My dad’s health scare

A very scary moment

My parents sit on their couch in the family room and watch TV into the evening. At 10pm, like clockwork, they both get up and go upstairs to goto bed. On Saturday the 14th I wake up and goto the bathroom at 11pm. I see the lights on and my dad still laying on his side of the couch recliner. I go to wake him by shaking his lower leg. His blood shot eyes open and I say “Dad, time to goto bed”. My father opens his mouth and tried to speak, but couldn’t!!!! I was scared. I call my mother back down from upstairs. We both try to get my father to talk. He tries but doesn’t!!!!! I say “Dad, I am going to call the ambulance”!!! I say this repeatedly for 10 mins. I finally call 911. Finding my father in this state was horrible. The Paramedics show up fast. I had the large garage door open, the front door propped open. I put on my clothes and got my fathers wallet. They ask questions, I say that I am concerned that my father had a stroke. The paramedics put him in a rolling chair and take him up the stairs and to a gurney outside in front. They put him in the ambulance.

At the hospital Emergency Room

I get to the emergency room, he is put in a room. First they take him to CT. Scan his head. They do blood work, and take his urine. Brain bleeders, UTI infections were ruled out. My dad comes back from CT and he is talking! He does not know how he got the the hospital. I was relieved that he did not have brain bleeders. He is not out of the woods yet, he still  needs an MRI of the head to further rule out a stroke. After a day and a half my dad finally gets a room upstairs in the neurological unit. He is not acting like himself. He is combative with the nurses when he has to get up and goto the bathroom. He tries to get up too fast and the nurses have all explained he is a fall risk and a nurse has to be with him when he wants to get out of bed. My dad struggles and keeps pulling off his heart monitor wires, I warned him that they will restrain him. They finally restrained him for the evening. Also gave him  a waist belt. He was upset and threatened to throw me out of the house if I did not untie him. I didn’t. I wanted him to stop acting like an impulsive child and behave himself! My dad had three struggles with nurses when trying to goto the bathroom. Pissed on the floor three separate times. One time a “code yellow” was called and lots of people came  to the front of his room door. Two, large security guards came. I calmed everyone down and they eventually left. Thank God I was there, who knows what they would have done to my father had I not been there!!!

The last day in the hospital

My dad was in the hospital about 3 days. The last night I watched him so he would not get up out of bed by himself. He was not restrained that last night because he was calming down. He got his MRI which came back normal. Also did EEG brainwaves. Also normal. So why did he have that episode on Saturday night?? We think it was his one anti cancer medication. He always hated that medication and it made him feel bad and made him sleep all the time. So the cancer doctor told him to stop that medication. Also my dad was confusing his medications. I learned what pills he needs to take and am not assigned to sorting his pills into the pill boxes for the week.

Looking back

I was so scared about the future when my dad had this episode and how he behaved in the hospital. I depend on my father still for sound advice. He is the foundation of our nuclear family. We all depend on him being strong and mentally with it. So, its now 6/26/2025 and my dad has stopped that anti cancer medication and I have sorted his pills. He is back to normal. I am so thankful that my father is still physically and mentally complete. I love him very much and I still need him. One day I will have to take care of him more, and I know this. I hope that I am ready when that time comes.