Two Bad Weeks: Falls, Flu, and a Funeral

Dad plays dominoes with me even while he's in the hospital!
Photo by Pam Stephan

 I haven't been adding to this blog recently, because we all got very distracted with health issues. None of it was enjoyable, and while I moaned and complained about it, my husband kept saying, "Just think of the blog material you'll get out of this!" That should have made me feel a little better, but it didn't, at the time. 

Sometimes bad things happen all at once and other times bad stuff just keeps happening, one thing after another, until you want to jump off the planet and get a cosmic break from it all.  We just survived two weeks of a series of hospital visits, falls, flus, and a funeral. I hope this year gets better, because it has started out very badly.

Fall #1 -Headbang Daddio Meets Concrete Sidewalk
Our first bad week got started on a Monday. Normally there is nothing particularly hazardous about Monday, but as we were walking to the cafe for Dad's favorite breakfast, he had a fall. His head met the concrete sidewalk before I could help him. He left a bloodstain on it that would make passing pedestrians wonder who had a fistfight right there. We skipped breakfast and went to the ER, then got stuck in the hospital overnight.

Fall #2 - Flush, Fall, and a New Friend

On Thursday of our first bad week, Margaret the home health nurse came over to check on Dad. As we went over his health history, he went to the bathroom, flushed, and fall on the floor with a thump! Both of us got him back up and then Dad and I packed a bag for another ER visit. Alas, we had to stay overnight in the hospital again, but got better treatment this time.

More Flu For Everybody!

While in the hospital, Dad had some stomach flu symptoms. A day after we came home, I woke up with the same rotten flu. My husband took care of both of us, then as soon as I recovered, he came down with it. But for him, we had to call an ambulance because he nearly passed out and he appeared to be having a heart attack. All three of us went back to the ER, this time for only three hours. We should get a family discount, don't you think?

A Grand Lady's Funeral

My mother's sister, Aunt Oveta, passed away and her funeral was held the day after our last ER trip. Since we were all still recovering, nobody could attend. I hated to miss this event, since she was the aunt I got to see the most while growing up. She lived to be 91 and passed away among family. God rest you, Aunt Veta - you are reunited with Uncle Howard now. 

And We Are Still Here!

After a bad two weeks, we are busy having home healthcare, physical therapy, and follow-up doctor visits. Dad is a bit more stable, though he appears wobbly once in a while. We haven't been to the senior centers since all this started, but we still play dominoes at home to keep in practice. The dogs love having us around more, so they are happy. As Dad likes to say, "We don't want to quit yet!"