Part 3: Saturday 11/16
Saturday, my Dad stayed in the Hospital all day and it was rough. He (and my Mom) needed to sleep, but he kept getting so many visitors! At one point the room was so full and so LOUD, the Nurse had to come and kick everybody out. That's the problem with a Pierce Family Tragedy - it's always a PARTY.
Earlier in the day, the core of the family - My Mom, my Brother and his family, my two sisters, Crystal and I - had a big group discussion regarding the official, leagal medical position we would have going forward.
OUr choices were to either a) Try to prolong his life, which would likely cause just more pain and greater risks through surgeries and procedures that his body would have great difficulty in recovering from (plus the fact that finding a surgeon who would operate on a guy who is in this condition are practically nil), or b) Let Nature take it's course, do what we can to make him comfortable till he dies, treat symptoms with medication till he's gone.
We unanimously chose Option B.
All we had to do from here is wait for some test results to come back and then we'd be able to take him home. They were trying Blood Transfusion on him, and they were checking to see if he was getting liquid in his lungs. Assuming that everything came back okay, they said we'd be out by Sunday.
This meant a day and a night in the Hospital, where my Dad DOES NOT do well. He was combatative, disoriented, slurring words, mumbling... he kept asking for my Mom, whom I had sent home to try and get some rest while the rest of us were in town taking care of stuff. Every time Dad woke up and said "Where's Cheryl?" I'd have to tell him not to worry, I was taking care of her and making her get some sleep so she could come back bright-n-early to take him home. At one point he started crying, saying "I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of Cheryl..." and I reminded him that he had made me swear to take care of Mom. He didn't remember it, but *I* did and I guess that's all that matters.
At about 6pm it was decided that my sister, Jan (the only other blood-spawn of my Father who was there at the time) would spend the night there at the Hospital with Dad since she had a "History" of staying overnight with him while he was having his sundowners hallucinations.
Crystal and I went back to the house where we found my Mom propped-up in her bed on a billion pillows, every light in the house on, and the TV blaring. She was asleep, bless her lil' heart.
I was out-cold asleep by 8:30 when Jan called for assistance, seems my Dad was having a rough night? I really don't know, I was asleep but Crystal jumped up and went back to the hospital... no idea what happened then, that's HER story to tell. By morning, Crystal was back and Jan was happy to report that Dad had slept all night long so HOORAY! He usually doesn't get ANY sleep in the Hospital!
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 4: SUNDAY HAPPY ENDINGS
Earlier in the day, the core of the family - My Mom, my Brother and his family, my two sisters, Crystal and I - had a big group discussion regarding the official, leagal medical position we would have going forward.
OUr choices were to either a) Try to prolong his life, which would likely cause just more pain and greater risks through surgeries and procedures that his body would have great difficulty in recovering from (plus the fact that finding a surgeon who would operate on a guy who is in this condition are practically nil), or b) Let Nature take it's course, do what we can to make him comfortable till he dies, treat symptoms with medication till he's gone.
We unanimously chose Option B.
All we had to do from here is wait for some test results to come back and then we'd be able to take him home. They were trying Blood Transfusion on him, and they were checking to see if he was getting liquid in his lungs. Assuming that everything came back okay, they said we'd be out by Sunday.
This meant a day and a night in the Hospital, where my Dad DOES NOT do well. He was combatative, disoriented, slurring words, mumbling... he kept asking for my Mom, whom I had sent home to try and get some rest while the rest of us were in town taking care of stuff. Every time Dad woke up and said "Where's Cheryl?" I'd have to tell him not to worry, I was taking care of her and making her get some sleep so she could come back bright-n-early to take him home. At one point he started crying, saying "I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of Cheryl..." and I reminded him that he had made me swear to take care of Mom. He didn't remember it, but *I* did and I guess that's all that matters.
At about 6pm it was decided that my sister, Jan (the only other blood-spawn of my Father who was there at the time) would spend the night there at the Hospital with Dad since she had a "History" of staying overnight with him while he was having his sundowners hallucinations.
Crystal and I went back to the house where we found my Mom propped-up in her bed on a billion pillows, every light in the house on, and the TV blaring. She was asleep, bless her lil' heart.
I was out-cold asleep by 8:30 when Jan called for assistance, seems my Dad was having a rough night? I really don't know, I was asleep but Crystal jumped up and went back to the hospital... no idea what happened then, that's HER story to tell. By morning, Crystal was back and Jan was happy to report that Dad had slept all night long so HOORAY! He usually doesn't get ANY sleep in the Hospital!
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 4: SUNDAY HAPPY ENDINGS