Update on my Dad

Many of you know that I have been in St. Louis for the past three weeks helping out with my dad. I thought that since I had a little free time I would try to update everyone. Over the past month my dad has been on a steady decline; memory, fatigue, sleeplessness. Since I have been here he has been in the hospital twice; he is currently the hospital now and has been for the past five days. The first time at the hospital they found he had low potassium, which could have accounted for the fatigue. They also did an MRI which did not yield good results. They found that he had amyloid angiopathy; which can be described as blood slowly seeping out from the blood vessels in his brain. It is something that could eventually cause a massive brain hemorrhage. Because my dad is on blood thinners for a heart condition, the medication makes this condition even more dangerous. We were told that there is really nothing that can be done for this and it has been the main cause of his memory loss. After three days, when his potassium levels were normal, they sent him home telling us that he needed 24 hour supervision. This time period was very stressful. One of us was with him 24 hours a day. We took turns sleeping in the same room as him so when he woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom someone was there or so someone was there to help him start his morning routine when he woke up for the day. At the same time we were trying to find some kind of assistive living facility for him. These days were physically and emotional exhausting; both for all of us and my dad. He has started to become more and more depressed and ready to give up. After about four days being home from the hospital my dad was suppose to have a follow up visit with his Dr. Well that day he made up his mind that he was NOT going anywhere. The Dr. office called an ambulance to come to the house and said that since he would not go to his follow up appointment he needed to go back to the hospital. He still was NOT leaving his house. After crying, begging, pleading he still would not go and since at THAT moment my dad could answer all the EMT’s questions, they had to say that he was capable of making his own decisions and they could not just take him under our request. The EMTs were amazing and they did get him to promise to go the Dr. the next day; which he thankfully did. The visit to the Dr. office lead us back to the hospital due to possible dehydration and low blood pressure when my dad would sit or stand (this was causing to almost pass out every time he would try to walk).
Right now my dad is still in the hospital. One of us is there up at the hospital from 8am until 9:00pm to ensure we are able to talk with the Dr. They are working on improving his blood pressure, which will hopefully increase his energy and ability to walk more steadily. Physically everything seems to be improving, but mentally and emotionally he still is not showing improvement; which is a huge concern. I am not sure what will happen next. We are meeting tomorrow to talk with the Dr. as a family and determine our next course of action.
It is difficult to see my dad, a man of such pride, who was always quick as a whip and physical up for any adventure like this. It tears me up inside knowing that he is in so much emotional pain and turmoil. We are trying to stay positive, keeping him talking about the amazing life he had (I love hearing stories from his childhood), laughing at the witty comments he has for us and the nurses. I am thankful that Giovanni has been able to come down here. He came down when my dad went into the hospital the second time. He is traveling for work this week but will be returning to St. Louis Friday or Saturday and will stay here for a couple more days. You have always been my rock! Thank you Sara, my dearest friend! You have done so much for me and my family. You have been the key to me keeping my sanity through all of this. Thank you Marsha! I can rest a little easier knowing that Capone is being looked after by such a loving person. Thank you to my sisters and brothers! It great to know that we have each other to lean on. Thank you to everyone out there who has kept me, my dad and my family in your prayers.

Four Years and Counting

This week (Wednesday, June 3rd) Giovanni and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary. It was hard to believe that it have been four years since I walked down the aisle and married my best friend. At same time it feels like we have known and been together forever. We have been though a lot over the course of the past four years and I know that as our journey together continues there will be even more obstacles to overcome. But I know that as long as we work together and continue to have our faith in God that we can get through anything.