Shrinking Away...

Mom went to visit Dad on my brother E's birthday June 6th....two days before mine.... She found Dad sitting in the dining room asleep in his wheel chair.  One of the attendants got Mom a chair so she could sit down.  When Mom tapped Dad to wake him, he spoke so softly Mom could barely hear him.  He spoke the same way when Mom and I last visited him.

Dad seemed very tired.  Dad's male nurse for the day told Mom how spry Dad had been earlier in the day...but Mom does not see it.  She feels he is really slipping.  She told me Dad "is like hugging a bag of bones"...

Dad kept his eyes closed and didn't talk much.  Mom was not sure if he was sleeping or just out of it...

Doctor-Doctor came up to give Mom and Dad a hug hello.  Dad smiled and told her he loved her.  He asked for some lemons because he wanted to make something...

Dad's lunch arrived and Mom fed Dad.  As usual Dad wanted to gulp down his coffee and milk first thing, but he is losing the ability to control his throat when he swallows and begins coughing and spitting out the liquid...  Mom attempted to get him to sip, but Dad insists on gulping it all at once, which always makes him choke.

Dad ate all his soup, egg salad sandwich, his peaches and ice cream (of course) but wanted nothing to do with his salad.

Mom noticed his finger nails were trimmed neat and short, he had been shaved and his mustache trimmed neatly so it did not hang down and irritate him.  Mom noticed his hair was a bit long and ask one of the attendants when Dad would get a hair cut and he told her he would make a note of it.

Mom also asked "Pickles" if she would help Dad brush his teeth.  "Pickles" told  Mom she had tried to help Dad this morning but he became very aggravated and told her he did not want to brush his teeth...(highly unusual for Dad not to want his teeth brushed...)

Dad put his head down and appeared to be going to sleep after finishing his lunch.  Mom inquired if he was tired and Dad told her he was ready for his nap...

Dad's male nurse assured Mom he would give Dad an Ensure and more ice cream when Dad woke up from his nap.

Mom had prepared herself for a depressing visit, but it was very sad to see Dad so lifeless...
 
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I received a call from the nursing home today.  They weigh Dad every Sunday and call me either Sunday or Monday.  Dad has lost 4 more pounds this week....bringing him down to 116 pounds.  His oxygen was at 96%.  He had eaten 100% of his breakfast and 70% of his lunch.

His WBC is back up to 17.3 so his primary care doctor put him on a new antibiotic, Doxicillin (? not sure how to spell it.)

I have a horrible sense of dread....