November News / Status Update · 4:37pm Nov 10th, 2022

Hello again, everyone. Hope that your November has been off to a good start.

This is going to be another status update from me. There's been further turns in my real-life situation.

As I said in my previous post, my dad's been dealing with health issues through the middle of the October. If anyone needs a reminder, he developed cellulitis in one foot. This is a condition where cell tissue becomes infected and causes painful swelling. He was put on a battery of antibiotics and confined to bedrest, and I took over a lot of work caring for him in the following weeks: fixing meals, bringing him things, etc.

And then, last weekend, he had to go to the hospital. All that time off his feet apparently caused a blood clot, a big one, to form in his foot and travel up to his lungs. (A pulmonary embolism, they tell me. And it was a big one. Multiple clots in both lungs.) So Mom took him to the ER, he spent all Saturday there on oxygen, and then spent Sunday and Monday in Holston Valley, on IVs and oxygen. They sent him home Monday afternoon with a prescribed blood thinner, and while he does seem to be doing much better after the battery of medicines - he can walk now and the doctor has said he can ease back into doing normal things again - this whole situation has been crazy busy and stressful.

All that being said, though... I'm hopeful that the worst of it has passed. Consensus of the doctors has been that the clot had more to do with the cellulitis rather than a preexisting condition, which feels like good news, and it's been said to Mom and I that the issue was caught at just the right time. And part of me thinks that, maybe, as scary as the whole matter was, the hospital visit was what Dad needed. His foot was doing better with just the antibiotic pills, but he still had a long ways to go (he just wouldn't admit it; that man is as stubborn as a team of mules when it comes to doctor stuff). In some ways, he probably just needed a thorough dose of IV medication to work on really cleaning out that infection, and also having medical professionals on hand for that time couldn't have hurt things either.

But, like I said, he's doing better now. He's been checked over by the specialist, and by our regular doctor (God bless that man for all he's done these past weeks) and it looks like we're tentatively in the clear for now. Mom and I will still be keeping an eye on him, making sure that there are no relapses, but, God willing, I think we should be good. There'll be more appointments and tests in the future, but the doctor's consensus seems to be that if he has no relapses during the rest of the month, and takes his medication (which he *has* been good about) it should be fairly smooth sailing from here on out.

Like before, in October, I've sat on all this for a while. It's just something I kind of tend to do in a crisis. But again, with Dad out of the hospital and showing even better signs of improving, I can breathe a whole lot easier.

Once again, I hope you all are doing well out there. And again, let this be a reminder, to always watch your health.

Be safe, and here's to making this November a good one!

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FourShadow

FourShadow #1 · Nov 10th, 2022 · 1 · ·

*huggles some more* Glad your dad's getting better. Hope he has a steady recovery!

Scholarly-Cimmerian

Scholarly-Cimmerian #2 · Nov 10th, 2022 · · ·

5697176
*hugs Four back*
Thanks, friend. Believe me, it's much appreciated, and let me add that it's been a real godsend having friends like you to chat with in these past few weeks. It made for a very blessed relief during a lot of this craziness.

FourShadow