the week with my dad

i haven't mentioned my favorite patient in a while. you may be scratching your head thinking, "geesh, she talks about nurse patient all the time!" but truly, my favorite patient always has been and always will be my dad.

we had quite an interesting week. i saw my dad more than usual. we had one spontaneous visit in the emergency room at the hospital. and one planned date on friday with a visit to his electrophysiologist followed by an all day adventure to mount vernon's infamous tulips! all in all, it was a good week i suppose.

let me back up a bit. since last year's bout of heart problems, my dad has been doing fairly well. there are always minor tweaks to his medications and bouts of gout that cause problems. there have been respiratory infections and antibiotics and steroid doses - all of which effect my dad's overall heart health and his labs (ie. his kidney function and fluid volume in his body). but to sum things up, he's been stable. and we've all enjoyed it! (which is why i haven't written about him in a while). until this week. on wednesday morning, my dad wasn't feeling well. for him to admit that, he must have been feeling fairly shitty! so in typical dad fashion, he got dressed, went to his restaurant, and completed his tasks before allowing my mom to drive him to the ER in what he thought was atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rate). somehow, i beat them there and got him all checked in. it's sad, but i know my dad's medical history better than my own. and only because we walked out of there in about two hours, i can say it was a pleasant visit. we had a very kind, intelligent resident and without any interventions, my dad's heart rate dropped from the low 100s to his paced rate of 70 beats per minute.

friday's appointment was less thrilling. my dad's health is perpetually declining. and to hear from physicians that indeed he is sick is always a bit disappointing, terrifying, and sad. it's not that they flat out say, "he's sick and unwell." but they do call in the specialists. because my dad's heart rhythm is complicated by a heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmias, and a pacemaker/defibrillator that has faulty leads (yes, the company screwed up - only they can't really re-call wires that grow into one's heart muscle), anytime my dad comes in for some tweaking (as they call it), they call in the defibrillator representative to help make the adjustments. i've always known my dad is one in a million, but i'd prefer if he was normal and didn't need all these bells and whistles!

after his appointment and some changes to his medications, my dad and i filled the day with activities to fulfill me. we went to my coffee shop (where i hang out every day). and then drove to mount vernon. as always, there were talks about cars. i need a new one and there's nobody better than my dad to discuss the issue. but also, we talked about my life and some of my struggles. and for someone that i don't give very much credit to for being kind or thoughtful, he did a damn good job of listening to me talk and even cry. i felt very supported and am very appreciative. imagine my delight when i even convinced my dad to go to the lululemon outlet with me in burlington! it was like the icing on the cake; i was one happy camper.