I was running later than ordinary today and when I arrived, Dad actually looked asleep. However, upon closer inspection there was an indication that he was not. Clutched between his pointer finger and thumb was a small square of cloth. The indication thereof was that he was stuck once again. He opened his eyes and said good morning. I asked him if they had tested his blood sugar and he replied, “Yes, and they had trouble getting blood.” I let him know that I was not surprised, that was the same finger that they could not of get blood out of yesterday. Had they not figured out that that finger was empty? Dad grinned, at the thought.
He said that he slept relatively well. I do, however, get the feeling that he does not really have a good indication of day and night. He is asleep, awake, asleep, awake off and on 24 hours a day. I go to sleep, get my seven hours and get up. Dad does not really get up and do anything for 16 hours a day and surely does not sleep the remaining 8 hours. So a good night’s sleep is only relative to what he considers night.
Dad asked again about the children. He wants to make sure that they are doing well. He is happy to hear that they are doing well. It reminds me of a class I had years ago in college that talked about the interest grandparents have in their grandchildren. It was explained that grandparents see their legacy as it is passed on in their grandchildren as opposed to their children. Legacy is a long term thing that should last over time.
We chatted for a while longer. I told dad that I made him his call button and if it did not work to his liking, I would get a louder buzzer and that the technology is there to wake the neighborhood. He smiled at the thought. In many respects Dads eyes were brighter today. However, he did not have much stamina. He said that he thought he would have trouble sitting up on a chair in a shower. We will have to find a way. I let him know that the worst case scenario is getting a good hair washing. He was excited about worst case because a good hair washing is something that he would love to have. He has 2 plus week bed head enhanced from the essential oils of the scalp and speckled with whatever has been floating through the air for the past two weeks.
Dad left the hospital for home at about 1:00 today. I will have to check on him and follow up on the scalp scrub. I know he will be glad to be home.
