Investigations and checking on Dad...

My sister and I took an early morning walk to relieve stress and talk.  We all want answers as to how Dad got so banged up. My sister can not believe Dad walked out on his own.  She has not seen him walk for over 6 months.  He is always in his wheel chair.  One time she helped him into bed and he almost fell just doing a slow, two step shuffle from the wheel chair to his bed.

We met a friend for coffee and brought our lap tops.  I am so behind in my blog and wanted to at least get some thoughts and facts down from yesterday's ER visit...

My sister and I decided to go to the nursing home and see if there was any tell tale signs of his fall.  We suspected he may have fallen by a slump stone planter in front of the building...  Unfortunately, there was no blood or it had been washed away.  We walked in both directions from the entrance of the nursing home and found something that looked like blood drops, almost to the corner near a busy street.  But we are only guessing.

When we went inside and asked the nurses, one male nurse got Dad's chart and told us he had not been there in 3 days.  He started to read aloud the events from May 7th and then began to whisper inaudibly, so we could not hear.  He summarized, telling us he had been found on the ground with abrasions and lacerations to his head and face.

We corrected him, telling him we had seen the paramedic report and Dad had been found outside the building.  I had taken pictures of Dad with my cell phone.  I showed him one of the pictures.  He recoiled and apologized profusely.

Doctor-Doctor came around the corner and hugged us.  She told us she would get someone to call the person who had found Dad. While they were gathered around the phone and talking, the gentleman who had tried to "sugar coat" the report, came out and asked for us to send the pic of Dad to the phone number he handed us.  My sister sent the picture.

When we looked over to the desk where the girls were all gathered, no one was there... Since the Administrator or the Director of Nursing were not there on the weekend, we began to formulate a plan to go call a meeting on Monday...

We went to the hospital and visited Dad in the CCU.  When we checked in at the nursing station, we were told Dad tested positive for MRSA (Methycillin Resistance Aureus ),  Basically, it is a staphylococcus and is resistant to some antibiotics.  Bactroban ointment is applied inside the nostrils.  Apparently it is quite common in nursing homes...

My sister and I had to put on gloves, masks and gowns to visit Dad.  We tried to wake him, but it was clear he was very exhausted.  He hardly slept a wink yesterday in the ER.  We decided to let him rest and left.

Since I was closest to Dad in the ER, kissing him, assisting in wiping and touching his blood, holding his hands and getting close to him to hear what he was trying to say...I may have been exposed to it.  When I told my daughter with my two grand sons, she and I both felt it would not be worth the chance of me visiting, and then the boys getting sick.  I was so disappointed.... I will have to go see my physician when I return and get swabbed and tested for it.

I left my sister's after we ate lunch, and drove to Mom's.  We had plans to go out to dinner.  Shortly after I arrived, my youngest brother, his girlfriend and her son arrived.  They wanted to visit Dad.  We offered to watch her six year old son, since he would not be allowed to visit.

Dad was emotional seeing them and thanked them for coming.  He was still very confused.  Both of them could not believe how badly Dad was hurt.  He really looked like he had been in a fight...or fell repeatedly on the ground...

We invited my niece to join us for a late dinner.  We wanted to buy our tickets for a special preview of Letters to Juliet for Mother's Day.

It was almost 11pm by the time we got home...both Mom and I fell asleep on the couch trying to watch TV...better catch some z's before tomorrow.