The ambulance brought him home this afternoon after spending one month in the ICU. He came home with the ventilator and trach, and we are all learning how to care for him. We are very happy to have him home, but scared at the same time. We have hired 4 nurses to help out with mom and dad for the first couple of weeks. This will just give mom the little extra reassurance that she needs while adjusting to the change. It was nice to see dad sitting on the couch watching t.v. He was a little nervous about coming home, but I know that he has been looking forward to it at the same time.
We had to get dad a hospital bed for him to sleep in. We also had to put it in a different room than he is used to because he and mom's bedroom is upstairs. Even though he can still walk, it would just be way too hard to tug all of those tubes from the vent upstairs. I tried to make his "new" room as comfortable as possible. I put up pictures of the grandkids, his kids, and of him and mom. I also put a house plant in the room and hung a star trek poster up. Even with all those touches, it still doesn't feel quite right. I wish he didn't have to be in that room.
I can't help but wonder if we made the right decision for dad. I know people have said it before about how important it is to know what you want and how far you are willing to go with this disease. I wish we would have discussed this before dad was sent to the ER. My parents were in denial and never faced the facts. I just don't want dad to not enjoy the rest of what he has because he is attached to a machine. I know many of you would never choose that path, and I really don't know if dad would have either. I know that at any point he can say that he is done, and we can turn the ventilator off, but WOW...what a job. My goal for the rest of my dad's life is to bring smiles to his face and remind him of the love that surrounds him. He has an outstanding family who has not left his side, and I hope he finds some comfort in that.
For all of you that believe in prayer, please pray for my family. I know the next week or so is going to be a big transition, and I just want it to go as smooth as possible for both mom and dad.
Dana
We had to get dad a hospital bed for him to sleep in. We also had to put it in a different room than he is used to because he and mom's bedroom is upstairs. Even though he can still walk, it would just be way too hard to tug all of those tubes from the vent upstairs. I tried to make his "new" room as comfortable as possible. I put up pictures of the grandkids, his kids, and of him and mom. I also put a house plant in the room and hung a star trek poster up. Even with all those touches, it still doesn't feel quite right. I wish he didn't have to be in that room.
I can't help but wonder if we made the right decision for dad. I know people have said it before about how important it is to know what you want and how far you are willing to go with this disease. I wish we would have discussed this before dad was sent to the ER. My parents were in denial and never faced the facts. I just don't want dad to not enjoy the rest of what he has because he is attached to a machine. I know many of you would never choose that path, and I really don't know if dad would have either. I know that at any point he can say that he is done, and we can turn the ventilator off, but WOW...what a job. My goal for the rest of my dad's life is to bring smiles to his face and remind him of the love that surrounds him. He has an outstanding family who has not left his side, and I hope he finds some comfort in that.
For all of you that believe in prayer, please pray for my family. I know the next week or so is going to be a big transition, and I just want it to go as smooth as possible for both mom and dad.
Dana