My parents came from a generation where you didn't discuss your feelings in public. Or in private, come to think of it. You kept your mouth closed and suffered in silence. Then came our generation with a thirst for knowledge and questioned everything. I often think of how different my childhood was from my parents. My parents were born in two different countries, but both from small rural communities. My mom could never understand the trend for all things vintage and retro. She grew up with a well in the yard and often said there was nothing romantic about pumping your own water! While she was painting the toenails of chickens in her Canadian backyard, dad was sending ferrets down rabbit holes in his Australian backyard. Dad didn't finish high school, but rather, went off to trade school. Mom graduated with one other person. I graduated with 350 other people. I don't even know if either mom or dad had a telephone in their house in the 40s!? We had the Internet and access to information around the world. Needless to say, a lot of change happened between the generations.
Often heard at the dinner table was dad asking me, "Do you have to talk all the time? Can't we have a bit of peace and quiet!?" Well, yes, I do have to talk all the time. I have things to say! And not only myself, but my brothers as well. I do recall the dinner table becoming quite boisterous as we all tried to talk over one another, mom chiming in when he could and dad eating in silence!
The above train of thoughts came to me as I think of dad sitting in his care home, living daily with the pain and angst of Parkinson's Disease. Still, he suffers in silence. His nurses told me the other day they reckon he's still in a lot of pain with the broken bone... they ask him how he's feeling and he says he's ok, but when they go to move him, they can tell by the look on his face he is in pain. So here I am... making my voice heard for my dad who cannot make himself be heard.
I have not written an update until I had a better idea as to what was going on. Following the great visit on Sunday, I stopped in on Monday to pick dad up for the Father's Day surprise. To my surprise, he was konked out in a water chair. I was informed by the staff that they suspected dad had had a mini stroke and that they were waiting for the doctor to visit that afternoon. Say WHAAAAT!? More worry!?
Needless to say, I have been up and down the emotional roller coaster since then. Here is what I can deduce, based on previous falls/recoveries and in speaking with dad's nurses. (I really need to tally how many bones dad has broken on my watch... are we up to 10!?) Dad fell, was in pain, was X-rayed by mobile X-ray unit, found a broken bone in the pelvic region, sent to ER for more X-rays, sent home again as they couldn't do anything for him there. They have given medication for the pain and it has knocked him out. He fell asleep in his chair, off to the side, as he does... this presented stroke-like symptoms... body pulling to the right. His speech is slurred because of the Parkinson's/medication/drowsiness. He can still swallow, speak (when alert and sitting up), which makes me think that all these things combined have presented with TIA symptoms. I am not a doctor, so this is only my educated guess!
I visited him this afternoon and he is still very much out of it. Though he knows who I am and was attempting a joke or two and another attempt at conversation. However, when he is lying back, it is almost impossible to understand what he is saying. It was a gorgeous spring day here in Sydney, so I opened up his patio door and turned his chair to overlook the view of the garden and feel the spring breeze.
Ah yes, the joys of Parkinson's/dementia/osteoporosis. We are coming up on a year since the first big fall that landed him in hospital right before we were to move. His recovery now is very similar to then: bright and sparky for the first bit, then drops right off the map while his body takes up all his energy to heal. As usual, I will continue to post updates as I can. I hope to possibly take some work there tomorrow and sit with him in the garden for a longer period of time than today. Will update more after that time.
From
Wikipedia on osteoporosis...
Falls risk
The increased risk of falling associated with aging leads to fractures of the wrist, spine, and hip. The risk of falling, in turn, is increased by impaired eyesight due to any cause (e.g. glaucoma, macular degeneration), balance disorder, movement disorders (e.g. Parkinson's disease), dementia, and sarcopenia (age-related loss of skeletal muscle). Collapse (transient loss of postural tone with or without loss of consciousness) leads to a significant risk of falls; causes of syncope are manifold, but may include cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart beat), vasovagal syncope, orthostatic hypotension (abnormal drop in blood pressure on standing up), and seizures. Removal of obstacles and loose carpets in the living environment may substantially reduce falls. Those with previous falls, as well as those with gait or balance disorders, are most at risk.
