Ups and Downs

Literally – Joe has had so many ups and downs this week.  One minute he can walk and the next minute, he can’t stand up.  We had a scare earlier in the week when Joe took his worst fall yet.  We had just put him to bed for an afternoon nap and he had promised not to get up without calling for help.  I was working in my office, the girls were in the other room when we heard the crash.  Joe had gotten out of bed and fell face first on the bathroom floor.  His legs and arms gave out and he couldn’t walk and couldn’t get his hands to stop the fall. Blood everywhere.  Hospice came over and said it looks like he broke his nose and we had the option to take him to the ER or just work with it at home.  Since we got the bleeding to stop and he could breath, we opted to just pack it in ice and work it from home.  Joe would be so miserable in a hospital. The good thing about the fall is Joe clearly remembers it and finally realizes he can’t do what he used to be able to do.  We got a bed rail handle, a walker and a wheelchair.  The bed rail handle is great and has stopped many falls.  He refuses to use the walker or wheelchair (made me put them in the garage).  He said he’s just not ready, which is OK by me.  Most of time, he calls for help when he wakes up, but occasionally he tries on his own and we have to be quick to avoid those painful falls. 

The Up of the week was a surprise visit by Cheryl, Marianne and Carolyn Brooks from Pennsylvania.  There was a knock on the door and boy were we surprised.  It was an amazing short, but fantastic visit.  The other Up of the week was Joe’s walk.  He wanted to go for a walk, so with TPN and drainage bag in hand, we each got on both sides of Joe and walked down the street.  We stopped and took a picture of this memorable occasion.  It was great!  It was so Joe.  He’s just determined not to let anything stop him.

On the down side, beside the falls, Joe’s blood pressure is dropping, his pulse rate is increasing.  He has hallucinations throughout the day and night and rarely sleeps more than 1-2 hours at a time.  In fact, the last 2 days, he’s up every 20-45 minutes.  He thought today was Superbowl Sunday and was so disappointed when I had to tell him it was not.  We turned on the NFL channel and watched an old game instead. 

We still read cards to Joe, still laugh and visit and still treasure each and every moment we have left with him on earth.  As always, your support is clearly our strength.

Love to all,

The Kahlers