HAP Posted May 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Thanks Fae and Anne. I worried about this post--especially because it so flies in the face of what people advised me after the first one. I really am looking forward to a break in early July and then two weeks of teaching journalism later in the month that will take my mind off cancer, as well, for several hours a day. I'm spending as much time as I can in the garden the last week or two because weeding and constructing beds are forms of meditation that real do calm me down and take me away from troubled times. There is nothing like moving tons of sand or rock to straighten the bent and broken steel of my mind--and I've been moving lots of both. Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 My dear Harry, We will never tell you that you are nuts. You are a brave soul that will die trying to save the world and we all admire you for it...even while we will continue to worry about you because we care about you. I am so sorry about your friend...to get married and then die, this is just a disease that seems so senseless...as most of them do. We can only hope to strike a balance with you...get you to take a day off now and then to replenish and rest. You have come to mean much to so many of us, you are a very special person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wifflesnook Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 I echo that Kay. I love to read what Harry writes. Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyT Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Me, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfh Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 ...and me, Harry. This is your journey and we support you in however you choose to walk it. I think we just worry about you getting overtired. But that is not a judgment...it is love dressed in worry. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAP Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Dear friends, My father came out to Pittsburgh last weekend with one of my brothers to see my Aunt Jo in New Castle. Yesterday, I got a brief email from my brother to say my father is in the hospital following a TIA--a small stroke. I have had another email overnight that he has been moved from the small hospital in New Castle to Allegheny General in Pittsburgh and that he seems to be improving, though an MRI says this is not the first of these to have happened. There is minor damage to the area of the brain affecting speech and balance--he's had balance issues for a couple of years. The good news is AG is one of the best regional hospitals in the country and has a top-flight neurology department. They are working to get his blood pressure stable and may release him at some point today or tomorrow. The plan is to get him back to Seattle on their scheduled flight on Sunday, but that will depend on what happens the next couple of days. Once back in Seattle, I'm sure his doctors at Virginia Mason will do another bunch of tests and we'll go from there. When my mother died I was so busy with Jane's situation--her feet were beginning to swell and she was having "fainting" episodes where she did not actually pass out but felt like the world was getting distant--and my mother had been in an Alzheimer's facility so long, that it did not hit me for a long time. This stroke is really bothering me. Depending on what happens today, I may be on my way to Pittsburgh sometime this weekend. Or to Seattle. It's hard to know what is going to happen here, but I am not sure he has as much time left as some of us thought. I do know he misses my mother to the same degree I miss Jane. Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfh Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Harry, I am so sorry. I do hope he is able to get back home and that you can find peace within this pain and situation...not so easy to do, I do know. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feralfae Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Dear Harry, I m so sorry to hear about your Father. The situation seems so complicated by the geography, and I know that you will do what feels right for you and your Father. I hope your Father can get back to Seattle, and that there is good news from AG about his condition. I will be carrying you in my thoughts and prayers today and this weekend. Take care of yourself. fae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Harry, I will be thinking of you as you deal with this latest development with your dad. I also know what it is to go through things with the last parent alive, it's like we want to make up for whatever we felt we didn't do when we lost the first one. It also hits harder as it's the last connection with our parentage. I know you want to be there for your dad and I pray all goes well in his transition from hospital to Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyT Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 We'll all be praying for you and your father, dear Harry. Keep us posted as time and circumstances permit. You have a very special place in our hearts, and we are with you now ♥ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wifflesnook Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Harry I'm thinking of you and your Dad. Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enna Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Harry, I'm sorry about this health issue with your father. Know you are in my prayers. I know your concerns. Let us know how things are going. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAP Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thank you all for your kind thoughts. My brother has waved me off for the time being: "It only takes one of us to sit here and wait." They want my Dad to sleep so they have banned him from the room other than when they need him. He is sitting in the lounge, near as I can tell. No news since 8 am so I'll take that as a good sign for now. Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfh Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Glad for the good news, Harry. You are both in my prayers. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 I hope your dad is getting his needed rest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAP Posted May 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Dear friends, My brother had a very long--and very positive--talk with the doctor at AG yesterday. While they need to do some PT for a day or two to get him back on his feet, he seems to be out of the woods at this point. They'll miss their scheduled flight home--and the doctors have yet to rule on whether flying is a good idea--but the doctors fully expect them to be Seattle bound in the next several days. They are busy debating what kind of incident this was and what that means in terms of blood-thinners and blood pressure medications. Apparently there are bleed strokes and clot strokes and the first means no blood thinners while the second means less blood pressure medication and more or the same on blood thinners. Who knew? Right after Jane died, I thought about going to medical school. Between one thing and another, I feel like much of the last decade has been medical school from a practical standpoint. I don't know about medications, but I certainly have a greater understanding of gross anatomy and disease processes than your garden-variety English major at this point. Maybe I'll look at the undergrad courses I'm missing and try a couple of those out. If I'm going to live to 150 or more, it might be a good idea to invest in a new career. Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queeniemary Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Harry, praying for your Dad and you. Glad it is sounding slightly better than before. QMary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feralfae Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Harry, Glad to hear that the doctors are sorting things out, and also that you are contemplating a new career. After caring for Doug for several years, reading and researching, attending many seminars and spending a lot of time pouring over documents on the internet, several doctors asked me how I knew so much about colorectal cancer and its treatment. Well, we just learn out of necessity, don't we? Why not a new career for you? You educational approach is sound, and with more credentials, I assume you would have more credibility. Why not? The only impediment might be that most medical schools seldom open slots for those of us whom they might consider past an age to give back years and years of service, but you have a lot of years left, and taking a few classes now seems a great way to begin. I hope all goes well with your Dad and that he is back home in good health in Seattle soon. *<twinkles>* fae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenK Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Harry, so sorry I have not been on this thread in a while and didn't realize that your father had a stroke. Sorry that this has happened, but glad that he was not alone at the time and could receive immediate attention and meds which are supposed to lessen the long term effects. Hope he will have a swift and successful recovery. I certainly know the feeling of not living close to your loved one in times like this. I never lived very far from my parents, but have been away from my daughter for 35 years. Makes it really tough. Take care, Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Harry, I hope you go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAP Posted June 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Dear friends, My father is out of the hospital. He and my brother will return to Seattle tomorrow where he will see his own doctors ASAP to follow up on what happened in Pittsburgh. I had begun putting together plans to relieve my brother so he could get back to his job--which he had worried about in his note last night. Looks like I will not be headed there now--barring anything happening tonight. Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyT Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Good news, Harry. Thank you for letting us know ~ and peace to you, too ♥ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feralfae Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Harry, I am so glad to hear this new development. Perhaps you will be able to stand down from this situation for a while, and let yourself relax a bit more. Harry, the hospital lost the sample for my 5-HIAA test, so we start over in a few days. I am going to have humor about it, because it is a silly, funny story with bathroom humor and all. I like that here, on the Nightmares thread, we have happier news to post occasionally. Not so much nightmares. namaste, fae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 fae, You're a nicer person that I am! Harry, I'm glad you don't have to go there and will be hoping/praying with you that nothing happens with your dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAP Posted June 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Dear Fae, This is the kind of thing that makes me crazy. Keeping track of tests is not rocket science. Yes, in your case it is not a huge deal. But in a critical situation, it is. Incompetence like this is not acceptable in things medical. Ever. It is symptomatic of larger issues that need to be resolved. Sorry, but this kind of thing really makes me angry--can you tell? Peace, Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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