So, when we got their this morning, he was still agitated and frustrated. Dr. Hardy came in and spoke to him to get an idea of what was going on. When I talked to him, I asked if this is what he expected, and he said that this is indeed what he warned us about and he is sure it is brain swelling.

He gave him another drug to help try to reduce some more of the swelling, and gave him Ativan to calm him down a little. So, finally, he rested. He fell asleep around 1:00 pm, and they took him down for the MRI, brought him back up to the ICU, and then moved him into a regular room, and he slept through it all. He didn't wake until about 7:00 this evening. He needed that rest because he barely slept at all since he woke up from surgery.

When he awoke, he is less agitated, but still confused and insistent. He is frustrated at having to stay in bed...He is a pretty active guy, and likes to do things on his own. He is having a hard time understanding why he has to stay in bed, and why he can't have a cigar and his wine. He usually has a glass every night, and the Dr. says your body gets dependent on that, and that may be contributing to the confusion. I also think it has to do with his rituals...I think he keeps trying to do them in an effort to figure out what is going on and where he is. I think he is looking for some stability.

Hopefully, the swelling will continue to decrease, and he will get back to someone who more closely resembles my Dad.

I haven't really gone much into how we wound up here.

It is hard to look back and try to see the signs...Hindsight is 20/20, and when we talk about the signs, it makes me wonder why we didn't act sooner. But the truth is, the signs were spread so far apart, and fairly random, that it would have been something that I witnessed and said to myself "well, that was weird," but it went away and so did the thought.

The first week in June found my Dad having problems getting up on to his feet. He has had some issues with his right shoulder for some time now, and even had minor surgery a number of years ago to help clean out the joint so it would be stronger. He was always careful to protect that joint, because he knew that if he hurt it badly, it may be the end of him being able to walk on his own. So, he kept saying that he could not remember how he got up from a table or a chair he has been getting out of for the past 15 years. And when he could not remember, he would get flustered. But once he was on his feet, he would walk just fine, just like always. So it was very hard to tell if he was having a hard time getting up because he was trying to protect his shoulder, or (now that we are where we are) simply forgetting HOW to get up. My parents have some amazing neighbors, and two of the men in the neighborhood would come over and help him up. The neighbors were over several times a day during that first week of June.

Then came my Mom's birthday on the 7th. They called me in the morning to tell me that my Dad was not up to going out to dinner, so we were going to bring in Chinese food and celebrate at home. Then I came to find out that my Dad completely forgot my Mom's birthday, and didn't have a gift or a card for her. He was really upset. So, my Mom called me to let me know that he was having a bad day, and she thought there was something wrong...Maybe a touch of dementia or something. So, I called him and asked him how he forgot, and he said that it just slipped his mind...He seemed distressed yet accepting about this. So, I offered to go out and get my Mom a few gifts for him.

We spent the evening eating Chinese food and chocolate cake, and questioning my Dad as to where his mind was and what was going on with him. And they shared with me for the first time how challenging the week before had been.

I called on Sunday, and told my Dad he needed to call the Dr. first thing on Monday, and they did. The Dr. called back and talked to my Dad on the phone, and in addition to looking for a referral to his orthopedic surgeon for his shoulder (which was my Dad's first priority), they shared the memory and confusion issues with the Dr. The Dr. said his nurse would call to schedule an appointment, and when she did later that morning, the appointment was for June the 23rd. I told him this was unacceptable. So, my Mom planned to call Tuesday morning to see if he could get in earlier.

The next day, my folks called my Dad's cousin to see if they could come over and help out a little with my Dad. And my Dad knew that he was in need of some help, so he asked his cousin's wife to help out with calling the insurance company to find out what sort of coverage they had in case my Dad needed some help around the house. And she was just wonderful in making those calls and my Dad's cousin came by and spent most of the day helping my Dad. I continued to tell my folks that I was uncomfortable with waiting much longer before he saw a Dr.

I finally convinced them to take him to the ER, and had him transported to the Emergency Room first thing Wednesday morning. They did a CT scan and found an area of swelling, and admitted him and ran the first MRI which showed the tumor.

So, long story short, there were a few signs over the last few months, but nothing really severe until last two weeks. It has certainly been an unbelievable week...

We are being showered with love and concern, and we so appreciate it from all sides. Every single one of your thoughts and prayers matter immensely to us and to my Dad. We are hoping that tomorrow brings more improvement. I will let you know tomorrow in my next post...Until then, love to all.