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More progress with my dad.
Aug. 2nd, 2015 03:27 amSo, I took my dad to his doctors appointment thursday. Doctor finally aggreed that the stomach tube was no longer needed and we could remove it. (And also once it is removed, the twice daily flushing with water to keep it clear, and the daily cleaning and dressing changes to keep it from becoming infected. This is effectively an open wound that we were holding open with a rubber tube, so infection is a constant risk. )
Took a day or so to track down the surgeon who put it in last february, and schedule the appointment with her. But that is now set, thursday the 13th, first thing in the morning. She said that it is a very simple procedure, not requiring a general anethesia, so preparation is simple, nothing by mouth starting at midnight the night before, and possibly modification of dad's coumadin dosage before and after for a few days.
This removes a big potential headache, as I had agreed to work the folk festival in Bangor Maine at the end of august, and nobody else in the family has the skills and willingness to do the daily care of this. Normally they take care of it themselves, but dad is not mentally prepared to do so. Mostly I think he would forget that he has to do it each day. So we would have had to hire a nurse to come in twice a day the whole time I was up in maine, which would have cost a fortune.
Dad also goes to the dentist this week to get his dentures redone, which should greatly help with his eating problems. He is still slowly recovering, he is walking out on the street each day it isn't raining with my mom. I am a little worried about him wandering as his mobility improves, but that is minor concern right now. We are researching tracking devices so if that does become needful, it is not a mad scramble to get something right the heck now.
Mom has flipped her bipolar to manic, and is full of energy. She is scheduling herseof for surgery to remove her cataracts in a couple months, so that is a hurdle to deal with then.
Had a plumber in today. Unclogged the kitchen sink and replaced a couple of leaky valves on the furnace. (we have high mineral content in the town's water, so these valves start leaking every several years. ) looking into getting an independent hot water heater from the furnace, so the furnace could stay cold all summer, saving a tankful or two of oil each summer. The two options are conventional electric hot water heater, or a hot water heater that heats the water by running a heat pump that pulls heat from the air in the basement and puts it into the water. More efficient, but more expensive to buy. It also has a wonderful side effect of dehumidifying the basement.
Yay, progress.
Took a day or so to track down the surgeon who put it in last february, and schedule the appointment with her. But that is now set, thursday the 13th, first thing in the morning. She said that it is a very simple procedure, not requiring a general anethesia, so preparation is simple, nothing by mouth starting at midnight the night before, and possibly modification of dad's coumadin dosage before and after for a few days.
This removes a big potential headache, as I had agreed to work the folk festival in Bangor Maine at the end of august, and nobody else in the family has the skills and willingness to do the daily care of this. Normally they take care of it themselves, but dad is not mentally prepared to do so. Mostly I think he would forget that he has to do it each day. So we would have had to hire a nurse to come in twice a day the whole time I was up in maine, which would have cost a fortune.
Dad also goes to the dentist this week to get his dentures redone, which should greatly help with his eating problems. He is still slowly recovering, he is walking out on the street each day it isn't raining with my mom. I am a little worried about him wandering as his mobility improves, but that is minor concern right now. We are researching tracking devices so if that does become needful, it is not a mad scramble to get something right the heck now.
Mom has flipped her bipolar to manic, and is full of energy. She is scheduling herseof for surgery to remove her cataracts in a couple months, so that is a hurdle to deal with then.
Had a plumber in today. Unclogged the kitchen sink and replaced a couple of leaky valves on the furnace. (we have high mineral content in the town's water, so these valves start leaking every several years. ) looking into getting an independent hot water heater from the furnace, so the furnace could stay cold all summer, saving a tankful or two of oil each summer. The two options are conventional electric hot water heater, or a hot water heater that heats the water by running a heat pump that pulls heat from the air in the basement and puts it into the water. More efficient, but more expensive to buy. It also has a wonderful side effect of dehumidifying the basement.
Yay, progress.
