There is so much I've wanted to post, but I haven't known where to start. So I want to write about my sweet dad.
While we were in California, he was hospitalized. I had made him an appointment before I left, because he was really struggling with fluid in his lungs. Quite a while ago, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, but when I took him up to LDS Hospital in August, the cardiologist (who I thought was going to be all great and helpful, because he was hot and British, I was thinking "House") declared his heart was just fine. Dad's fantastic primary care physician, Dr. Parkin, disagreed and said he knew there was problems with his heart, even if the latest tests didn't point to Congestive Heart Failure. He also had borderline kidney failure.
Now, here is a man who has survived so many things. He was never sick a day in his life. Almost instantly after he retired as publisher from the Deseret News in 2000, his overworked body caught up with him and he started having multiple health problems. He's had diabetes for years, but he was soon diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He's endured 2 major back surgeries, a period of time where he had to use a feeding tube for a year, and survived 2 pulmonary embolisms, which should have killed him. This, on top of diabetic comas, falls, etc., we always joke that he has 9 (or more) lives. Dad being rushed to the hospital isn't uncommon. We are actually kind of used to it.
But when I heard that Dr. Parkin admitted him to LDS hospital while I was in California, I knew this was different. This last year, especially since Spring, he's been really declining. While he was at the hospital, they did many tests on him. They pumped 23 lbs. of fluid out of and around his lungs. They determined that his heart was much worse than those tests in August (I suspect Dr. Not-At-All-Like-House missed something). His right side of the heart was alright -- just aging, but his left side was almost shot. The doctor said it was some of the highest (meaning bad) numbers she had seen. They were worried he would get aspiration pneumonia due to food particles stuck in his bronchial tubes and suggested he have a feeding tube to keep him alive.
This is when my dad, prayerfully and thoughtfully, decided he was done with all these life saving treatments. He said that "being alive" doesn't mean you are happy, running, playing ball or dancing. It may keep you alive, but it doesn't build a lifestyle that makes you happy. He decided he would go under hospice care and enjoy the rest of the time he had left, so he could leave "with a smile on his face." His doctor wholeheartedly agreed and said he could go fairly quickly -- a few days or hang on for a few months.
That was 2 1/2 weeks ago. He was released from the hospital and admitted to CareSource in Holladay, the hospice residence, where he stayed for 48 hours. Since he didn't have unmanageable symptoms and he wanted to go home, they released him to have hospice at home care. It didn't take longer than another 48 hours for him to realize he really should go back to CareSource for full care. He's on the waiting list (now he's #1) to get in, but he's had great care at home with a CNA coming in every morning, nurse visits, social worker visits and help from my mom, Jimmy and Libby who live there and us kids, and his ward family.
He's not in pain, just very uncomfortable. It's so strange to see a body shut down and in a way, how long it can hold on under such duress. His mobility is almost completely gone. Since the hospital, he can't even stand without help. He's totally coherent and in most ways, still very much Jim. He's completely disobeying all the doctor's orders about food -- he says he wants to eat what he wants while he can! He really wanted to go up to Maddox in Brigham City one last time, so we went up with him, my mom, my younger siblings, their spouses and my nephews, Mitchell and Jack, for a Saturday afternoon lunch. He totally loved it! We're just helping him be comfortable, happy and enjoying spending time with him.
I've been so blessed during this time. I've been with him almost every day since we came back from California. For once, I actually feel like I'm giving back just a little for all he gave to me. It's been completely overwhelming and at times -- very hard. This is one of the worst things we will all go through in our lives. However, I've had a lot of peace and seen God's tender mercies all around me. I've been led by the Spirit to be at the right places, at the right times -- or to be inspired to remember things which I know I normally wouldn't -- or be impressed that I need to take notes or take action on something.
I could go on and on, but I've written enough. So many of my friends and family have inquired about how we're doing and expressed they are thinking about us and praying for us. Thank you for your kindness. It's reassuring to know we have such a great support system during difficult times.