Friday, June 29, 2012

Now What?

I feel like someone is playing a mean joke on us.  In the past year, Dad has had a broken nose, Scabies, and a Staff Infection... now he has a Hernia.  I guess we're just going down the list of all the most annoying reasons to spend time at the doctor's office.  His Hernia is intermittent, so it is not always presenting itself, but when it does, my Dad is in pain.

Two weeks ago, we spent two straight days in the VA ER trying to assess the problem.  The first day, we got seen after 3 hours, but they couldn't find anything wrong with him at that point.  The next day, with my baby in tow, we waited 4 hours and I finally gave up.  We went home without being seen.  We decided to make an appointment for the following week and to just treat Dad's pain with Tylenol in the meantime.  

His options at this point:  Surgery or Live with it.  Basically the doctor does not recommend surgery for my Dad (I have to agree that it would be pretty awful for all involved).  She wants to fit him for a type of mesh belt that he can wear under his clothes to keep the hernia in.  It's pretty clear to me that he will have that off in two seconds flat.  I really don't see a good solution to the problem.  We have an appointment in a week with General Surgery to see about this 'belt'. 

Still no word on when he can move into his new home... July is upon us... the last month that he can afford his care at Valley View Gardens.  Come August, he will be about $500 short.

Picture of "Cowboy" Dad hanging out in the ER...


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