Daddy

I just realized it’s been awhile since I’ve updated on Daddy.  I apologize now if I repeat anything I’ve already said; but here is what is going on now.
Shortly after his surgery he was moved to a rehab hospital for further help getting his strength back.  While there we learned through some tests that Daddy has lost strength in his throat muscles and has a hard time swallowing things.  He was aspirating on his thin liquids such as water, juice etc. meaning it was going into his lungs.  And on tougher foods, such as raw veggies, meats, hard breads etc, he was not chewing up and swallowing properly.  So he was placed on what they call a Mechanical Soft Diet.  All of his thin liquids have to be thickened with a powder, making it all a tomato juice consistency.

Last week we were told that he either needed to go home, or go to a skilled nursing center for more help and rehab.  Jeff and I thought he should go to the skilled nursing center, at this point Daddy wasn’t using the restroom on his own, not getting from the bed to the wheelchair on his own, was on a special diet, that had restrictions, requiring foods to be cut up small etc.  But he ended up going home on Tuesday.  Mark (his oldest son) brought him home, and within a few minutes he fell down.  I went there that evening and cooked dinner for him, and it took me and my mother to help get him from the chair to go to the restroom.  He had an accident before getting there so we had to get him cleaned up and changed.  After spending some time with him I left for the night and called the next AM to check on him.  I found out that he had been stuck in his chair for 7 hrs unable to get up.  So I called my mom, Jeff and contacted Mark.  And the decision was made to contact the skilled nursing center and bring him there.  He asked for us to do that before we needed to talk him into it; he said he rushed coming home and shouldn’t have done it. He was brought there on Wednesday, bawling.  He had my mom and Tootsy (his wife) crying.  I think his biggest fear is that this is a “nursing home” essentially.  For those of you that have been following, this is the same place that his wife was in last year for rehab when she broke her leg.

He’s in better spirits now, and hopefully will be home in a few weeks.  He is practically in our backyard so it’s easier to go spend a little bit of time with him every day.  Jeff is going there this morning to check on him, and we’ll be back there this evening.  Thank you for your continued prayers!  We appreciate them.