The First Step is a Doozy

My dad fell today. I have the feeling that he has fallen a lot, he just hasn't told me or my mother. The difference today was that he fell outside and scraped up his hand and arm and fell in front of the driver who takes him to his day program. There was a witness this time. Someone who would tell on him. So, right when he got home he came up to us like he needed to say something, but I was reading something to my mom so he had to wait. Then the first chance he got he said "I fell on the stairs, it was so stupid". Then we had to proceed to play twenty questions with him. "did you fall up them or down them?, did you hit your head?, How far did you fall?, Do you remember hitting your head, or not?, Where were you when you fell?, Were you inside or outside?, Did someone see you fall?, What staircase did you fall on?, How many steps were their?, Was their carpeting on the steps?, So, then you didn't hit your head?, Does your back or neck hurt?". Well you get the idea. This lead to deciding that he fell down the concrete steps outside the building; all the way down them, did not hit his head and had to be helped back up by the driver. The point that was worrying was that he was dizzy. This means something is off. So, back to the ER we go. Actually I feel nasty so it is my mom's turn tonight. She called his neurologist and his nurse suggested that we bring him in to get looked over (I think it is an overreaction but what do I know).

Water Hazard

So one of the things the Doctors have always asked is if my dad has problems swallowing. He never really has, until now. I always thought he would have trouble with his food first. Some of the starchier foods such as breads, rice, and potatoes would be harder for him to swallow, as the muscles would not respond as his brain intended. I was wrong. When stroke patients start to have troubles swallowing the first thing they start to choke on is water. That's right, water. The clearest, easiest substance we drink. The substance we must drink in order to go on living. I mean sure you can get water from other liquids, but when it comes down to it your body still needs water to survive. We had slowly noticed that he no longer drank his water with his meals and would only take a sip or two at the end. Then we started to hear the choking noises as he was drinking the water. We have a temporary solution in that of a straw. This makes him take smaller amounts of water into his mouth at a time, giving his brain time to adjust to the idea of swallowing and then he is able to swallow the smaller amounts better. However, it is only a matter of time before we have to start supplementing his water with a mixed liquid that is thicker so that he can drink it while still getting the benefits.

Judgement Call

The river by our house has flooded, and every day my dad goes out to check and see if the water has gone down. Everyday he comes back in and tells me that the water hasn't gone down much at all. There is only one problem with this. He does not remember where the water was yesterday in order to judge if the water has gone down today:)