Happy Thanksgiving but NOT happy for all

Despite DAD going back into the Hospital AGAIN last night, we sure hope EVERYONE has a super Thanksgiving.   We HOPE dad is out in a few days, and they are still planning on his procedure for Monday...will find out more today or tomorrow.

Dad Out of Hospital, Into Rehab

Above is Dad on Monday having lunch....

 

Here is dad today (Friday) eating lunch...what a change!  

So, what was his problem?  After I posted what I posted last Friday, I learned that he had Sepsis R/T UTI. In layman's terms, Sepsis is a serious problem where an infection has gone seriously out of whack. The "R/T" means "related to", and I think we all know what a UTI is.  By Sunday the nurse told me that he was no longer considered Septic, that they hit the infection with the proper antibiotic, and his kidney levels were back near normal.  By Tuesday the doctor said that the UTI was totally under control and that Friday would be the last of the antibiotic (all given through intravenously).  However, dad was still suffering from lack of strength, and he was showing signs of delirium.  Delirium is when one has confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment.  For instance, on Wednesday dad tosses off his covers and announces, "I need to get up."  I wondered if he meant that he needed to use the toilet, but he said "No, I just need to get out of bed."  Then he asks, "Where am I?"  I told him the hospital, and since he was so lucid at that moment, I told him all that I could think of about his condition.  He goes, "Oh, ya...I remember now."  The nurse comes in shortly after and I tell her, and dad looks at her and says, "It is like I awoke from a amnesia dream..."

Now in the above picture, we "WISH" he was always that happy and full of energy as the picture portrays.  But he still falls asleep fairly quickly, and he talks in his sleep way more than normal.  He still has his moments of confusion.  It hurts his back every time he has to get up, roll over on his side, even just moving the head of the bed up or down.  The last two days his appetite has returned (as much as a 91 year old has an appetite), and today the doctor decided it was time to send him off to skilled nursing for rehab therapy.  

At 5 pm, he was moved back to the same rehab facility that he was in back at the end of May and through mid-June.  The above picture was taken around 6:30.  The move tired him out, and in rehab you don't have a room to yourself, but the guy he shares his room with seems to be very alert and quiet.  We hope that he will regain his strength so that he can return to the Assisted Living facility where they live...time will tell. 

Back in the Hospital Again...

Yep, third time in 5 months dad has found himself in the hospital.  Yesterday another UTI hit hard.  Got him to the very crowded ER, and as soon as he could get to a bed (3-4 hours after we arrived), they had him on a antibiotic via an IV.  This pic is from this morning...doing much better.

Although it took awhile to get into a bed, they had already taken a chest x-ray, blood, EKG before he got a bed, and urine sample immediately after he got into bed AND the IV and antibiotic started simultaneously.  Results came back quick and it was a bad UTI.  

Today the white blood cells are nearly back to normal, and kidneys functioning better, and he is starting to get back to his 91 year-old normal condition.  Hope he will be out tomorrow, but it might be Monday...

Back in California's 100+ Degree Weather

At Sister's House, Citrus Heights, CA

There is only ONE thing that would bring us back to the HOT Sacramento Valley...and that is someone who is sick.  Yep, dad ended up in the hospital again last Tuesday.  On Wednesday we made the decision to return, but it was raining in Southwest Oregon, so Thursday would be the day we would take off...but there was one slight problem...

 

Two weeks earlier as we returned from our weekly tank emptying, I surprisingly see this GASH in my front passenger tire.  WHAT!!!!  It was not there when we left my sister's place four weeks earlier.  The gash also included a balding spot about 3 inches each way...other than that the tread looked good.  

Down in Gold Beach there is a Chevron Gas Station which still does car service...for $20 they put the spare on the front right and that tire on the spare.  Although I was worried about driving those short 8 miles, we made it without problem...doing it as part of the next Tuesday tank dumping routine.  Besides dumping our tanks we also filled up with propane at the Union 76 gas station further south in Gold Beach, put in $40 of gas to get us to Fred Meyer in Brookings when we did leave...but the first priority was getting that tire changed.

 

For two weeks since discovering the bad tire, I had researched what tires I wanted to put onto the motorhome.  I knew I wanted to continue with Discount Tire...they have treated us well, and they are nationwide (not all states, but a bunch of them).   When the guy at the gas station took the tire off, he said that it appeared that the belt had busted, causing a weak area and eventually the hole.  We got these tires in the El Paso area back in 2015, and we have put over 55,000 miles on them, which included a trip to Alaska in 2016.  These tires were free, part of a recall of Michelin Tires which had history of the belts breaking...and one broke on us causing a blowout back in 2015.  I did buy a 7th tire back then as a spare...which was rotated onto the motorhome a few years later.  Bottom line, I was not comfortable with Michelin anymore. 

 

Found a website published a few months ago by the US Auto Authority titled "Best RV Tires for Motorhome,Travel Trailer or Camper 2019".  This is their top 10:

 

I then did more research on the Michelin XPS RIB and the Bridgestone Duravis M700.  There was NO WAY I was going to put on Goodyear, something that dates back to 1976 when I bought a set of Goodyears for my Malibu...long story which is not worth talking about now.  I decided upon the Bridgestone and planned to order them 10 days before we would originally have gone through Medford...buying tires in Oregon would be $250 cheaper than in California, and even a little less than in Florida...but there was no way we were going to Florida on these tires.  With our two week earlier departure date, I called Discount Tire in Medford on Wednesday and placed the order,  I was assured they would be in on Thursday around noon.  So at 6:30 Thursday morning we pulled out, bought coffee at one of those little coffee stands, pulled into a turnout to feed the dogs, filled up with gas in Brookings at Fred Meyer ($3.25 per gallon) and by 8:30 we were on the Redwood Highway in California headed for Medford.  Around 9:30 we got a call that the tires were in...but two hours later we got another call to say that only 4 tires were in, the other 2 were coming out of Washington State and would not be in until Friday...

 

I knew that the Valley of the Rogue State Park, 15 miles north of where Discount Tire was located in Medford, had nightly openings...so we drove there.  One thing about Medford is that we HAVE to drop by Harry and David to get sister Sandy Moose Munch, along with other goodies for Arny, Patti and Mom and Dad...so we took care of that on Thursday after setting up camp.  Thank goodness there is a Cracker Barrel near Harry and David now, so we took care of that too.

With 4 tires at the store, and 2 more coming in around noon, we arrived at Discount Tire at 10 am. after filling with gas again at Fred Meyer, $2.75 per gallon. When FedEx arrived with the delivery, he did not have the tires because there was no room in the van when he left.  Telling him our predicament, he graciously returned to the terminal and got the dozen or so tires he had for delivery to Discount Tire, including our two.  I was so thankful, I gave him $10 for lunch, which he was very thankful for.  By 2:30 we were on our way.  Now, THIS is why I like Discount Tire.  Due to the bad tire experience with the Michelins, and with the one day delay in getting the tires, we were charged $1,075, which included a Certificates for Refund or Replacement for all 6 tires, mounting, balancing, tire disposal, and tax...oh ya, there is NO TAX in Oregon!  This is a savings of $275 over the normal Oregon price, and $500 less than the price we would have paid in California for all of this.  If there is a problem...if they screw up...if tires you bought previous did not meet your expectations, they take care of you.  As we pulled away, sister Patti texted me...dad was being released from the hospital.  Thought about turning around...but that thought did not last long.  I knew we would not make it to Citrus Heights on Friday, but we did get the motorhome washed at Blue Beacon Truck Wash in Corning, and stayed at the Willows Rest Area, 100 miles from Citrus Heights.  A bit hot, a bit noisy, by 6:30 Saturday morning we were on our way again, dumping our tanks again, stopping for coffee and feeding the dogs, we pulled into Arny and Sandy's at 9:30.  Nice to be back, but not nice weather.  Oh ya, I almost forgot...mom and dad moved to a different Assisted Living place on Friday, same day dad got out of the hospital.  Oh, what a weekend this has been!

  

Guess WHO is in the Hospital

At sister's house, Citrus Heights, CA

Monday morning Sis (Sandy) called at 5:30 am to tell me that...

...DAD was at the hospital.  He had been talking about having a crick in his neck for a couple of days, and his lower back has been shot for a few years now.  On Friday Mom, Dad, Marcia and I went to dinner for their April birthdays.  Sunday we were having lamb, but due to rain and dad not feeling well, they passed on that.  Monday before 5 am he could not move, get up out of his lift chair, so he called staff at the Independent Care Facility.  They decided to call 911, and off he went.  Tuesday they ran a series of test, including two MRIs...and above, after a shot of Morphine, they transferred him and took him away for a couple of hours (pictured above).

Mom waited with both eyes shut...I took Marcia back to Sandy's house, Roger and family left.  When I got back I got the above picture of mom...sound asleep.

WISH there was more to share, but it is past noon on Wednesday and still no word from the doctor.  However, the pain is a bit better, he is eating well, and very alert (Morphine was only a single shot...first time he had anything that strong before).  

Update...they assigned another doctor, she has ordered another MRI, and they are concerned because he has good heartbeat, but relaxation between beats is struggling.