Merry Christmas!

Another Christmas has come and gone.  It was a nice Christmas.  We spent Christmas eve with friends after church and then had supper with friends on Christmas day.  Talked to mom on Christmas day but not dad.  He has been very tired from the new medication and sleeping a lot.  As far as I know there haven't been any falls for a bit and things are going okay.  He sent me a picture of himself last week and he looks like he's been in a bar fight!  He walked into a door jam and they (they being mom and dad) think he broke his nose... combine that with the other cuts and bruises from his falls in the hospital and he's a mess.  Mom volunteers at the food bank and the weeks preceding Christmas get quite busy.  She was there for a few hours one day last week when dad decided to go for a walk and on his way home he fell and scraped himself up - mom has since told him he cannot go for walks without her.  There are a lot of hills where they live and it's quite easy for him to lose his balance going down them.  It sounds like mom is doing okay and she said it has been okay having him at home because behaviour has changed and he's not so angry but more weepy and scared.

We are going there to visit this week.  To be honest I am a bit apprehensive about the trip.  I hope dad's doing well so that the kids get some good time with him and have good memories of their Grandpa.  We are hoping to take the girls skiing one day so that would be fun.

What to pray for... our upcoming visit. As I was typing I got a text message from my sister-in-law. She said dad isn't doing very well at all right now.  Please pray for safe travels, that dad is better and for grace and patience all around (maybe a bit more so for me).

What I'm grateful for... our friends, our church, that my children are healthy and for Jesus' birth.

Thank you for reading.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Tech Support

Dad was discharged yesterday and is home!

He was originally supposed to go home on a day/night pass Sunday but the doctor on call wasn't comfortable with the night pass so he went home Sunday afternoon on a 4 hour pass.  Mom spoke with his regular doctor Tuesday morning who said that dad being in the hospital was starting to become so upsetting that he felt it was time and better if dad was home.  Mom texted and said "that doctor is so nice ....gave me his personal phone number... Which he said he "never" gives out! Gave us both a hug when we left and I honest to God thought I saw a tear in his eye!!"  I asked her at what point she was supposed to use his phone number but she hasn't replied.

Other good news... dad's email and Netflix aren't working on his iPad and I'm his tech support so he's texting me again!  Since my last post I had continued to text him every day with no response.  Yesterday I asked him if it felt good to be home and I got a "yes".  Asked him a few more questions, got a few more one word responses and then today he texted about his email and Netflix.  Told him I would call but he said to call later tonight as he was just laying down for a sleep.  

What to pray for... that dad does okay at home and for my mom as she starts the caregiver role again.

What I'm grateful for... the doctor taking care of my dad in the hospital.  

Update

My mom went to the hospital today.  She spoke with the doctor and they started dad on a new medication to help with his nights.  One of the symptoms of Lewy Body is REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder which involves acting out dreams, sometimes violently.   Dad has been having bad nights and mom said he had a gash on his forehead and two cuts on his face.  The initial dose was too high so they are cutting it in half and depending on how it goes, he might go home on a weekend pass.  The visit itself went good, mom said dad is weepy and scared.  And that makes me so incredibly sad.  I had a not so good afternoon and evening.

Dad and I are still not on "texting terms", well, at least he's not.  I sent him a text a few nights ago just to say good night, tell him I love him and that I'm praying for him.  Yesterday I sent him a picture of my middle child with her first track medal and the events she competed in.  I heard something in a new TV show last week (Chicago Med) that resonated with me... that you need to look past the disease and remember that the person you love is still there.  That is what prompted me to text him.  So, keeping that in mind, I will text my dad even if he doesn't text me back.

What to pray for - my dad.

What I'm grateful for - as stupid as it sounds, the psychiatrist in Chicago Med.