So, my dad was discharged from the hospital today and he seems to be feeling a bit better.  Of course we are not clear of any concern at this time.  He still is having difficulty walking and breathing at times.  There is still fluid building up around his heart and in his lungs – doesn’t sound good, does it – but he is hoping, along with his doctors, that the medicine he is taking will drain some of that fluid.  Only time will tell on that one – after this, surgery is the final option.

I have gone through this once before, back in 2000 with my mother.  After a few months from the initial hospital visit she died of complications related to the surgery to correct this problem.  My father is all too familiar with this routine having seen his wife of 46 years go through this.  I believe he is scared but that is my dad and he would never verbalize such a strong emotion.  That’s us strong Italian men…not good communicators, although I would tend to hold exception to that characteristic!  Ask anyone who I’ve been in a relationship with…I tend to communicate TOO much sometimes!

But, anyway, now it is a waiting game.  I have resumed my usual daily phone calls home and we have the same conversations about his health as we had the day up to this recent hospitalization.  I was never clued into the problems he had been experiencing and would have helped any way I could, had I known.

I just hope I can be of more help this time.