Catching Up

Best laid plans.... I have been meaning to keep this site updated daily and plan to going forward. But obviously this week has been extremely hectic. I want to continue the story from the first post on the 31st picking up after the ambulance picked up Dad at church.

He was taken to the local hospital and we are thankful for the care he received there. Brent was with Mom at the hospital. After initial tests it was thought that a stroke was probably the most likely cause of the fall. So dad was Careflighted to a bigger hospital where he would be able to receive a shot that stroke victims can receive to minimize brain damage. After registering, etc in the ER the brain surgeon saw him and was very concerned. I had made my way to the hospital from my wife's family. So Brent, Mom, and I listened as the doctor told us Dad's brain was severely injured and he "didn't know if he was going to make it." There were multiple pockets of air and "blood all over the place" in and around his brain. The only option we had was to try a procedure to drain fluid off the brain and relieve the pressure. We would later learn that the pressure was so intense it nearly literally pushed the brain out of the bottom of Dad's head. But the procedure was done successfully and relieved a lot the pressure. At this time we were still thinking a stroke must have caused Dad's fall. We now know there was no stroke or aneurysm but have been told that the brain damage will be the same as what a stroke victim experiences.

I will continue catching up another time....