Hi all,
Yesterday we went to my parents house to have a lobster dinner...I had been wanting that for a while post op and we kept pushing things back once my nana became ill. She passed away 1 month ago tomorrow. We invited my papa to join us as well. In the morning my dad went to my papas house since he wanted to make an additional cement step leading up to his back door. Eric and I went to my parents house and waited with my mom til my dad and papa arrived. We went to the apple festival that was held in my parents town...basically it is a festival held ever sept and they vot on the states best apple pie, they also have crafts and other venders, live entertainment, and carnival type food. We all went to that and had a good time. After the festival we returned to my parents so my mom could start dinner. It takes a while for the water in the lobster pot to boil so we were sitting on the deck having drinks (me gatorade and papa lemonade, the rest had either a bottle of beer or a glass of wine). Sitting there my papa looked like he didnt feel well, he kept saying his back hurt from the work earlier in the day and he took some advil. After drinking some lemonade he complained of pains in his chest but he passed it off as indegestion from the lemonade and that he would be okay.
A little while later he chose to go home thinking he would feel better once in the comfort of his own house, it was a rough day it was the first time we all got together at my parents for a meal after my nana passed away...my mom even accidentally set the table for 6 rather than 5, and both of us welled up she began to cry for a bit. We figured maybe he was saddened by the whole thing being it was me and my husband, my parents and his wife wasnt there. Also the fact that her 1 month anniv is tomorrow.
After we all began eating our lobster I could see in my moms face she was concerned about papa since at one point he really looked like he felt rotten. I was almost ready to tell her to just call him to check up on him since I could see how concerned she was. Moments later our phone rang and it was papa saying he took other meds at home and he still was having chest pain and it was radiating to his back. He asked what he should do and she said dont go anywhere Ill be right there.... my parents house is about a 30 minute drive to his house. After she changed up I told her if it is in fact a heart attack you should have learned from dad (my dad had a heart attack in 2002 but caught it very early luckily) that the sooner he get help the better. So my mom agreed and called my great aunt and uncle (my nanas brother and sis in law) they live right on the next street. They went over and called the rescue and we finally talked my mom into having my dad go with her since she gets a little erratic at driving when concerned. So my hubby and I were left alone at the house with the rest of the lobster dinner. We finished eating I took the dogs out and went home.
The hospital he is in is the best in the state for cardiac problems, its where my dad was too. They gave him nitro glycerin in the rescue since it was a potential heart attack, later it made him sick to his stomach. He has had high blood pressure for many years and takes meds for that however when they took his vitals it was elevated to 190(something)/100(something) cant remember exact numbers. It may have been elevated due to stress or potentially something else. They did an EKG, bloodwork and monitored his vitals. They removed the EKG machine last night so I guess that is a good sign. THey kept him overnight to monitor him as well. Today they told him he could get up and walk around and when my parents arrived he was finishing up his lunch...he ate every last bit. We notice that since my nana passed he tends to eat more sweets than he use to whether it be comfort food or just easy for him to eat...I am not quite sure. When we move in with him he will realize I overcook food this will get him more healthy options. He use to do the cooking before anyway but maybe he just isnt up to it since her passing. They are going to keep him overnight again to perform a stress test tomorrow.
I am concerned about his BP, it did go down to 150(something/80(something when my parents had left last night about midnight. When I spoke to my mom today he had been up and walking, eating and watching the football game. He says he feels pretty good but I am glad the hospital is crossing all its T's and dotting all its I's. We wont be moving to his place til oct 28th that is when we have the moving company coming. Until then we get concerned since he likes to putter around the house, yard and garage....he thinks if he removed the cordless phone from the dock that it will be busy for anyone trying to call....he has left it on before causing that problem but doesnt understand. He also doesnt take his cell outside with him either. He typically will call my mom and tell her if he is going anywhere but not so much if he goes outside. Also he locks his door everytime he goes outside even just making that stair yesterday 3 feet from the door. That firghtens me cuz if he feels ill in addition to making it indoors to get to the phone he has to unlock the door (typically he sets the house alarm too).
Please pray for him and my family we all just seem in a health rut. On one hand though my belly seems to be healing up (open area is getting smaller). Less feces is coming out of the fistula but I am still getting pus. I just hope that it is going away and just not healing over itself. My joints are staring to feel better although they had been even before the humira loading dose on Friday. My parents also ran into my GI when they arrived at the hospital today (my first 2 surgeries were done at that one) and he feels I should feel better within a cpl weeks...I see him on Oct 10th. My parents asked him about some things about humira and remicade(I was on that before my surgeries). He feels that this will heal soon and it is just an inconvienience at this point since after abd Sx many people even those without IBD can get fistulas....granted the first fistula I had (at least knew about) was seen once they opened me up for my resection....didnt even show up on the CT since it was intestine to intestine