Nov 17, 2014
Curve ball…
….poor Colin he really had a full day doing what needed to be done with the RV but he did finally get it done. Of course it took several hours longer than expected, partly because when he got to Penticton ( 90 minutes away ) they did not have the appointment on the books 😯 He thinks that the girls thought they were headed south as they assumed their normal travel positions and dozed the entire trip to and from. I think they might have been surprised to end up right back home at days end.
Amazingly it is currently colder at 9:00PM in Kelowna than it is here in northern Edmonton. At home in Kelowna where my very special family is it is -9C/15F and for once here in Edmonton I am basking ( Ah, not really ) in -4C/24F. I was told that it was downright balmy today. I got up sometime last night to go to the bathroom and was shocked that I could not see the bright lights of the refineries. Turns out that there was ice fog coming off the river. There was more hoar frost this morning but it is still dark when I get to the hospital and it was gone with I left mid afternoon so no photos.
Hmm, I better hurry this up, looks like I can’t even copy/paste any longer.
Just as I was leaving about 2:30PM I was told that there is only one, yes only one long term care facility in the entire city that will be able to take Dad 😥 It seems that because of the tube in his chest that requires draining he needs to be in a special place. This may be good or bad. I don’t know yet. On the one hand that means that he actually might see a doctor more than once every 4 – 6 weeks. On the other hand this is a much older place. Is anyone out there there familiar with St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital? I have a call in to to try and get there tomorrow afternoon to check it out. Honestly, I really would rather that Dad stay where he is as the staff have come to know him and his routines. He will not be put on the list for transfer until he is declared non acute by the MD whom I hinted to today to leave Dad as is. We have no idea how much longer he has, so let’s make his last months happier ones. I am a firm believer that change is good but not necessarily for the elderly, especially my Dad.
What gets me is that this tube is designed so that people living in their own homes can drain their lungs themselves! It is not rocket science. If the staff at the hospital can simply watch a video before they do the procedure why can’t the staff do so wherever he will end up?
The problem is that St. Joseph’s is in the SW quadrant of the city and most of the family lives in the NE area of the city. Quite a distance to travel. Right now they are between 5 and 15 minutes away and this possible new location is easily 30 minutes or more away. However Dad is not yet on the list and it might take some time for him to get to the top of the list. It is what it is. Just another little detail for me to sort out before I leave in less than 48 hours 🙄
Sorry no photos tonight…..I am taking a chance in not losing this post and don’t want to jinx it. Thanks for your continued support and the vibes of heat and relaxation. The guilt is starting to build in my mind.
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Hi Contessa. Don’t feel bad or guilty. You are doing the best that you can. I don’t know if this will ease your mind or not but my boss from many years ago had his mother at St. Joseph’s. I believe sometime in the mid to late 90’s. He went there just about every day and he was super pleased with the care she received. Hopefully their standards are still the same. Don’t worry, take a deep breath. Good air in, bad air out and all will be right with the world!!!
One more hurdle for you to overcome. Good thing you are such a strong person. Things will work out in the end. Hugs!