My dad's health

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Last Friday in the AM (4am to be exact), I got one of those calls--the ones you never really want to get.

My mother was in the ambulance with my dad, going to hospital, as Dad was experiencing extreme pains in what she said was his chest...

... which later turned out to be rather lower down:  the abdomen.

After much fussing & testing of Dad's heart (which turned out to be fine), the doctors turned their diagnostic attention to what was causing the pains.  They concluded, via several more tests (naturally!) that it was his pancreas-- he had acute pancreitis (a fancy name for "your pancreas is sick in some way").  Pancreitis sounds official. "Mr P--, something is wrong with your pancreas, and we have little clue what it is, or why."  ... meh.

After much testing, they are sending him home today.  What it isn't, at least so far, is the dreaded C-- as the survival rate for people diagnosed with pancreatic "C" is .... not good.  It turns out that your pancreas does a boat-load of useful stuff, but has little or no actual pain nerves in it.  So it has to be pretty messed up, to even trigger symptoms... not good, if the cause is C, as that means it will have too good of a foothold.

But they are sending him home today, after spending the weekend in hospital (in the heart wing-- they initially thought it was his heart, as although he has no history of heart problems, he does have a history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure-- both long since controlled by medication).

I will guess that sending him home today, after being admitted Friday-AM is a good sign.   (even if it's not, I'm going to say it is... so there)

My Dad's eight decades into his life these days, and his poor body is really in need of both a tune-up and some replacement parts.  Alas, the body-machine was not "designed" with replaceable parts, was it?  A severe oversight on the part of the designer, in my opinion.  Quite severe.  Almost as if the designer was... an idiot.

Anyway, I'm sitting here, waiting for the phone call to meet mom at hospital-- she hates the place, as it's an amalgam of 8 to 10 buildings, all interconnected via a confusing maze of hallways & narrow, twisty passages.  I suspect Grues, myself.

However, back in 2000-2001, I worked in that place, daily.  And it's not changed all that much since-- a new parkade here and there, easily avoided.  The main cluster's the same.  So I go to navigate & provide emotional support.

... meh.

Who's infernal idea was it, to take all the sickest and most ill people, and house them in the same damn building?   Isn't that just asking for an epidemic?

*sigh*

At least, this time, the news is good.

[Sibling DavidH]

OMG, Bob!  All the very best of luck to both of you.

[Griffin NoName]

Sorry - yes, pancreas not good. Hope for better news.

Designer made hips replaceable but forgot to fix an affordable price.

[Opsa]

And how is Mom holding up?

[pieces o nine]

 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Sorry - yes, pancreas not good. Hope for better news.

Designer made hips replaceable but forgot to fix an affordable price.

And how is Mom holding up?

Overly stressed-- wouldn't you be?  Neither sleeps well with the other's absent, even if it's only across town...

... prognosis is good... so far.  But you know how obscure doctors can be, so some things are still up in the air.  

Of course, Dad always jumps to the worst of the worst possible scenario.  I sometimes think he does that, so that when reality is finally revealed, it's never as bad as he'd thought....

....    

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

And thanks, all for the well-wishes and good thoughts.  It means a lot, even if sometimes that thanks does not rise to the level of full conscious-notice.

I'll update when I know more.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Dad's home, and well (enough, considering).

The final analysis via much needless testing and bloodletting, was that his anti-seizure medication was severely damaging to his pancreas....

... a fact that was well reported, but not mentioned by his doctor <insert very mad face here> (sometimes I really, really, really hate the casual thoughtlessness of so-called "doctors".... <insert fume-face here>)

What's even worse?  A couple'a years back, it was discovered the source of his seizures!  Extremely low blood sodium/potassium!  Exacerbated by the diet he and mom had been on (no added salt of any kind)... and made worse by several of the blood thinner drugs he took daily...

.... <insert more fuming faces here> ... meh.

Once this was discovered, his (ahem) "doctor" should have immediately started weaning him of the anti-seizure sh-- and put him on a more ordinary salty diet that Americans have come to love and trust...

.... meh.

Well, dad did increase his salt uptake.

But the idiot doctor seemed to forget to delete the pancreas-damaging drugs he was still taking.... seems he couldn't be bothered to re-evaluate his meds.  (Did I mention my opinion of so-called "doctors" yet?  I did?  Okay, then...)

Well.

Fast-forward to this week-- the hospital doctors said dad needed to see a specialist, post-haste.  Fine.  But his pre-Obamacare crap-excuse of a "health" care system requires a referral from his primary (ahem) "doctor" first-- who is currently unavailable.... wait, what?   Yep--- the specialist dad needs to see, like, yesterday, cannot be seen without a permission-slip from the "principle"...

... <gag>

So, dad jumped onto the interwebs himself, and did a little reading.... and some more reading... and some more-- and confirmed that his anti-seizure (which he no longer needs now that he's getting enough dietary salt) has serious side effects such as liver and pancreas damage.

Short answer?  (too late, right?)  He's started weaning himself ahead of the specialist.  Good for him, says I-- and I expressed my dismay that he was even still on that sh77, as did we not all know the cause of his seizures in the first place?

In any case, the good news, such as it is, no cancer. 

*whew*

Dodged a bullet on that one-- pancreatic cancer has a terrible survival rate... really, really terrible.  Mostly because it's all but completely non-symptomatic until it is, well, far too late to do anything useful.

So that's the good news. 

Hopefully, once he's off the poisonous sh77, his pancreas will recover somewhat.   

... meh.

Thanks to all for the good thoughts-- they helped.

[Griffin NoName]

What's even worse?  A couple'a years back, it was discovered the source of his seizures!  Extremely low blood sodium/potassium!  .

My father suffers from very low blood serum sodium/potassium. If it goes below about 129 (which it often does) he goes doolally - really nightmare. He has to take salt tablets and limit fluids. Strangely I also have to take salt tablets, but for a quite different reason - to raise my very low blood pressure. It is interesting that the "Advice" to reduce salt intake to keep healthy is bonkers as a blanket rule, but "They" never tell one this.

Glad all is actually ok - well when sorted.

[Bluenose]

Glad you dad's home, Bob.  Here's hoping he's soon feeling alot better.

Griff, I know what you mean.  In Australia the advice about staying out of the sun has been taken very much to heart.  To the extent that we now have a serious problem with some kids developing rickets from too little vitamin D.  For crying out loud.  In Australia of all places!  Five or ten minutes in the sun daily - it does not have to be (should probably not be) in the middle of the day.  Get those kids outside instead of in front of their computers after school for a bit.  It's not rocket science.  And maybe the medico could be a bit less simplistic with their advice, they seem to want to dumb it down so much that it encourages people to do dumb things - can't allow people to have all the facts and enable them to make intelligent choices now, can we...  </rant>

[Darlica]

  to you and a ton of to your dad and mom.

[Sibling DavidH]

Oh well, it seems to be sorting itself out; that's good.  I've often heard such stories; maybe every so often they should take people off all meds and build up again from scratch.

[Opsa]

I am developing a dent in my forehead from all the self-slapping it's felt during reading Bob's account.

I think most doctors are caring peoplel, but you'd think for all the money we (You-essers) have to pay them they could at least have an assistant check the patient's medical records carefully for them. This is what we trust them to know. I guess everyone can get sloppy now and then, but when it's you or someone you love suffering because someone wasn't paying attention it's infuriating.

I'm glad he is home and better.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Thanks, everyone for the well-wishes & good thoughts.  It means a lot.



=====================================

Glad you dad's home, Bob.  Here's hoping he's soon feeling alot better.

Griff, I know what you mean.  In Australia the advice about staying out of the sun has been taken very much to heart.  To the extent that we now have a serious problem with some kids developing rickets from too little vitamin D.  For crying out loud.  In Australia of all places!  Five or ten minutes in the sun daily - it does not have to be (should probably not be) in the middle of the day.  Get those kids outside instead of in front of their computers after school for a bit.  It's not rocket science.  And maybe the medico could be a bit less simplistic with their advice, they seem to want to dumb it down so much that it encourages people to do dumb things - can't allow people to have all the facts and enable them to make intelligent choices now, can we...  </rant>

Sadly, being outside and in front of a gaming thingy is actually possible these days-- what with portable game devices.  

*sigh*

When I was a kid, if it wasn't actually pouring down rain?  I was outside if at all possible-- cold, hot, misty, rainy, snowy--- didn't matter:  I and my neighborhood buddies would be outside playing in it.    By summer's end (as I would go without a shirt or shoes the whole time), I was nut-brown everywhere except under my cut-offs.   Rock-toughened feet didn't mind treading on gravel or rough ground-- it's what we did.  Sure, once in a blue moon, someone would get a cut on his foot-- and unless it wouldn't quit bleeding after an hour or so?  Nobody paid it much attention, apart from the sympathetic and mildly envious "Cool! lookit that cut on Tommy!"  

What's amusing about that?  I still managed to cram in a couple'a hours of TV once the automatic yard lights came on (my agreed-on signal to come home/inside).  Of course, we only had 3 real channels back then--almost nobody I knew watched PBS.

Well, that is, until I got to Junior High or so-- and PBS started re-showing those classic BBC sitcoms on weekends.  

...  

Monty Python's Flying Circus quickly became a Saturday staple-- wouldn't miss it for anything.  And Faulty Towers later on.  And Are You Being Served and many others I don't remember anymore.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention Tom Baker's Dr Who.   How could I have missed that one? 

[Aggie]

   Glad to hear that your father's health issues have been somewhat sorted out, Bob.


My theory is that backintheday when we were kids, there was more likely to be a stay at home parent (Mom, usually). Having screaming kidlets around the house all the time gets tiring, so mom would be much more likely to boot us out the back door with strict indications not to come back until dinnertime.  

These days? Between the media scaremongering* and the fear of the unknown that goes along with not being able to be home to see how one's offspring are doing, parents are more inclined to fill the house with electronic goodies and to give strict indications to stay indoors until a parent can come home to reheat a frozen food puck.


One can blame the interwebs a bit, but not video games, really.... I got video games late and behind the current technology, but can still remember wasting hours on NES when allowed, and feeling like crap as a result.  A little training in physical self-assessment would go a long way in this culture...  go run around all afternoon, feel good and have a proper appetite for healthy food vs. sit on the box and eat cheezy poofs, then roll to the dinner table with a headache and a slimy stomach.  Just my tuppence...  

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

LOL!  Cheesy poofs... I see you are also a South Park fan.

I think the latest wave of body-involved video games is a plus, though-- Microsoft's kinnect and Nintendo's Wii, and even play stations' body-movement controllers-- these require the kids to get up off their over-sized butts & at least hop about the living room floor a bit.

That can only be a good thing-- at least, they are moving around, and getting the heart rate up a wee bit as a result.

If the trend continues, full body immersive experiences can only be around the corner-- not unlike the fabled Star Trek's holodecks.   You can literally hike the Appallation Trails without leaving the safety of your nest cave err-home.   If they can figure out how to make the virtual hill have the same workout as a real hill, that is.  Perhaps attaching to a treadmill of some sort?  With variable-rate inclines, of course.

Now, if they can only figure out how to duplicate the smells you'd experience too... that would be something.



(Now why am I suddenly experiencing a flashback to Asimov's The Naked Sun?   Hmmm?    )

[Aggie]

Now, if they can only figure out how to duplicate the smells you'd experience too... that would be something.

You'd need total molecular re-creation of the atmosphere, to get the benefit of fresh air, IMHO.  Plugging sensations into the brain wouldn't do the same thing, would it?  Hard to say, the brain has a powerful influence on the body.

I'm   enough to believe that the sum of human experience cannot be simply replicated by plugging electronic signals into the brain-box; there are physiological stimuli that create a body-experience which feeds into the whole.  Of course, a sophisticated enough system could replicate these experiences in the brain, but one would need to shut the brain-body feedback loops down to achieve it... Matrix style. I don't want to be a bag of guts fed by tubes or a brain in a vat, when I could instead choose to live a stimulating life full of real experience.  

Exercise-replica programs are a very complicated and (IMHO) bullshit way of substituting for simply kicking kids out the back door and into the outdoors.  If one is a proponent of Occam's razor, by corollary, shouldn't a simple way of achieving a result be more desirable than complex technological constructs to partially replicate an experience? As a prosthetic for those unable to otherwise experience life, sure.  Otherwise, I reject the inevitability of needing to experience life through a technological filter.  Without dropping thousands on the latest gadgets to entertain oneself, one could afford that hiking trip to the Appalachian Trail, and would probably be in shape to do so as a result of getting out and about to discover one's living environment.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

LOL!

I totally agree-- kick the kids outside to play-- preferably unsupervised with their peers.   I grew up that way, through most of my grade-school years.  I met my occasional fight (those I couldn't talk my way out of-- I was a smart-ass for sure, and pretty good at talking around and above the bullys), I had my friends, and we stayed outside as long as possible, rain or shine.   The rain simply provided different opportunities to interact with our outdoor playground.

I was fortunate, though, I usually lived close to either a park or a large, undeveloped chunk of land to explore and play in.

I doubt there is nearly as much of either, these days.  Mainly, I suspect, because there are more people than when I was little.

I do worry, though, about modern kids-- they never get bee-stung, they never enjoy the delicious delight at seeing real bugs up close, doing real buggy things, they don't get to experience running barefoot through the grass, with the occasional delicious danger of possibly getting your foot cut.  Or experiencing stepping barefoot, in dog-doo.  Or lots of seemingly "dangerous" things modern kids are insulated from these days. 

I remember being too cold, but staying outside anyway-- rarely got sick for it.  Too Cold? Run faster, to warm up.  Get a minor cut or scrape?  Everyone takes a bit of notice at the "cool, you're bleeding" bit, then shrug it off & continue to play.   Raining?  Big deal-- lots of cool puddles and delightful mud to play in/with. 

... meh.

It was a simpler time, I suppose-- none of us kids even knew what a "child predator" was, let alone to worry about meeting one.  We were admonished to avoid strangers, but to us?  All adults were a little strange, but we all knew each other's moms well enough.  And strange men just didn't figure into our world picture-- we never encountered any, I guess.

But today, there is all this intensified fear foisted upon the kids, that it's a wonder they are allowed outside at all.

[Opsa]

One of the scariest things we have to deal with as parents is to just trust the world. We have to let our kids go, let them get hurt, let them deal with it. It's so important to their learning. They are not our possessions. They have lives of their own. We have to let them go and live them themselves.

[Sibling DavidH]

Right!  I think we managed that to a reasonable extent, but it was hard.

[Aggie]

It was a simpler time, I suppose-- none of us kids even knew what a "child predator" was, let alone to worry about meeting one.  We were admonished to avoid strangers, but to us?  All adults were a little strange, but we all knew each other's moms well enough.  And strange men just didn't figure into our world picture-- we never encountered any, I guess.

But today, there is all this intensified fear foisted upon the kids, that it's a wonder they are allowed outside at all.

I doubt that child predators are necessarily more prevalent now than then - it's just more publicized, and something that wasn't probably talked about.  Then again, with the rise of child prawn on the internet  perhaps it is more of a concern.  That being said, the biggest danger for sexual abuse of children isn't the stranger in a van, it's someone known and trusted by the child.

I was lucky to grow up in a 'subrural' area (small breeder community in the countryside), so there was always plenty of space and minimal traffic. All us kids had large backyards to play in, and most had veggie gardens to muck about in and follow bugs around.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Actually?  We have quite a bit more people now, than when you and I were kids.

With the increase in total population, there is a commiserate increase in people at the fringe-ends of the bell curve, meaning more child predators now, than then.

But you are correct:  we do talk about it more now, than then too.  Which I see as a good thing myself.  In spite of the fact that some weak-kneed parents act overprotective as a result.

[Opsa]

Eh, don't knock the parents, please. Parental love is even more protective than romantic love, since we feel responsible for our offspring.

I agree, that we hear more about it nowadays, even if it was probably just as prevalent in the good old days.

Another problem we have now is that in many households both parents must work and cannot be home to watch over the kids and the neighborhood kids. Th'Opsalette is a teenager now, and it still bothers me to leave her alone at home, but I bite my lip and go. I swear though, if anything bad happened to her I'd probably never forgive myself. That's the thought that haunts me and lots of other parents.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

.... I swear though, if anything bad happened to her I'd probably never forgive myself. That's the thought that haunts me and lots of other parents.

Of course it does!  But you let her go anyhow.

That's the difference-- your feelings are no stronger or more noble than those who hover and refuse the kids any freedom of any sort.

Good parenting is also letting the kid get into occasional trouble, with the occasional injury---that's how they learn too.

Any kid that's never suffered a scraped knee, or a busted arm or leg?  Either has some sort of physical issues (it can happen) that prevents them from risking such things, or else has a bad parent.

Kids need to get dirty-- dirt is good for their immune systems, for one thing.   And getting sick from swallowing something mildly noxious is yet another of life's useful lessons.  (Note, I'm not speaking of swallowing common household poisons here!  A good parent knows when to keep that stuff locked away until the kid has learned the lesson of "you can't eat everything".)

But at some point?  The good parent has to trust that the life-lessons took root somewhere within the kid's brain, and let those lessons do what they were intended to do:  let the kid fly on his or her own.

That's gotta be the hardest thing a parent has to do, IMO.   

... well, apart from burying their own kid, that is... that's the ultimate "letting go" that no parent should ever have to face--but all too often, does.

*sigh*

In a perfect world, that would never happen.