Tuesday October 30, 2012

Well folks, it has been an adventure. We arrived at the beach around 1:30 last Thursday afternoon. Beautiful weather Thursday and all day Friday. The rain started Friday night and continued all day and night Saturday. I managed to find a dry spot under the back deck overhang to sit outside and read when the old folks yakking got on my nerves. Frances and Al did a great job of cooking our evening meals each night.

Then, Sunday morning in the middle of the side effects of Sandy my mom woke me at 1am that dad was having trouble breathing. I ran into the room, we were all on the same floor, to see what was going on. I made him sit up which helped because the fluid that had been building up in his legs and body was surrounding his heart. Sitting him up at least made it so he could breath. I grabbed the cell phone dialing 911 as I ran up the stair to the main floor of the house to wake up my aunt and uncle.

911 had me stay on the line while we were waiting on the fire truck and ems to arrive. It was 2:20 before they had him checked out and on the necessary equipment to transport. Mom and I followed in the car in the torrential wind blown rain the 15 miles from the house to the hospital inĀ Wilmington. As soon as the EMS arrived I called Al on his cell to let him know what was going on. They were staying at a nearby hotel.

I cannot say enough about the Cape Fear Hospital emergency room and staff. Over the top quality care and concern. He was finally admitted around 6:30 to the 9th floor. We left to go by Frances and Al’s hotel for them to check out then back to the house to fill in the aunts and uncle.

After some breakfast Frances, Al, and my one aunt they picked up in Greensboro to go along left to go to the hospital with me following behind in my car. They checked on dad then left to come home to bring back my aunt and so they could go to work on Monday. After a short visit I went back to the beach house. My aunt and uncle insisted they would stay at the beach as long as my dad was in the hospital. We were all leaving Sunday but they were staying until Monday anyway.

Monday morning I went back over to the hospital. I talked with doctors and nurses and visited for awhile then when back to the house. It was windy, cool, and cloudy but decent enough to sit on the back deck and for a short walk on the beach.

This morning we packed everything up and headed over to the hospital. There we sat from 9am until 1:30 when he was finally discharged. It’s a four hour drive with an hour stop for a meal getting us back to their apartment at 6:30. I unloaded their stuff, filled in Frances and Al who came over to handle prescription duties at the drugstore and I came home.

Bob and Colin seem glad to see me. I was indeed to glad to be home again. It has been a very stressful three days but hopefully my dad will now start to listen to us about his fluid weight gain and the dangers of his congestive heart failure. So far, we have let him make his own decisions regarding his health care but that has officially come to an end.

 

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