Everyone deserves a vacation. Those that work at the hospital doing rehabilitation included. Due to the intense workload of the therapists, I bet they can't wait to get away. Dad's primary physiotherapist is away for three weeks. Oh, and he got married, so I guess he's entitled to the time off. He deserves it, they all do. They work hard at often times not very rewarding sessions. For most people, the payoff is not in a single session or month. It's over years. Dad will be benifiting from these sessions for the rest of his life. It's hard to see that when you appear to be working with the same person day after day.
Dad's got this obsession with bowel movements. He only wants Mom to change him rather than have to wait on the support workers to change him. He gets upset if he hasn't had a bowel movement by the time Mom is ready to leave.
The last week and a half, there has been a viral infection on the floor. At one point visitors had to wear gown and mask. It's mostly over now, no new infections. However, patients were not allowed to leave the floor. Dad and Mom haven't been able to enjoy the warm outdoor weather.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Difficult day... the good and the bad
Mom asked me to join her for a meeting today with the speech pathologist. We discuss the results of the swallow test that Dad had yesterday. I had planned on taking today and tomorrow off as I've been working weekends and pulling 16 hour days in the last 3 weeks. I needed some down time. Alas, whatever I had planned for today was quickly erased.
I arrived at the hospital at 1:30pm. Dad was supposed to have his Occupational Therapy, but she never showed up. Our meeting was for 3:00pm. Dad was feeling a bit tired from sitting so we laid him in his bed to rest. I took Mom to the cafeteria for a late lunch. Never go to the caf after lunch rush. What's left is reheated and gross. When we went back up to see Dad, he was in the middle of his Occupational Therapy session. It was remarkable to see his determination. I could feel tears well up in my eyes. I was dumbfounded. Dad was playing catch and moving his feet. The idea was to make him shift from two feet to one foot and still maintain his balance. It was incredible to see him in action. Once they were done it was time to go to the meeting.
It was clear that he was having trouble swallowing. There was at times, more often than not, coughing accompanying the eating of food. That's always a sign that the swallowing is not going well. The test he had the day prior was a barium test. He swallowed a liquid or food and they watched. He didn't do very well. The tester stopped early as he was choking and she didn't feel comfortable carrying on. The hospital wanted us to know that his swallowing wasn't safe. There is a risk involved if we continue to feed him. He is aspirating which could lead to pneumonia. Dad got that at the last hospital, not from eating, and it set him back weeks. The hospital won't tell him to stop. It's about quality of life. Remarkable. They know that it's his (and the family's) decision as to stop or continue the food intake. Dad for the longest time didn't know what to decide. He kept looking at Mom to tell him. But ultimately he decided to continue. He's been eating for 6 weeks now and hasn't shown any sign of aspiration. He feels it's a low risk. He'd like to continue.
I also agree to continue. We need to monitor what to eat. Brother had given him some bread last Sunday according to Dad. That's a big wrong as the bread is rather difficult to swallow and can get into his lungs. We should continue with the congee. We also got 2 exercises to do. Must be done daily. DAILY. I wish I could be there every day to go through the exercises with him, but I can't.
Good day and bad day.
I arrived at the hospital at 1:30pm. Dad was supposed to have his Occupational Therapy, but she never showed up. Our meeting was for 3:00pm. Dad was feeling a bit tired from sitting so we laid him in his bed to rest. I took Mom to the cafeteria for a late lunch. Never go to the caf after lunch rush. What's left is reheated and gross. When we went back up to see Dad, he was in the middle of his Occupational Therapy session. It was remarkable to see his determination. I could feel tears well up in my eyes. I was dumbfounded. Dad was playing catch and moving his feet. The idea was to make him shift from two feet to one foot and still maintain his balance. It was incredible to see him in action. Once they were done it was time to go to the meeting.
It was clear that he was having trouble swallowing. There was at times, more often than not, coughing accompanying the eating of food. That's always a sign that the swallowing is not going well. The test he had the day prior was a barium test. He swallowed a liquid or food and they watched. He didn't do very well. The tester stopped early as he was choking and she didn't feel comfortable carrying on. The hospital wanted us to know that his swallowing wasn't safe. There is a risk involved if we continue to feed him. He is aspirating which could lead to pneumonia. Dad got that at the last hospital, not from eating, and it set him back weeks. The hospital won't tell him to stop. It's about quality of life. Remarkable. They know that it's his (and the family's) decision as to stop or continue the food intake. Dad for the longest time didn't know what to decide. He kept looking at Mom to tell him. But ultimately he decided to continue. He's been eating for 6 weeks now and hasn't shown any sign of aspiration. He feels it's a low risk. He'd like to continue.
I also agree to continue. We need to monitor what to eat. Brother had given him some bread last Sunday according to Dad. That's a big wrong as the bread is rather difficult to swallow and can get into his lungs. We should continue with the congee. We also got 2 exercises to do. Must be done daily. DAILY. I wish I could be there every day to go through the exercises with him, but I can't.
Good day and bad day.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Fantastic...
I dropped by the hospital unexpectedly today. I worked most of the weekend and as today was supposed to be a statutory holiday (and I ended up having to work), I left early. Mom was feeding Dad his usual mashed banana and congee (rice porridge). I sat with them and fed Dad a bit. I asked Mom if I could help Dad walk a bit today as the therapists were not in and he'd miss a day of walking. There were no walkers available, so Dad walked by holding on to the railing on his left side (his stronger side). I was astounded as he walked with a quick pace. Mom followed behind with the wheelchair just in case. He moved with confidence and assurance. As he neared a part of the wall where there was no railing, Dad didn't miss a beat and passed quickly to the next railing. We made a 1/2 lap around the hospital floor. We stopped at Dad's room because his second lunch was ready.
Dad is very determined to get back as much as he can. I have no doubt he's going to make it.
Dad is very determined to get back as much as he can. I have no doubt he's going to make it.
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