out of his brain was a little disconcerting though. Thanks for letting me vent I needed it.

Life and Lemonade

I've always liked the saying (When life gives you lemons, make lemonade) The last 2 days have been a tree full of lemons. I not feeling well (as per the last few posts) and yesterday around 3:30 Cathy and I get a call and her Step-dad has disappeared no one can find him and the last anyone saw him he was pulling out of his driveway at 1:00. Some of you may be saying, can't I guy loose himself for a couple hours. Not really when it this family. He has been acting rather strange lately and he had a bad fall about a week and a half back and hit his head hard. He is a very stubborn older gentleman and he refused to go to the ER to get his head checked out. The last couple of days he has been slurring his words and seemed rather confused. Anyway back to the story. Yesterday he disappeared. Cathy finally gets hold of him and he informs us he is on Rt 7 North on the side of the road, apparently he ran out of gas. So Cathy and I grab a gas can and head up Rt 7 looking for him. When we found him he could barely walk he was staggering and he was not making any sense. We asked him where he was going and he said he just came from visiting Cathy's mom at the hospital and was going home. The problem with this story is he was 15 miles out of his way and heading away from his house with his dog in the car with him. The battery was completely dead and I couldn't even get the gas cap open due to the battery being dead and could not put gas in the car. We convinced him to go with us and take him home because he refused to be taken to the hospital. When we got to his house I got the neighbors and the four of us "convinced" him to go to the hospital. Well, the short of it is, he is now in ICU with a large area of bleeding on his brain with the Neurosurgeon talking about drilling into his brain to drain the excess fluid. Now we have him in one hospital and Cathy's mom in another and no time to think.
The moral of the story is, please go to the hospital when something happens and don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today.

Illness part 3

Well, another day and I thought I was getting better. I went to the pharmacy and when I got back I was so tired I could barely walk. All I did was drive there and back. I'll find out tomorrow what the results of the culture are and if I have strep (oh boy, something to look forward to.) I'm taking it day to day. I have a hockey game to go to on Sunday with some friends and I hope I'm well enough to go.