Monday, April 1, 2024

Monday, April 1, 2024

Tonight's picture was taken on April 4, 2002, Mattie's birth date! I will NEVER forget this moment in time. Mattie's due date was April 6th. I was told that first babies tend to come after their due date. NOT MATTIE! He wanted out and literally kicked so hard that my water broke. I went into labor on April 2, and did not deliver Mattie until April 4. By that time, I had to have an emergency C-section, I was running a high fever, and it was during labor that I developed my first migraine. A migraine which remains with me daily since that moment in time. When I was in the operating room, with my arms taped down to a table and a cord over my head keeping my abdomen open (I am not kidding), I could hear the obstetrician saying... what's this?! Not what you want to hear. Turns out I had a soft ball size tumor on my bladder. She had to move it aside to get to Mattie. When she saw Mattie and pulled him out, everyone said... what a beautiful boy! Indeed, he was born ON and very alert. After Mattie was born, I got to touch his foot with my hand (as my arms were strapped down) and see him first, but then Mattie was quickly whisked away to the nursery for testing. I remained on the operating table, for the tumor to be removed and analyzed. 

Quote of the day: A dog wags his tail with his heart. ~ Martin Buxbaum

Boo! While Sunny was in physical therapy, Halloween was approaching. His therapist dressed him up as a firefighter and snapped this photo! In my opinion, Sunny had the best smile. Just seeing his sweet face, brought me happiness. As he exuded pure and honest love and innocence. 

I spent the day, when not caregiving, digging out of my dad's health insurance claims and other accounts. I went through three years worth of statements as I am trying to figure out exactly what his health insurance covers. My mom had three files for this one insurer, and I had to organize all of them into one file and put things in chronological order. I couldn't even calculate how much they contribute per year because the state of things was in such a disarray. 

This afternoon, I picked my dad up early from his memory care center, to take him to his annual pacemaker check. This check is fascinating and super easy. It is always performed by a tech from the pacemaker manufacturer. The device that reads the pacemaker, looks like a computer mouse, that is placed on top of the pacemaker. Within seconds all sorts of data can be downloaded from the pacemaker to a computer and if needed the tech can tweak the pacemaker to make it more efficient for the patient. 

The tech was telling me today that prior to COVID, patients literally came into the office every three months for a pacemaker check. Then when COVID took over our lives, all pacemaker monitoring occurred remotely. Believe it or not, my dad's pacemaker is monitored through an app on my phone. This app pushes data to the pacemaker company and if there any anomaly, the company contacts me. In addition, every three months, a physician reports the remote reports and then sends them to me by email. Truly remarkable technology. 

My dad has a pacemaker (that looks like this), which helps to keep his heart beating at 60 to 100 beats per minute. Prior to having the pacemaker, my dad's heart rate would drop below 60, even when doing exercise. The pacemaker sends electrical pulses to his heart to keep it at a normal rate and rhythm. It also helps his heart chambers beat in sync so his heart can pump blood more efficiently to his body. I learned that either you have a defibrillator (with a pacemaker) or just a pacemaker. The defibrillator is for people with elevated heart rates, which is not my dad. 

We learned about the history of pacemakers today and how they were once external devices. In addition, they did not have a long life span initially. So patients had to get a new device every three months. Now the devices are small, implanted under the skin, and have a battery life of at least ten years. Though my dad asked the same question over and over, he was intrigued by the process today and the tech was great with him. 

Earlier in the day, my mom's physical therapist came to the house. This therapist works with both of my parents. The therapist commented on how he has seen a decline in my dad over the last four months. Again, this does not surprise me, but I do feel it validates my own feelings and observations. My dad is out of it more, would sleep the entire day away if allowed, is eating less, he is having more bathroom accidents and truthfully it is a very humbling experience to live in my house. Caregiving is not for the meek, and that is only a portion of the heartache I face and manage day in and day out.