Oh, those bright yellow socks,
a badge of honor for Staying Above Ground
and a reminder not to just let things go, but take action immediately when symptoms of illness arise. Tell that to an old farmer who avoids doctors at all costs. Who goes into denial when faced with the various infirmities of growing old. Aging isn't for sissies, Dad says.
An ambulance in the night,
and three days in a hospital hooked up to IVs and a catheter, with a "sitter" at all times to keep this old farmer from yanking out all the tubing and finding his way home, even though a sudden inability to stand was what precipitated the emergency visit and 3-day stay. Had he seen a doctor weeks (maybe months!) ago, this hospitalization could have been avoided.
Saturday snapshot of Dad watching a fall litter of kittens
What a way to acquire new socks!
At first Mom thought he was having a stroke, with slurred speech and leg weakness, but the ambulance crew ruled that out. It took two big men to shoulder him into the ambulance and round-the-clock sitters to keep him confined to his sickbed.
On the bright side, he kept his socks on, something toddlers and babies notoriously never do. Now, the trick is get him to take them off. And take his cranberry supplements, and drink a half-gallon of water a day.
Be Proactive,
with probiotics, ginger tea, cranberry juice, lots of water, apple cider vinegar (ugh! I know! It's so hard to swallow), and other home remedies.
He is home at last,
and I hope Mom can keep him out of trouble. Stubborn old farmers can be more high-maintenance than toddlers.
Love those shots!
This had me laughing:
I'm glad he's home, I think. Your mom could probably use a break.
Honey in the ACV helps a lot.
He looks very healthy to me, for someone quite old who hesitates going to the doctor. Does he only go when there's an emergency? Did he resist? How old is he?
You have him pegged! Age 87, and he wouldn't even get an annual physical until he was past age 65, and even then, once every ten years would do. We will not even discuss the rarity of dental visits... Mom's lttle break didn't last very long. Even in his prime of health, he's kept her hopping, and (remember that "We train people how to treat us" post?) she jumped to his service whenever he hollered for her. (Still does.)
The only thing tougher than an old farmer is his wife!
That's a great saying!
87 is pretty darn good. I sometimes say (and have no doubt said this to you already) "the best way to live a long and healthy life is to stay away from doctors altogether." Has your dad been mostly healthy until now? I wonder what caused the dementia. We are taught that illness is just something that happens, we have no control and can pretty much assume there is something wrong with us at all times, but I don't believe that. The natural state is healthy, healthy should be the norm. Unfortunately, illness is. Everyone has something it seems, if only chronic indigestion or headaches, which we are told are normal, and just pop an antacid or tylenol etc and you'll be fine. But those things are toxins that cause more serious illnesses down the line.
I love the yellow socks. I understand your Dad's reluctance not to go to a doctor, but when you get older things stop working. May he continue to have good health. I hate hospitals and doctors but I know they are necessary.
Thanks, @myob. I hear you! Sometimes we do need medical intervention - broken legs, stitches, surgeries - but more and more, I lean toward @owasco's conviction: "the best way to live a long and healthy life is to stay away from doctors altogether."
Dad was in great health and avoided doctors for 3/4 of a century.
Processed foods are the #1 culprit I can think of; he didn't get vaccinated or medicated until university hospitals got hold of him and proposed surgically removing his eye (injured by a steel bit because he wouldn't wear safety goggles). A second opinion led to some daily med for the pressure in the eye. He's been declining every year since.