An Apology

I would like to apologize for my inability to keep a promise about posting about our vacation.

I will fill in some gaps with an explanation.

My father is 78 years old. While on vacation, we received a phone call that he had been rushed to the hospital. He was having problems breathing and in pretty rough shape. He later told me that had him and my mom waited another 20 minutes to call the ambulance and he might not be here today. I shuddered at the thought. Anyway, his lungs were full of fluid, he was virtually drowing. Pneumonia was the culprit. They kept him in the hospital for two nights I believe, I found out later than the day it happened, and sent him home with steroids and an antibiotic that would last 4 days. Funny, I told Pat after I first spoke with my father that the way the hospitals herd people out of there like cattle that I wouldn't be surprised if my dad had a relapse.

Well, guess what...he relapsed and is in the hospital again. He went in yesterday morning with the same breathing problems and they said they thought they let him out too early the first time. Pneumonia again.

It was very hard to see my dad last night in that state. Since I wasn't home for the first round, which is probably a good thing cuz I would worry myself sillier, I didn't get to see him when he was worse off. Although my first impression of him was a sickening feeling in my stomach and silence. I have said before that I am just not good in situations like this and well, here I am saying it again.

My poor mom looked just beside herself with worry and she looked so very tired. She seemed as though she was on the verge of crying and kept telling us kids that she just wanted to go home and be by herself. It pained me to see her that way and knowing that there wasn't a lot I could do, stood by helpless and told her to make sure she looks out for herself as well. Aside from all that her and I have been going through, the fighting, the anger, I love her to death and wanted her to see it and to feel it. She is my mom after all is said and done. And as we were leaving, I turned because I saw her coming out of the room after us and she wiggled her fingers for me to come back and when I did she grabbed me and gave me a really big hug. I so badly just wanted to take her home with me but knowing that I wouldn't be able to drive her home today it just wasn't an option.

So, my father.....well, he was in good spirits. Like I said, he didn't look really good but by the time we left, he seemed to have calmed his breathing and to have relaxed. The color was in his face again. Later in our visit I found out from one of my sisters that he had a second breathing episode AFTER the doc had stablized his breathing. That scared me quite a bit. But there has been no news today so I can only assume that all is well.

With all of that and my friends packing up and leaving for Florida, well, I just haven't really been up to writing about a vacation that seems to have occurred eons ago and was just a little too fun to write about with everything else. All I know is is that the minute we stepped foot in our house, both Pat and I wanted to escape back up to the Great North Woods!