Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2009. I wasn't in the room with Mattie that day. Peter was, along with Mattie's nurse, Katie. Together they got on this wii board to do yoga positions. Despite Mattie's disabilities, he really wanted to try this and did quite a good job balancing and moving his body. He was proud of himself and I remember hearing about this the rest of the day. Of course anything that provided Mattie with positive feedback, I supported!
Quote of the day: Courage is grace under pressure. ~ Ernest Hemingway
My mom has been getting up with my dad every two hours at night. Making it impossible for her to recover from her lung infection. I am concerned about all we are balancing and know it is taking a huge toll. I got my dad up, showered, and dressed. He had breakfast, we did brain games and then we waited for his physical therapist. My dad's therapist could see what I do.... my dad is exhausted and is weak. Of course we are afraid to push him because we did not know if this was cardiac related. Which is why I am THRILLED we saw the cardiologist today.
The cardiologist was a breath of fresh air. A lovely and realistic person! Not to mention a good listener. He heard all of my concerns! He even allowed my mom in the room with us. As of today my dad no longer has to follow pacemaker precautions. This is outstanding news because we have been watching him like a hawk, afraid he was going to put pressure on his left arm. Now he can use the arm, lift it, carry things, and even use a cane to walk up the stairs.
I asked the doctor why my dad's blood pressure has gotten out of control with the pacemaker. My dad went from needing one blood pressure med before the procedure and now he needs three. He explained that my dad's heart was not functioning properly and therefore was slow and not pushing blood around the body effectively. The pacemaker has changed this and therefore it is not unusual for pressure to become higher post-placement. In addition, I wanted to know about this diuretic he is on, because both of my parents have no quality of life if they wake up every two hours at night for bathroom trips. The doctor explained that it doesn't matter what time one takes a diuretic, that the body when lying down relaxes and this in combination with a diuretic can trigger one to make frequent bathroom trips. The good part of all of this is the doctor told me that the diuretic acts a bit like a sponge, once a good amount of fluid is released from the body, then things stabilize and my dad most likely won't have such frequent bathroom trips. I hope so because something has to give.
The main guidance the doctor gave my dad is that his body is de-conditioned. He has gotten used to being a couch potato and has to fight that urge to constantly rest. He told my dad that he has to use it or lose it, and therefore he should comply with my walking and exercise routine. There is nothing medically holding him back from being active. He told him that if he doesn't start moving, he will be wheelchair bound and then that will provide a host of other problems. The doctor also told him that he has many patients like my dad yet most of them are not lucky enough to have me. He asked my dad if he knew how lucky he was. I am not sure my dad puts two and two together anymore, but I know what I do on any given day is not for everyone. It is time consuming, sucks the life out of you, and honestly can be very depressing.
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