Waiting to go in to see Pop.
Thought this is precious. Titus was sharing his snack with Pop. He’s always so proud to share. Pop was actually accepting too.
Just re-capping a little about Pop:
It was probably 4 years ago he had a stroke, or they think that is what happened. Was in the VA hospital for some time. Came home. He’s diabetic. Neuropathy in his feet. Bad balance. He got a sore on his foot after that stroke. It was bad. Took a LONG time to heal. He didn’t walk much. It healed. He still didn’t get up much. We kept telling him he needs to use those leg muscles. He really didn’t do a lot. He tried some here and there and had some falls.
So for a while now he had been falling a lot more. It got worse. Like daily falling. Mom can’t lift him. He’s a big guy. They’d call Brian (we live one door down) and Hope’s husband Viktor (they live across the street) and my brother Levi (lives in piru) to help get him up and sometimes 911. As we look back now we can see a few suttle things that could give clues to his condition?? While Mom was in SD with my sister (she had a baby)…. he forgot where his pills were. Mom went over it time and time again with him. We found them, but he seriously had no clue that they were in his bed-side drawer. Repeating things. Quiet. Stare off look at times. The last two weeks at home just didn’t eat much at all. Not himself, going back to the bedroom and not hanging out like normal with others/mom. Sometimes almost depression like attitude. Maybe it wasn’t that at all. Maybe mini strokes or signs of other things? Even during this time he mentioned the thing about dying to Luke “What happens to old people”? To which Luke would say “they die”.
So a week after Mom got back from SD the falling had gotten more frequent. He just wasn’t feeling well. They admitted him to the VA hospital in West LA. From there it just was down hill. He got pneumonia and they figured out he had GOUT through parts of the body. He wouldn’t eat at the hospital. Barely. My dad is an eater too. He loves to cook, BBQ, eat…. No emotion. Once they got the gout and pneumonia under control he was admitted to the Vista Cove in Santa Paula (Care home). All this time, NO walking, no on his feet. Still has yet to get on his feet. So basically he hasn’t WALKED in months! Getting him to the car that morning to get to the hospital was a chore! Now when we go see him……. he has this stare off look. Vacant look in his eyes. Finally just now on Easter started eating SOME because they gave him a stimulant. They try therapy with him daily, yet to get up on the feet. He doesn’t remember things recent. Some he does though. He said to me yesterday…. haven’t seen you in a month (I was just there on Easter). He asks a lot about Luke (they are pals). But there is no emotion at all. The other night he thought he was dying… we all came to say goodbyes etc….. it was so hard. Next day he was ok, compared to night before. Talk about emotional roller coaster.
The no emotions, blank looks, memory stuff is really hard to deal with… Also he’s got some weird talk. Like he doesn’t know where he’s at or where we all live and where Mom lives. He also sometimes thinks people from SC are there and he asked me if we went for a ride on the lake with Teresa (a cousin that came to visit). I told him we weren’t on the lake, that we were in SC.
So for a while now he had been falling a lot more. It got worse. Like daily falling. Mom can’t lift him. He’s a big guy. They’d call Brian (we live one door down) and Hope’s husband Viktor (they live across the street) and my brother Levi (lives in piru) to help get him up and sometimes 911. As we look back now we can see a few suttle things that could give clues to his condition?? While Mom was in SD with my sister (she had a baby)…. he forgot where his pills were. Mom went over it time and time again with him. We found them, but he seriously had no clue that they were in his bed-side drawer. Repeating things. Quiet. Stare off look at times. The last two weeks at home just didn’t eat much at all. Not himself, going back to the bedroom and not hanging out like normal with others/mom. Sometimes almost depression like attitude. Maybe it wasn’t that at all. Maybe mini strokes or signs of other things? Even during this time he mentioned the thing about dying to Luke “What happens to old people”? To which Luke would say “they die”.
So a week after Mom got back from SD the falling had gotten more frequent. He just wasn’t feeling well. They admitted him to the VA hospital in West LA. From there it just was down hill. He got pneumonia and they figured out he had GOUT through parts of the body. He wouldn’t eat at the hospital. Barely. My dad is an eater too. He loves to cook, BBQ, eat…. No emotion. Once they got the gout and pneumonia under control he was admitted to the Vista Cove in Santa Paula (Care home). All this time, NO walking, no on his feet. Still has yet to get on his feet. So basically he hasn’t WALKED in months! Getting him to the car that morning to get to the hospital was a chore! Now when we go see him……. he has this stare off look. Vacant look in his eyes. Finally just now on Easter started eating SOME because they gave him a stimulant. They try therapy with him daily, yet to get up on the feet. He doesn’t remember things recent. Some he does though. He said to me yesterday…. haven’t seen you in a month (I was just there on Easter). He asks a lot about Luke (they are pals). But there is no emotion at all. The other night he thought he was dying… we all came to say goodbyes etc….. it was so hard. Next day he was ok, compared to night before. Talk about emotional roller coaster.
The no emotions, blank looks, memory stuff is really hard to deal with… Also he’s got some weird talk. Like he doesn’t know where he’s at or where we all live and where Mom lives. He also sometimes thinks people from SC are there and he asked me if we went for a ride on the lake with Teresa (a cousin that came to visit). I told him we weren’t on the lake, that we were in SC.
Today, therapy was good. He sort of stood some with help. I heard he even cracked a joke or something………
