Sorry... it's been awhile. Though, I can't say it won't be awhile until I write again. But, hey... it is what it is.
This week has been pretty rough on my dad. It started off fairly regularly. On Sunday my parents went to church. They may have gone swimming afterwards or on Monday. They usually go three or four times a week on average. On Tuesday they met up with their seniors' club for lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant on Markham Road, north of Ellesmere. Dad said he enjoyed his time there.
It was on Thursday morning when things started going sideways. At 7:27 I got some texts from my sister saying my mom found my dad on the bathroom floor at home. I don't remember exactly everything she said, but one thing she mentioned was that my dad was sleeping and that he thought he was in bed. He was kind of confused. She said he was unable to get himself up. That's when she called for an ambulance and he was taken to North York General Hospital.
After finishing work on Thursday I stopped by my parents' house to pick up some clothes for dad and old newspapers for him to read before heading to the hospital. My dad was taken to the hospital in his pyjamas. My mom was worried that if he was discharged they wouldn't be able to take the bus home if they wanted. I also grabbed some shoes, socks and underwear. It just made sense to me.
My dad was on the 6th floor of the west wing. Room 668 I believe. He had three or four other roommates. I stayed for an hour or two before taking my mom home for the night. My dad would be staying overnight for observations.
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The next day I picked my mom and eldest nephew, Avery, up to go visit my dad. I dropped them off at the west entrance and went to go wait at the IKEA parking lot. My dad was to slated to be released that morning. I brought some Sudokus to do.
When I picked them up my dad mentioned one of his roommates wasn't doing well and made quite a bit of noise at night. He was an older gentleman. Other than that I believe his stay was all right.
After dropping my parents off I stayed with them for a little while before heading home. Everything seemed fine. My dad seemed to be doing well.
... That was until I got call from my sister on Saturday morning at 8:00. She was at my parents' home. My mother had found my father in distress in the bathroom. Again.
Now, I have to say I received a number of phone calls and texts and also spoke with my mother at the hospital. So I can't remember exactly which details I received at what time. In the call I had with my sister in the morning I believe she mentioned my dad was able to speak, but with some slurring in his speech. As well he lost some feeling in his left arm, but was able to move it.
Later on at the hospital my mother told me when she found my father Saturday morning he was sitting on the toilet unable to move. She said he had some drool coming from his mouth and I believe his nose may have been dripping a bit. She told me he wasn't able to speak.
Anyway, after discovering my dad in the bathroom, my mom called my sister who drove over quickly. She lives nearby. They decided they should call an ambulance which arrived in short order. This time they took my father to Sunnbrook Hospital at Bayview and Blythwood Avenue.
My sister updated me by text from the hospital at 9:50 a.m.. She said they were treating him with a clot buster. My father had a blockage in a small blood vessel. My sister stayed at the hospital with my mom for awhile before she had to go. She asked me to pick my mom up and drive her home later.
Instead of waiting for my mom's late evening call I thought I'd walk over to the hospital in the early afternoon to visit my dad. I could always walk back home to get the car to drive my mom home afterwards if I needed to. It was only a 3 kilometre walk. Done easily in less than an hour.
I dropped by, perhaps, around 3:00.. My mom had told me they were in an emergency room room - number 26. I walked over and a staff member let me in and told me where to go.
The room my dad was in was pretty nice. He was hooked up to all sorts of monitoring equipment. It looked new and modern. As well he was hooked up to an IV. He was resting, with his back raised, in bed, my mom sitting in a chair nearby. He seemed to be doing okay. His speech wasn't too bad. A bit slurred. He was able to move all his body parts - arms, legs, fingers, etc.. Though he didn't have complete feeling in his left arm or hand. Just the parts above his elbow.
I brought some food for my mom. She mentioned she had had a pita or sandwich that she bought at the hospital. I brought some croissants, apple sauce, and angel food cake from my sister's friend. I didn't have anything to read for my dad. There was an old Canadian Geographic on the table in the room that my mom had found. It was from 1998.
The nurse came in afterwards and tested my dad by poking certain parts of his body. He could feel when she touched his face, neck, shoulder and upper arm. But nothing below that. She made him press his feet on her hands too which he was able to do. She also had him raise his right leg, then left, which he was also able to do. She asked him to squeeze her hands with his hands too I believe. He was able to do that as well. I believe she mentioned his condition had improved a bit from before.
She came back an hour or so later to do the same thing. This time she brought and ECG machine as well. It checks the electrical activity of your heart. The first machine she brought in didn't work properly, so she had to get another machine which seemed to work all right. She made a print out of the readings. I don't know what they meant. I guess someone else would interpret it later.
I probably stayed for a couple of hours before heading home. I left one of the croissants for my mom. She said she was full and couldn't eat anymore. I told her she could call me and I could come back and drive her home later. But she said it didn't make sense and that she would take the bus home. So I walked home.
My mom left the hospital at 7:43 p.m..
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