One last 'dad update'

Don't worry, this isn't my last "dad update" because I have bad news to share; it's (likely) my last one because he's back at home with my mom.

Actually, he's been home for just over a week now, and he's doing remarkably well. He's eating home-cooked meals, getting over his fear of the stairs, taking daily walks with my mom and relaxing on his favorite couch.

His left arm is still weak, but even that seems to be improving all the time.

Most important to me is that I'm seeing more and more glimpses of my dad's old personality. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say my dad's usually gregarious personality left him completely in the wake of the strokes he suffered just over a month ago, it definitely took a bit of a backseat during most of his recovery.

While chatting with him and my mom (via FaceTime) a few days ago, though, I happily and surprisingly saw more of my dad's old personality than I've seen a long time.

So, things are good for my dad, mom and me at the moment. Yes, my dad's recovery will continue for a long time, and I'm he (and my mom and I) will encounter a few more potholes as continues down this road, but I'm feeling more positive than ever that he'll not only reach his destination--as normal a life as possible--but do so sooner rather than later.

Thanks again to all of you who have shared words of encouragement or have sent positive vibes since all of this went down. I've truly appreciated the support, and I'm sure my dad has, too.

See also: Previous posts about my dad

Dad update #174

It's been a while (over a month, I think) since I published my last "dad update," so I thought I'd rectify that today.

The biggest news of the last few weeks is that my dad is walking again. He needs the assistance of a walker (or some contraption that's like a walker--I don't completely understand my mom's description of the one-handed device he's currently using to get around), at the moment, but even that's pretty amazing when you consider he only took his first steps about two-and-a-half weeks ago.

When will he take his first, unassisted steps? No one really knows. I'm hopeful he'll take them eventually, though, and that's all that matters to me right now.

Things are going well for him in other areas, too. He's talking more whenever we chat via FaceTime, and he's eating and drinking fairly normally at this point--although he still has some difficulty in swallowing "thin liquids" like water, something that seems to be an issue for many folks who suffer strokes.

As much progress as he's made in the last two months, though, my dad still has quite a way to go before he can return home with my mom. His left arm is still too weak to be used for much of anything, for instance, and his body is pretty weak overall, too.

Here's hoping that his progress continues in the coming days, weeks and months and that he and my mom are able to return to some semblance of normalcy as soon as possible.

See also: Previous posts about my dad

Another update about my dad

So, it's been a few weeks since I last wrote about my dad. I thought some of you may be curious as to how he's doing, so here's a bit of an update on his recovery (from the trio of strokes he had in mid-February).

The short and sweet of it is that he's doing really, really well. He's still in a nursing home and he still can't use his left arm or leg well enough to walk or otherwise fully take care of himself, but he's able to use both limbs a little bit more each and every day.

My mom and dad during our most
recent family vacation.

In fact, earlier this week my mom surprised me by telling me that he stood up, on his own, for the first time since he had his strokes. Previously, the most he had been able to do with his left leg was kick his foot back and forth while sitting in a wheelchair and raise his knee while lying in bed.

Anyway, how big of a deal is it that he was able to stand up on his own, you ask? Big enough that my dad's physical therapists did a little "dance of joy," according to my mom.

Sadly, I wasn't able to see any of the above in person. I'm hoping I'll be able to witness, from afar, at least some of his future "momentous occasions," though, since my mom recently picked up an iPad and has been using it--and Apple's completely fabulous FaceTime app--to make video calls to me (and to David, too, when he's not working) pretty much every other day.

Thanks again for all of your support, by the way. It's been extremely helpful and my dad, mom and I have greatly appreciated it.

UPDATE: I hate to update this post already, especially with not-so-great news, but I wrote this on Friday night and didn't expect anything negative to happen between then and now. Unfortunately, something did. Basically, my dad had to have his gall bladder removed yesterday. Thankfully, the infection that brought about its removal had nothing to do with his recent strokes. Also, he's expected to recover from the surgery and return "home" to the rehab facility fairly quickly. Anyway, here's hoping this is my dad's last step backward on his road to recovery.

See also: Previous posts about my dad

Back in the saddle (or should I say Seattle?) again

After spending nearly three weeks in Madison, Wisconsin, with my parents, David (the hubs) and I are back in Seattle.

Just in case any of you are curious: My dad made a number of impressive steps forward in his recovery over the last week. He was upgraded from an all-pureed-food diet to one that allows for assorted soft foods like scrambled eggs and lasagna, for starters. Also, he began moving his left leg and arm with more frequency and ability--previously, both limbs were all but paralyzed--and, as a result, he was able to participate in his occupational and physical therapy sessions more fully than was the case previously.

That said, he's still bed-ridden for the most part--although he is put into a wheelchair for four to six hours a day--and he's still unable to care for himself in most instances. So, although he's made a lot of progress in the three weeks since his strokes, he's still pretty far from the proverbial finish line (assuming the finish line is the recovery of the ability to use, to some extent, his left leg and arm). Regardless, my mom, David and I are feeling very hopeful and positive about the situation--something that couldn't be said a week and a half ago.

Thanks again for all of the positive energy/thoughts/vibes and prayers you've sent our way. All of us, including my dad, appreciate them greatly.

See also: 'Going home to be with (and take care of) my mom and dad' and 'Update about my dad'

Update about my dad

Hello everyone. I'm just popping in here to give you an update as to my dad's condition/situation--in case any of you are curious.

The good news is that he's doing better. He's still in the hospital, and he's still battling a number of issues--headaches and lethargy are the main culprits, in addition to the left-side "paralysis" that was caused by the last of the three strokes he suffered just over a week ago--but he's shown a number of ever-so-slight signs of improvement over the last few days.

My mom, dad and David at the Fremont Troll.

The bad news is that this is going to be a long, tough battle--for him, especially, but also for my mom and my brother and I--and I have a feeling we're still at the very beginning of it at this point. We're hopeful, though, that the swelling of the brain that followed his strokes will start to diminish over the next week and, as a result, his headaches and lethargy will follow it out the door--and allow him to participate more fully in his recovery moving forward.

As you can probably imagine, I'm still a bit out of sorts--although I'm no longer alternating between bawling at the drop of a hat and feeling like a zombie. So, I think I'm going to try to return to some semblance of normalcy this week by getting back to work and by getting back to blogging, too.

I'd like to thank all of you for your kind words of encouragement and for the energy, thoughts and prayers you have aimed at my dad and my family. We appreciate it greatly.

Going home to be with (and take care of) my mom and dad

I feel kind of strange mentioning this here, since it's awfully personal and not at all about gaming, but I can't help myself.

My dad had a stroke last Thursday night. Actually, he had three strokes--two "mini" ones while at home and a third, more serious one shortly after he and my mom arrived at the hospital.

My mom tells me that if they hadn't been at the hospital when the third one hit, he likely would have died.

I don't know enough about strokes to be able to tell you how severe this last one was. Regardless, it was bad enough that he had to have surgery to remove the clot that caused the stroke. Also, it seems as though he suffered some amount of trauma/paralysis to his left side. His mind seems OK--he hasn't suffered any memory loss, nor has he lost the ability to communicate or understand language--which is a miracle in and of itself, but he's hardly in the clear at this point. He's still in the ICU and we're unsure as to when he will be moved out of it--or when he will be discharged (likely to some sort of therapy/treatment center until he's strong enough to return home).

I've been devastated by this surprising turn of events, as have my mom and brother. Ever since I heard the news, I've been alternating between bawling my eyes out and feeling like a zombie.

My original plan was to keep this to myself, and to continue updating this blog as I always do. This morning, though, I decided it would be best to take a few days off--especially since David (my husband) and I will be flying home late tonight and the next few days are sure to be filled with trips to see my dad, phone calls to family and friends and hopefully a bit of rest.

I'm not expecting to stay away for long. In fact, I plan on returning to some sort of normalcy--on this blog, at least--next week (thanks in large part to a slew of posts that were written before all of this happened).

Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know so that you won't worry that the lack of posts over the next few days means that something has happened to me or that something is happening to this blog.

Also, I'd greatly appreciate it if any of you would be able to spend even one second today or tomorrow or whenever you're able to send positive energy/thoughts/vibes my dad's way.