Update on Dad-September 29, 2008

This is from an update email to my Dad's brother, my Uncle Lefty. Pretty much sums up what is going on right now. Sorry about the infrequency of the updates...I guess it is just pretty discouraging right now.

Well, I am really overdue on an update, but I guess I have been pretty discouraged at the lack of change and have not felt there was much to say. Dad seems to be in a holding pattern right now, in my opinion he does not seem to be improving. On Wednesday it will be 6 weeks since he has gone into the hospital, and two weeks from being transferred to "Kindred" Hospital, the long term acute care facility. When I really think about how he was doing 4 weeks ago when he was transferred up to this point, I see very little, if any improvement. He is up and down...some days (or even some moments) he seems pretty clear minded, and like himself. Then other days, or even minutes after he seems fine, he will go into a state where he is staring at the ceiling, mumbling, and talking about things that make no sense. David told me last night that on Saturday he was VERY out of it, and telling David that Mom was "locked in the mailbox" and he needed to go get her out. Often he will mention Mom, and ask if she is there, and if not where is she. He seems very uncertain of where he is many times, and has told both David and I to call before we come the next day as he will not be there, or that he is in a hotel, or even "Karen's Friend's House".

So, honestly I have begun to really doubt if he will ever be improved enough to return to Victoria. He seems very weak, even unable to move a sheet on his bed. He even seems to have lost interest in watching TV, even sports as both David and I have noticed, which is so unlike Dad. His condition is very discouraging to me, as I know it is to David, as we feel as of this point he honestly has NO quality of life...nothing he looks forward to, nothing he enjoy. He is existing...in a room, often staring at the ceiling, not able to eat food, hardly able to move, with medical procedures being done to him all day that he does not seem to enjoy. David and I were discussing it last night, and it even seems that he gets little enjoyment from our visits any more either. He does not say much (what does he have to talk about...) and mostly stares into space with short yes or no responses. As I mentioned, some days he seems slightly better, and more able to focus and communicate. But I try to be realistic and not put too much hope into those little glimmers of his "good days" as I have seen too often that he can be right back to "out of it" the next day, or even 5 minutes later. Right now my greatest fear for Dad is that he will remain in this "limbo" condition for months or maybe years to come, staying alive because of the medical treatment he is recieving, but living in a greatly diminished condition from where he was before he went into the hospital.


Hopefully this answers some of your questions, sorry I have not been better about the updates.