Am probably going south. REVISED

[Esther]

My dad called this afternoon and said he had surgery scheduled Friday and going home Saturday. His wife is not very strong and I can't see her being able to support him when he has to get up and around. Sooooo, that is the way it works when a person is an "only" child. He has no relatives or friends there because they just moved there in August. She has a niece my age but is newly married and they are out of town. There is a younger nephew there too but he probably won't be any help.

Pete will stay home to finish a job at the duplex, take care of the dog, cat, and pond.

[miguynmkoi]

I'm not an only child but pretty much take care of everything for my mom.  She chose to live near me    So that makes 4 kids to do this and that at their convenience.

I hope your dad does well and feels better real soon.  Enjoy your time together.

[Kittyzee]

How far south are you talking Esther?  Keep us posted on his recovery and how you are doing.  Maybe it's time to get a laptop, so you can log into AP whenever you want!   

[jw]

My prayers go out to your dad Esther and you and the rest of his family. I hope the surgery goes well and he heals quickly. Have a safe trip there and back. I am an only adopted child and I had the full responsibility of my mom before she passed. She lived close and I helped her w/ her shopping and dr appts and well everything. She could be a handful at times and she was very opinionated but we worked it all out sorta. She was fortunate to be able to stay in her own home til she died suddenly from a heart attack. I lost my dad, my aunt and my mom all in just a few years. That was all the family I had growing up but now I have my kids and DH and 1 grandchild and they make life very happy and sometimes very interesting  but I love them all dearly  . Cherish the old folks while they are here and remember them in your heart and all the good times you had after they go to the great beyond 

[Indiana Karen]

Sorry to hear about your Dad Esther.  Maybe he will bounce back pretty quick and you can get a little bit of a vacation out of it too.  Is he in Florida?  Hubbys Mom lived in Florida for a long time and he had to go every time she got sick. 

All three of us kids live near my Mom, but I have always been the one to check on her daily and spend the most time with her.  I talked with her on the phone Sunday afternoon and told her I might stop by later in the day.  She said that my sister had already been there and not to worry if I had other things to do.  I almost didn't go.  When I stepped out of my car I heard the most awful screaming for help coming from her garage, I'll never forget how it sounded.  She had fallen in her garage right after talking to me on the phone, been laying on the cold concrete for two hours, she is 89.  She had broken her arm up high, right at the shoulder.  The three of us are now taking turns and staying round the clock with her.  I am very thankful to have my brother and sister.

Keep us posted on how your Dad is doing.

Karen

[PondmaninAL]

How far south are you talking Esther?  Keep us posted on his recovery and how you are doing.  Maybe it's time to get a laptop, so you can log into AP whenever you want!   

Yeah, what LuAnn said. I hope things go well for him.

[Esther]

They just bought a house in september,  in Fairfield Glade Tennessee. The idea was to use it as a half way house when they go from Florida to Michigan. Naomi has a niece my age who lives there and was recently married but they are in Cancun right now so are no help. She also has a nephew much younger I guess but he's her relative and barely knows my dad so won't be of any help. Other than that, they have NOONE there. I still don't know why she so desparately wanted a house there. Where my dad lived in Florida, my mom and dad had lived in that retirement village for 27 years and my dad had lived there longer than most of the people there so everybody knows him. They would be stopping in to help and go visit him right and left. If they were here in Grand Rapids, where they have two condos that they rent out  now, my dad has 3 brothers and a sister plus a slew of friends and nieces and nephews, me and my kids. Just grinds me. He doesn't drive so has to rely pretty much totally on her. I suspect he feels trapped. But on the other hand, she may also feel stuck not being able to rely on him as much since that terrible accident. Remember when he was run over by that truck about 3 years ago.

 But like anybody else who cares about their daddy, I'm heading down there.

[Jonna]

Buena suerte Esther, check in with us, OK?

[Kittyzee]

Wow Esther, if you aren't in a big hurry, you'll be coming right past me.  Unless you are flying of course--or are you driving by yourself?    

It doesn't seem to make much sense for them to live in Tennessee does it?  But then they probably weren't counting on other people having to take care of them, either.  We ALL need to be more proactive about what's going to happen when we get old and make provisions for ourselves.  Sorry you have to uproot yourself and leave your husband and home to be a caregiver--but you gotta do what you gotta do.   

[Julles]

Good for you, Esther, for taking care of your folks.  I hope the surgery goes smoothly.

[Bullfrog]

I hope things do go well Esther. Take care.

[Esther]

Thanks folks for the concern. I am driving so I have my own vehicle with me and don't have to drive their huge old boat.

At this point, I haven't even looked at the Atlas or done a mapquest to see which is the best way to go. I'll be anxious to get there but on the way back I'll be anxious to get home too. I don't know LuAnn what I'm gonna do.

[Jerry]

It is a nightmare for him, maybe he will pull out of in nicely.  If he does you can breath easily and maybe even see LuAnn on the trip home.

Prayers are with you.

[fishlipsmcgee]

Sending prayers for your dad's speedy recovery.  I hope you get a little relaxation time or help while you're there.  Have a safe trip there and back.

[Esther]

Am not going at least for now. Just got off the phone with Naomi. Turns out something is a little goofy with Daddy's heart and Dr wouldn't do the surgery until he sees a cardiologist and is cleared by him for the surgery. So they put the catheter back in so he won't be so miserable, a little inconvenienced but not miserable. The Dr is out of town next week and I don't know if the heart doctor appointment has been scheduled or not but I guess my trip is off for a while. It looks like I jumped the gun. PHEW!!

This is kind of an answer to prayer for me as Saturday is the Make a Wish walk. I will not be walking but have raised money and wanted to participate. I had put off going today so we could finish some soundproofing at one of our duplexes so wasn't leaving until tomorrow fortunately. We needed to sort out some things with our feuding tenants tomorrow.  Also Monday I had a luncheon meeting with three ladies that I can worked with 25 years ago and worked with for maybe 10 years. So now I get to go to both.

So you can continue to pray for them and we'll see what the cardiologist has to say. I'll keep you posted.

[Kittyzee]

Wonderful news Esther! 

[jw]

That's good news for now Esther and hope your dad gets good new also on his condition  . Prayers will be sent to them and to you too  .

[fishlipsmcgee]

God Bless, Esther.  Praying for a good report from tne doctor.  Wishing you a successful Make a Wish Walk.  It sounds like you worked hard preparing for it.

[Esther]

I just talked to Daddy and he said he has had the chemical stress test and an echo cardiogram. He is now taking some sort of medication and is feeling better and stronger. Evidently the doctor doesn't feel his heart is too much of a threat because he is scheduled for the prostate surgery December 4. I believe he goes home the next day as it isn't an external surgical procedure. At this point they don't know if he will still need to have the heart surgery or not.
 
We were planning to go down there for Thanksgiving but are kind of waiting to find out if they will be doing the heart as I feel he will need us there after that, more than after the Prostate. So I still don't know if and when we'll be going down.