The stent procedure went well and the change in my dad has been nothing short of amazing. He is eating 5 or 6 times a day sometimes and more active than I have seen him in a long time. Today he had his first dose of rituxan, which had to be done in a hospital in case he had a reaction. Everything went fine, but I wanted to make a note about a realization I had.
My dad is a classic example of the stoic males of his generation. He often complains about pain, but when I ask if he wants a pain pill, he usually says something along the lines of, "No, it isn't that bad." So when the nurse at the hospital asked about putting some pain meds in his IV just in case he experienced discomfort, I started to ask if he wanted it, but realizing it was fairly standard, instead I said, "Would you be OK with the nurse giving you some medicine for pain?" He tends to be an easy going guy and especially compliant with health professionals, so it was no problem.
Must remember this at home when I think he should take a pain pill or do other things in general he is likely to say no to!
In which I process my thoughts about becoming an official part of the sandwich generation, as a caregiver for my father, while trying to practice mindfulness and self care and uphold principles of unschooling and sustainability.
No comments:
Post a Comment