My goodness has a lot happened since I've talked to you all. I have been incredibly busy since then.... and not in the good way.
One Tuesday a few weeks ago... it was 90 degrees, my dad was at his friends house helping his do some major yard work. From what I hear they were cutting down trees and my dad was running a brush hog. Not a good idea for a diabetic man with a heart condition. Granted, my dad is only 49 so it's not like he's too old to be doing things like that BUT he does have a bunch of medical issues. Not to mention he was smoking and starting to drink again and trying to be 25 again.
Well, all of the sudden, my dad got really nauseous, vomitted twice, overheated, feeling strained and had a huge headache. So, my dad came home that night and discussed what was going on with my mom. She decided to WebMD his symptoms and as they though... WebMD diagnosed him with heat exhaustion. (Good idea Mom, WebMD, seriously?)
Well, the next morning, the phone was ringing off the hook. In the morning I am so groggy that I can barely register if a hurricane went through my bedroom let alone a ringing phone. So finally, my sister came downstairs and said, "Tan, get up, daddy drove himself to the ER. Mommy thinks he's having a heart attack." Well that worked!
So my sister Mon, cousin Nikki and I went to the hospital to meet him in the ER. He was being treated in one of the exam rooms. And let me tell you... it was a very scary experience. At that time, Dad's blood pressure was70/44!!!! He was literally passing out as I was talking to him. THAT was scary.
The ER doc was a super-douche. He literally said to us, "At this point it's hard to tell what's going on... is he having a heart attack... ehhhhh who's to say?" UHHHH YOU, sir. You are to say if he is having a heart attack. Finally, his cardiologist came in. And yes it was another heart attack.
This time was much worse - "a major myocardial infarction," as arrogant cardiologist said. Now, don't get me wrong, I know more than I should about medical terms and hospitals and all of that but don't you just love poor bedside manner and being spoken to like you're in med school? Luckily Mom and most of my aunts and uncles are in the medical field so they know what's going on. But hey, not all of us are clued in. But I'd rather have Mom who knows all the right questions to ask and understands exactly what is goin on than just being clueless!
So, after two emergency cardio catheterizations, one pacemaker operation, several congestive heart failure episodes, a week in ICU, another week in a step down unit and and incredible amount of emotions... Dad came home.... for three days. Then one morning dad woke up and could breathe. So, back to the hospital.
His congestive heart failure was making him retain a ton of water. And by a ton, I mean twenty pounds. So they put him on IV lasix and it made him pee like crazy. It was an easy fix but COME ON!
But the next day he was sent home so that wasn't too bad. Since then, Dad has been incredibly irritable, restless and sometimes downright mean. He is NOT the kind of man who will sit around and do nothing. He is, by definition, a workaholic. Look it up, there will be a picture of my dad.
So, to take some of the focus off of the amount of work Dad ISN'T allowed to do, we bought a puppy to keep him company. Actually, we didn't buy him... he was given to us. He is a purebred Australian Shephard puppy. Dad named him Neo after the character in the Matrix. And he is probably the best thing that has happened to our family in a while. I'll post pictures at the end of the blog.
The following day my aunt and uncle, who are my grandmother's care takers, asked us to take my grandmother while they went on vacation. Now, this had been the plan for a while but don't you think that they could have given us a break and asked one of dad's other SIX brothers or sisters to take her for the 18 days that they'd be gone????
My grandma isn't any small task. She is barely mobile, has a wound on her foot, takes insulin shots every day, can't remember to take her own medication... needs help in the restroom.... I could go on and on.
With Dad's limitations and Mom working everyday, Grandma's care laid in the hands of Monica(my sister), Nikki(my cousin) and me. However, Monica also works during the day. Nikki and I work together at night. So we sleep at least until noon. It was just a lot to handle.
Albeit, the stay was very nice. Grandma was on her best behavior. She was much less needy than she usually is... so we were very grateful for that.
Well, the day before Grandma left Mom came home early from work. VERY unusual. Anyone wanna take a stab at why Mom cam home early from work?
No, ok, I'll tell ya.
Mom had left work and gone to the doctor's office because her leg (a previous surgery site) was red, swollen, hot and painful. Well, it was a definite infection. So, the doctor sent her home on bed rest.
Unbelievable, right? I mean just our luck.
So, ontop of trying to take care of Dad, Grandma, Neo, Mom AND myself, I was trying to keep up with the house work, work and try to find a "real" job. Needless to say, I've been overwhelmed.
So, just a few days ago, even though it is not on his list of things that he can do, Dad was dong the laundry. Of course, he carried up the heavy laundry basket (he's not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds) so I yelled at him. Well, with Dad being as irritable as he had been, he snapped back, "Don't tell me what I'm not allowed to do!!!!! I've been asking for the laundry to be done for five days, TAN!!!!!!!!"
Well, that was my breaking point. WIthout any control of my emotions, I started to sob and said that I was trying so hard. I felt foolish but come on.... how much can a girl take?
Still, I am just exhausted. I reallllly need a vacation.
I hope you have all been well, bloggers. I can't wait to catch up with you all. Leave me messages and tell me how you've been!
Peace and Love to you all.
Oh and here are the photos I promised.
Neo-pup:
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