This morning started out as a pretty normal Sunday for us. I had Church meetings at my assigned Ward at 7:15 a.m. and Nina went off to her normal meetings at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center that started at 8 a.m. A little after 9:30 while I was teaching a Priesthood Lesson, Nina came to the classroom door and told me that, while it was not yet life threatening, dad was in the emergency room and we needed to leave to drive over to Soda Springs to help mother.

We arrived there about 10:45 a.m. with dad in the emergency room where he was being prepped to have a CT scan taken of his head. Mother was there along with a very good neighbor and friend who had come with her to the hospital.

This morning dad felt very strongly (perhaps “insisted” is a better word) that he have a shower and get cleaned up. After finishing with the shower (which he takes sitting down on a chair made for that purpose), he didn’t have enough strength to stand up and get out of the shower.

Mother wrestled him out of the shower and onto the toilet but couldn’t get him any further. She called a neighbor who came over and helped dad get back to bed. Dad complained that he was cold, got quite pale, and started shaking almost like convulsions, mother said. That was followed by dry heaves. She got quite frightened and called another couple in their Ward and neighborhood who came immediately over. They called 911 and the ambulance took him to the hospital.

Then, of course, the fun began tracking Nina and me down. Mother quickly reached both of my sisters in Utah who began making preparations to come up. After some serious persistence, they were able to actually talk to someone at the prison who was able to notify Nina of the problem. She then drove down to the building where I was in meetings and we left to go to Soda Springs.

The emergency room doctor was very thorough. He ordered up a full set of blood work, which told him that dad was quite dehydrated. They started an IV to get him hydrated again. His blood sugar has been swinging up and down and the tests indicated that his diabetes is acting up. His kidney function was not up to par, probably because he’s dehydrated.

The CT scan didn’t reveal any new trauma, but did show the area in his brain that has been affected by previous strokes (plural!) and some noticeable scarring in that area which is inhibiting blood and oxygen flows in that part of the brain. His difficulty with maintaining balance probably stems from these problems, the doctor told us. He also said this was a chronic problem and was only going to get worse over time.

The doctor admitted him into the hospital and where they continued to monitor his situation. His blood pressure was OK, but somewhat elevated from normal. That may be because he didn’t have any of his morning medications. His pulse was (and still is) high … between 90 and 115. So the activity tonight will be to get him back to a reasonably stable situation.

The doctor talked to us about what the right course of action for the future should be. Dad can’t go back home in his current situation where he’s falling down often and will likely do some serious damage to himself on one of these falls. His recommendation, which we agreed to, was that they keep dad in the hospital for three days to get him as stable as possible. He can then transfer into the hospital-associated skilled nursing facility for another 20 days. Medicare will pay for the three days plus the 20 days. At the end of the stay in the skilled nursing facility, he’ll then need to transfer into either an assisted living situation or into the nursing home (the non-skilled facility). The doctor felt that dad is a good candidate for assisted living.

So, last night was probably the last time that dad will have slept in his own bed in his own house. Nina and I will go tomorrow to the Spring Creek Assisted Living Center in Soda Springs to begin the process of having him admitted there. When he finishes his stay in the skilled nursing facility, that will most likely be his next stop.

His life has taken a dramatic change today and I’m sure he won’t be very happy with the turn of events. I know would not be looking forward to being moved into an assisted living facility! As we learn more about how all this works, I’ll post the information here.