Dad on Father's Day with my kids



It was so wonderful having Dad home for Father's Day.  Most of our family was able to gather together with him that evening. We felt so blessed to still have him with us to celebrate that day.

Dad continues to improve in all areas.  Therapists continue to come to his home often to work with him. Earlier this week, the physical therapist determined that Dad had a misplaced crystal in his left ear that had probably been knocked out of place by his fall.  This was probably causing much of the dizziness and some of the unsteadiness that Dad had been experiencing.  He did a procedure with Dad that should help to return that crystal to its proper location.  It may take a few tries, but we are hopeful that it will help.

Yesterday there was a malfunction with Dad's feeding tube and the home nurse had to remove it.  The Dr. agreed to let Dad try to go without it for a couple of days, as Dad had complained of it interfering with his efforts to eat.  Dad really does not want to have the feeding tube replaced, so he has been trying his hardest to eat the daily 1500 calories that are required to remain off of the feeding tube.  Today he ate the most that he has since his accident.  He still struggles with choking on his food, and will be seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to address that issue.  Today he pushed through the choking episodes and has come close to meeting his minimum calorie needs.  This afternoon when Corrine and her kids were visiting, he even convinced them to take him out to a restaurant where he enjoyed salmon and creme brulee.  We are so glad that he is getting a bit of his appetite back, but it will have to improve even further for him to remain tube free.

Dad had an appointment with the facial surgeon this week. Dr Leyngold indicated that he feels positive about the movement that Dad has returning to his face.  That should continue to improve.  Dad also mentioned that the black spot blocking the vision in his right eye is getting smaller.  The Dr. had given that eye a minimal chance of improving, but we are not ruling it out.  The appearance of Dad's eye is much better since the minor surgery that he had a couple of weeks ago.

Dad is working on getting stronger and strengthening his arm. The main area of concern has still been his throat and his ability to eat. Tomorrow we will find out if the Dr. will approve of Dad keeping the feeding tube out or not.  We are keeping our fingers crossed . . .

Dad is doing well at home.   He is still very weak and has been having trouble with dizziness and nausea (he blacked out again yesterday while I was there), but he is glad to be in the comfort of home.  He has been doing very well cognitively, has started to eat a little bit again the last couple of days, and is showing more interest in getting back into his life.  Yesterday Dad told me that the thing that has helped him most is love and visits from his family.

Home Health continues to check in with him and he has a speech therapist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist working with him at home.  His lack of balance is still an issue, so they are still trying to work with him on that and figure out what is causing it.  They are also still working on improving his swallowing and general muscle strength.  We are looking forward to the time when he can get off of the feeding tube.  He still has a lot of progress to make in that area.

The big news of the day is that Dad finally got the external fixator off of his arm/wrist today.  He has been wanting that off  from the time he was conscious!  It was supposedly a pretty painful process having it and the screws removed, but I am sure it is such a relief to him to have his arm free again.  His left arm is obviously going to need extensive therapy now to help him regain function and strength.

Our family is so grateful to have Dad here to celebrate this Father's Day weekend!

Dad is home and adjusting well.  His surgery today went very well.  His right eyelid was sewn shut and will remain that way for 2 months until it is healed.  Dr. Leyngold was very positive about the amount of movement that has already returned to Dad's eyelid and right side of his face.  Dad is back at home recovering now.

Yesterday, Dad met with the orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Growsky) who repaired his left wrist/hand.  The surgeon was very pleased with the way it has healed and feels that, based on the x-rays and mobility, Dad should regain most of his hand function.  Dr. Growsky was able to remove the pins from Dad's wrist, but the exterior bar needs to be left in place for another week or so until the healing is complete.

After the pin removal, there was a scary moment for my mom.  She and my dad were waiting for the Dr to return when Dad's body started to jerk and he slumped over.  He had blacked out.  The medical personnel there attributed this to Dad being anxious about the procedure, so hopefully that is all that it was. 

Slight Change of Plans

Instead of coming home tomorrow, Dad is coming home . . . tonight!!  In fact, as soon as he finishes up with his current feeding tube he will be discharged for home. 

Dad's eyelid surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning (6 AM). This will be a minor outpatient surgery.  Because of the surgery, Dad will not be up to visitors at home for at least the next day or two. 

This is a huge step in the recovery process.  We are hopeful that Dad will recover even more quickly from the comfort and familiarity of home. 

Thanks for all of the love and support during the challenging last month and a half.   The challenges are not over yet, but Dad has come such a long way.  We are so grateful to still have him with us!

Discharge Day Set!

Dad is scheduled to be released to come home on Thursday!!!  He has been really anxious to get home, so they are going to go ahead and let him return home with the feeding tube still in place.  He will have a home nurse who will help with that, and Mom will be trained on how to work it as well. 

Dad will also still be receiving physical, speech, and occupational therapy.  The therapists will come to his home to do that at first, and then he will be going to a clinic at TOSH for his therapy. 

Tomorrow Dad has an appointment with his wrist surgeon.  We are hoping they will be able to take the unwieldy exterior hardware off of his arm at that point.

Thursday Dad is scheduled for a minor eyelid surgery.  Currently his right eye is very uncomfortable because it isn't closing all they way, so his eye keeps getting dried out. This surgery should help his eyelid to work more properly and also make Dad's appearance better.  He should be released for home sometime after the surgery.

Dad continues to make progress mentally and physically.  He seems so much more "with it" the last few days - just like the Dad we know.  Physically he is walking a bit more steadily now as well.  One of the medical professionals indicated that his dizziness and unsteadiness could have partly been caused by the loss of hearing in his right ear.  His body needed to adjust to that.

Coming home should help speed up Dad's progress.   He is ready to be home and we are all ready to see him back home as well.