We live about 20-30 minutes west of the hospital. My Dad's siblings live about 30-40 minutes east of the hospital, and aren't in great health (that said, if it were critical, they'd be there).

I'm it. For all practical purposes short of him literally being in the process of dying, I'm his support system. Which is hard and unfair and sucks, but it is what it is.

I'm going to have to go out there after the shower and see what's going on.

I had hoped it was low blood sugar, but he says that the pharmacist at his work checked his blood sugar and BP yesterday and they were normal, and that the EMTs checked both this morning and they were normal.

He recently (past month or so) had a dose of a medication he takes for diabetic nerve pain increased to about triple what it was. He says that for the first time in years, the pain is gone. But I think -- it's an antiepileptic medication used off-label for neuropathic pain, successfully -- that it has the unfortunate side effects of dizziness, confusion, etc.

If that's all this is, I will be so fucking grateful. Although it SUCKS BALLS that something that finally got Dad's pain under control (it's pretty bad when unmedicated) has such severe side effects he can't take that dose.

I am going to lose my fucking mind, okay?

Okay, Tim is going to go to the hospital, and I gave him a list of all of Dad's medications, along with the dose change for the one for his nerve pain, and a list of known side effects of that medication.

And I am still in a bathrobe and have to be at the shower in 25 minutes, so I'd better let my aunt know I'll be a little late.

Someone better hand me a fucking mimosa as soon as I walk in that place.

Tep, I hope the shower is lovely and that your Dad gets a good answer soon that is easy but doesn't interfere with actually relieving his pain. I'm glad Tim is going. That's the great thing about committed partners, you can, in a way, be in two places at once.

Teppy, I hope you were able to have a lovely time at your shower. Much ~ma to your dad.

sending all the ma~~ your way

Lots of dad~ma coming your way, tep. And I hope you managed to have a good time at your shower.

That's the great thing about committed partners, you can, in a way, be in two places at once.

This is so very true. I am so very grateful for having a partner to share life's burdens and joys.

I'm looking forward to hearing the shower tales!

In good/bad news in life of Laura, after a couple YEARS of trying to get crazy co-worker to see a doctor this finally happened yesterday. Her husband and mother and employer (me) staged an intervention of sorts and she begged for 30 days to do some woo~woo protocol that surely would cure stage 4 cancer. We pointed out that since she has never seen a doctor she doesn't even know what she is trying to cure. She has missed over 6 full weeks of time in the last 5 months being ill. So Wednesday she was so short of breath she was stuck in her kitchen holding the counter unable to walk back to bed. This led to her agreeing to see a doctor on Saturday. They admitted her and proceeded to drain 3 liters of fluid from her chest and took x-rays, cat scans, etc. They do a biopsy tomorrow on the mass in her breast. She loves the oncologist that was assigned to her which is a good thing. She still says she refuses to have chemo or surgery, but you can tell that she is pretty much resigned to the inevitability. He told her to forget the healthy fruits and veggies thing. He wants her to go for big macs and ice cream and whatever the hell she can down to put on weight. I doubt she is 90 pounds at this point. (at 5'7")

Anyway, kinda torn because I am so grateful that we have finally been able to push her into 'traditional medicine', but this also means a whole lot of difficult treatment in her immediate future. Tough stuff.

Tep, how would you know if he wouldn't tell you? Conversely, I'm going to miss my dad's real health crisis, because he's always at defcon 5. Oh, dear, Laura, that's awful. Hi, board!

Oh, Laura, how awful. Gotta say, that was one of the most awful things to read when looking at some of the charts for the people in my studies--they'd do these things where they got diagnosed and then decided to do crazy cult doctors' bizarro treatments in Mexico, or just eat lots of ginko because their acupuncturist said it would cure cancer or whatever. And then, shockingly, it didn't, and they got worse. Not to say modern medicine has all the answers, by any means, but almost all the doctors I know have been pretty OK with people who want to do non-traditional medicine in ADDITION to other stuff--go crazy with the ginger and reiki, or whatever. But when they have small children? Ugh.

I hope thing go well and easily for your employee.

I visited with her mother in the lobby first. She had been fighting with her forever to get her medical attention. But she would get ugly with her and she just couldn't fight her anymore. When the husband and I joined her in the fight she gave in. She 100% believes that her Budwig protocol will cure her, and totally would go to Mexico or wherever if she could afford it. Looking in the mirror, and looking at the shock on people's faces that hadn't seen her in a while combined with the intervention finally made her go to the hospital. That and several liters of fluid keeping her from being able to breathe.

I honestly believe adults get to make their own choices, but we really had to insist she at least get the testing and listen to her options. Sad. She is 48 and looks 70.

eta: She is also brilliant and the last few months her level of malnutrition has caused memory lapses and the inability to focus. Enough that she couldn't deny it.