Dad’s Hospital Holiday

verabear Family, Weekend 0 Comments

On Friday morning, my Mom sent me a message saying she was at the Emergency Room with Dad. Daddy had felt light headed and his blood pressure went low so she took him there. He was okay but was being admitted for more observation. I probably should have rushed then, but I finished my shift, went a little overtime (last day syndrome), took time with lunch, before we finally made it to Dad’s room.

He didn’t look sick at all –

Now, in 30 years of my life, I have no memory of my Dad ever being hospitalized. He’s been to the ER several times in the last 10 years, but he’s never had to be kept overnight. So this was definitely something new. He stayed for two nights, and was discharged by Sunday morning. He might have overdosed on his new BP meds, so they lessened his medication. He is also on a strict diet now – dunno how long he’s going to sustain it though.

Mom mostly stayed with him, but he didn’t really needed to be looked after. On the first night they took his blood pressure and blood sugar readings hourly. I only stayed until around 8 or 9PM. The next day, readings were only done every four hours.

Guess who else went to visit on Friday afternoon?

He’s really grown up na! He is 10 years old and he’s wearing a shirt that he and my parents got from their Pagudpud vacation when he was such a small toddler! Haha Anyway, he stayed in the hospital until it was time for me to go home. We had argued about dinner too. He wanted Mang Inasal while I didn’t want to have to get off the car to buy the food. It was too hot outside and I was already up a long time by then – my laziness has been amplified. Hihi. In the end he agreed to Jollibee drive-thru. Chicken Joy for him and the boyfriend, Burger Steak for me.

We ate our dinner together at home while Alfred was still sleeping (his shift wasn’t until 3AM). He asked for extra rice and I was so surprised! He’d worked up an appetite, this kid. No wonder he’s growing real fast. Back in the day he would be so picky with food, and would hardly finish his plate.

Anyway…

I went back to the hospital around lunch time the next morning. All I did in the intervening time was see two movies on Fox Family, sleep, wake, dink water, and sleep again. Saturday morning plans had to be scrapped, it was officially time to catch up on sleep.

Shortly after I got to the hospital, my brother arrived – bearing food and drinks too! Hah! And just in time because I was really hungry by then. Amir was supposed to go in for a checkup but they cancelled it on account of Dad’s hospitalization. Since we were there already, Mom took a few hours to herself and went home.

It wasn’t long until Dad was his nutty self – he actually wanted to go out and get himself some coffee. I managed to convince him otherwise and Alfred went out to get him a cup of coffee without sugar. Still, he wanted to walk around. He wasn’t hooked up to a dextrose by then but the IV tap was still on his hand. He had just taken a shower and we were waiting for a change of linens, so he thought he was free to roam around. I couldn’t stop him entirely, but he didn’t go very far. He wasn’t gone 5 minutes before he came back in again.

He kept talking about going home and I really couldn’t see why – the air-conditioning was such a welcome treat. Imagine not having to roast while you sleep?! With everything covered by the HMO, he hadn’t to worry about cost really. But yeah, nothing beats the comfort of your own home. Or maybe he just wanted to go home so he could eat all the oily and sweet food he could grab!

Seriously though, just so thankful that Dad is okay. Thankful that we live so near the best hospital in the country. Greatful that I have a job with free HMO extended to Mom and Dad. Now Dad really has to take better care of himself now. He needs to get back to his old exercise routine, and a better diet. Hopefully that rubs off on us too.