I don’t usually post stuff like this here, but it seems to have worked well for others, so what the hell.
My father in law is in the hospital again. Here’s a run down of his existing issues, prior to this trip:
[ul]
[li]Rheumatoid Arthritis[/li][li]Agent Orange Syndrome[/li][li]Legs amputated below the knee[/li][li]Bowel Issues[/li][li]Kidney Issues (just found out about these)[/li][/ul]
He was taken to the hospital with complaints of chest pain & shortness of breath, last Saturday (April 10) after issues holding down food for a couple weeks. His cardiac enzymes were high. Tests showed no pneumonia, appendix, or upper GI issues. No blood clots. This is all good. Unfortunately, he’s showing an ejection rate of 15-20%.
Yesterday, we got a call from my sister-in-law, who said that they can’t do open heart surgery because of his vasculitis. (This I don’t understand well enough to explain to my husband. Could anyone more medically knowledgable than me explain this, maybe?) He also had a stent collapse in one kidney.
As much as we hate to admit it, it looks like Dad might be on his last legs, so to speak. All I can do for my husband is be there for him, but it’s frustrating being 5 hours away and having to wait for updates. I keep trying to figure out what the odds are that he’ll make it for longer than 6 months, but I don’t know honestly if he’ll even make it that long.
I just don’t know what to do, other than keep being supportive and keep a good thought in my heart. And vent, I suppose.