Later same day...

Midday report: after asking for it, a few minutes of physio. He can barely stand up, even with a walker. Urinating is another problem, still not enough, and still mixed with blood. Add to that the awkwardness of having strangers (nurses, male and female) assisting him in a deeply private situation. Yesterday I had the honour of doing it. One nurse told me I should get a cut of her wages. Today I managed to get a scrape on my left bicep (with skin broken). As soon as I discovered it I applied the antiseptic hand gel onto the area. No panic...

Monday Morning Note

Today I'm on morning duty, and later on night. Dad hasn't slept last night so I asked the doctors to change or stop his sleeping med. Depending on progress he could be discharged in a few days. Bad news is they still don't know whether his biopsy is sufficient or they may have to take another one. Weather continues charming.

Post Biopsy

This morning dad had a biopsy taken from the lymphatic glands. Is already clear there is a tumor there, probably cancerous, probably malignent. It will be some time before we know what's the best treatment is. As for being discharged from hospital "not for the time being". I arrived here at midday, to find dad back in his bed, high as a kite (whatever they gave him, can I have some too?). In fact by 4 pm he is still not quite himself. Lea (who's been here since 7:30) and I care for him, fed him when he was finally allowed to eat, and a young doctor administered a new drip, on the base of his left palm, having failed to find a vein in the more conventional locations. The palm area is more painful and uncomfortable. Not a great day so far.

Looking After Dad, 2009 Chapter

Been away from this blog for a long time, but now that Guy told me off for microblogging I am back. Unlike previous posts I'll try to trim them down a bit. Minibloggiong if you will.
And in that spirit let me bring you up to speed on recent events. My dad, 83 yo and getting frailer, is in hospital, with a kidney malfunction. The treatment of that part of the anatomy calls for a lot of patience, tolerance and resilience. He is due for a biopsy some time tomorrow, so no food from midnight. He is well looked after: a member of the family is with him from morning till night time, then his carer (or someone else is recruited at times). I brought my own holiday in Israel 2 weeks forward so I'm here for a month.
I was his companion this morning till about 3:30 p.m. Brought along my brand new Macbook Pro and some DVDs to divert dad a bit (that had a partial success only: the Royal Variety Performance was wiped off one, and the only other disc had Little Britain Abroad, a hard nut to crack even for many Brits). After he had a shower (administered by the nurse) we took a wheelchair and went down to take the air and the warm sun for a couple of hours. We chatted on subjects other than how poor and miserable dad was, and this is my plan of action in a nutshell. To help him feel less sorry for himself and regain his mental strength.
More riveting stuff from me later.