Still in Hospital

Update: It's about time I gave family and friends an update - so many have been in touch to find out if Dad has made a recovery.  I was waiting for some good news or at least for Dad to have been discharged, but ten days on I am sad to report that Dad is still in hospital. 

The Doctors informed us last weekend that the CT scan revealed no bleed to the brain - a huge relief.  However, they tried to convince us that Dad had had another right side stroke, although it wasn't showing on the CT scan, and that he had a left side denseness that would need a lot of rehabilitation.  We didn't agree.  Dad had started going downhill days before the fall, so if Dad had have suffered another stroke, the effects to the brain would have been showing by then on the CT scan.  It was us who had to explain to the medical staff about Dad's bilateral stroke in May and that we had already made great attempts to address the 'denseness' in Dad's left side by intense rehabilitation.

I'd carried out some further research on the possibility and effects of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).  This sounded more like it.  UTI's can give a person stroke like symptoms or make a person seem even worse than after they'd had their stroke, change their behaviour and character completely, make them more aggressive and make their urine smell.  We asked for a urine test to be done and were told they'd tried twice and there was no trace.  We insisted for another to be done and were extremely relieved to hear news that there was trace of a UTI.  So Dad was immediately put on a course of antibiotics.

At the start of the week Dad was moved back on to the rehabilitation ward where he'd spent five weeks in May/June.  It was a relief to see some familiar nurses who greeted us with smiling faces, but were sad to see Dad back in hospital.  We showed them photos of Dad's progress and they were amazed and so impressed to see how far he'd come, but disappointed to see Dad in the mess he was now in.  They knew Dad back then and they understood that the aggressive, angry, confused man shouting and hitting out at them was all down to the effects of the UTI.  They warned us how nasty UTI's could be and how they could change a persons personality.  Although some of the nurses were understanding, the other patients on Dad's ward weren't so understanding when Dad kept them awake through the night with his shouting - one patient actually insisted on moving.

Dad's physio from the care home visited him in hospital whilst we were there on Monday, as this was the day she should have been accompanying Dad to receive his botox injections...obviously this didn't happen.  She seemed quite shocked when she saw the state of Dad's face, and heard him moaning and groaning as he lay there asleep.  The Consultant that Dad is now under is the one Dad should have been seeing for his botox injections.  The physio wanted to make sure that Dad wasn't overlooked and that a decision was not made not to give Dad the botox injections based on Dad's current state.  We advised her we had still not received a call from the care home to see how Dad, or even Mum, was after the fall.

Mum, Dan, Len and myself have been extending our visiting times (2 - 4pm and 6 - 8pm) by staying with Dad at 5pm to feed him his tea.  He will not accept it from anybody else and is continuing to refuse both breakfast and lunch.  We do not want for Dad to have his nutrients increased again after we have all worked so well together to get them reduced over time from 1,500ml to 800ml.

Towards the middle of last week we were seeing signs of a calmer Dad, more of Dad's personality, post stroke, was starting to shine through.  The singing had come back, Dad even asked the ward if anyone had any requests!  He was giving the nurses hugs and stroking their faces and when he was being changed he only became frustrated at the very end when the nurses attempted to move his left arm. He referred to one of his golfing friends as 'a Legend' - no he replied...'You're the Legend'!  'We're both Legends' Dad said!  This was positive and gave us encouragement that Dad was on the mend.  

And now it's all changed again.  Yesterday was a real down day and probably the most stressful visit I've had with Dad in months.  It's been a long time since I've said goodbye to my Dad at night and walked away with tears in my eyes...but I'll admit to you all, last night I did.  Again, he just wasn't himself.  He was  so confused telling me to get everybody together and explain what was going on - repeating himself over and over and shouting at me when I didn't do it.  He squeezed my hand so tightly and aggressively - and although he'd been squeezing hands earlier in the week, maybe testing his strength (?) he always apologised when we said 'ouch that hurt', but this time nothing - he just stared at me.  He refused his medication pushing my hand away in anger - Wednesday night I spoon fed all of his medication to him without any problems at all.  I asked the nurse if Dad was still on his antibiotics - 'they finished Thursday' she informed me...and that's when Dad seems to have taken a turn for the worse again.  I'm convinced the infection is still in Dad, his urine is smelling again, he is confused and he has reverted to calling us by the wrong names - usually those of his brothers' and sister.

I said to the nurse that we couldn't wait until Monday to start the antibiotics again, so she asked the weekend Doctor to check Dads bloods from the previous day - she confirmed the white blood cells were increasing which was a positive sign.  Until the nurses have been able to carry out another 'dipstick' test on a clean sample of Dad's urine, we won't be able to find out if the infection is still there...as I write this, 24 hours after the request, we are still waiting for a sample to be taken.  Since Dad moved to the rehabilitation ward we have not been consulted by a Doctor to discuss Dad's progress, so we have requested a meeting with them asap. Apparently the 'medical team' will meet this week to assess Dad's situation and they will then be in a position to meet and discuss the next steps with us.

On a positive, Dad had his stitches removed Friday evening.  The scabs are healing well and the bruises are changing colour daily - photos below.

I will update you soon - when we know more.  As always, thank you for the read and again for taking the time to read about Dad's journey. I know we are not the only family having a tough time at the moment and you are also in my prayers and thoughts.  

Love you Dad x 

Day 137: Dad's bruising coming out.
Monday 24 Sept 2012

Day 142: Dad's stitches are out and the
scabs are reducing. Saturday 29 Sept 2012