Hey guys - ok, here's my CRUD, even though I did kind of check out the pages & posts throughout the weekend without posting when I had a few minutes here and there. It was a very full weekend - one with very little sleep. But my son was inducted into Firecrafter, which is the honor society for Scouts here in Indiana, and I got to guide him along the trail since I was inducted last month - so that was very, very, very cool in and of itself. No one is allowed to the ceremony except those who have been inducted already, so I got to not just be there, but participate as well. I was elated. And can't wait til my younger son will hopefully a part of it in a couple of years too.
But the weekend had a cloud over it going in to it, and then throughout thanks to some family stuff going on right now. So for those of you who are praying guys, please add my FIL to your list. Here's a run-down from what I posted in another group leading up to the weekend. WARNING - it's long!
From Wednesday night:
"DW just told me that her dad is in the hospital tonight with a fractured vertbrae in a LOT of pain - so please, if you think of it, pray for him for his comfort level and the doctors as they plan their course of action. He's nearly 80, so it's a bit trickier than if he were half that, even though anything back related is never super easy. Please also pray for her, as she's a bit of a mess right now since we are 2200 miles away and she can't just go on over and sit with him in his room, or hold his hand, or any of that. Just for her peace of mind really. It's no fun watching them get older. It's even less fun being so far away when they need something - or someone.
Apparently he'd called her brother yesterday morning, and he wasn't able to show up until evening to help. My BIL found him sitting in his chair, where he'd been sitting for 7+ hrs unable to move. BIL couldn't move him either. Offered to call the paramedics but that was refused. His pride. Control issues. BIL tried to help him up - he screamed, and then fell to the floor. BIL again offered to call. Again - NO. BIL said okay, lay there til morning, but if you can't get up then...paramedics would be called. So this moring, sure enough, he couldn't move so BIL called the paramedics. Was taken to emergency, then had a CT Scan and had to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally this evening (our time) we got the call that he'd been transferred to a regular hospital (for his insurance), and would be there at least overnight if not longer til they can figure out their next steps. Lives alone. Can't take care of himself right now - so the doctor said no, you can't go home."
From Friday:
" Ok, so I do have an update now. DW, who is the 3rd of 4 kids (she has an older sister, then her older brother who is helping their dad right now, and a younger brother) - anyway, DW spoke with her dad directly this morning. He actually got a decent night's sleep, which is a good thing. But he's been in the hospital bed with strict orders not to move. He said he can't roll over without a lot of pain anyway, so that really wasn't too hard for him to do all night. The best part, he said, is that he actually ate breakfast. He hasn't done that in weeks apparently, having lost 25 lbs in the past 5 weeks.
And the the fall that I detailed in my original post wasn't his first, either. He told her the day before calling her brother, he had fallen off the couch as he was trying to get up. He was able to get himself up off the floor, but it took him a good hour to do so. He suspects that might be when he actually fractured or broke the vertabrae, not no way to know for certain. It might also have been last week when he was trying to get a box off the shelf in his closet and it fell on him.
At noon PDT, he'll be having an MRI to review his bone density. He told the doctors about breaking his toe 6 or 7 months ago, and so they are questioning several areas as to why he would break his vertebrae, and not wanting to rule anything out prematurely.
He'll be staying in the hospital again tonight and my BIL will be getting his stuff and moving into my FIL's condo to be there to help him out when he is released. (He's been staying at his other sister's house for a while, and their cousin's place for a while - so moving in to take care of dad is not that hard for him). My SIL is currently in Hawaii and won't be back until early next week, but then she'll be able to get down to his place and check on him as well.
The really sad thing about this however, was when my DW left a message for her other brother, the younger one, who lives just about 15-20 mins from their dad. He (and his wife) and dad have been extremely estranged for a year or more now, and he basically could care less. It's very sad. Even my MIL is in shock that something like this hasn't broken her son's pride and resolve to at least CHECK on his dad. Nope. Nada. Texted back not to bother him. Just go and add insult to the injury there. DW was crying when she showed me that text, and was horrified at her younger brother's lack of compassion. We suspect that this estrangement has only added to dad's physical pain over the past year as his stress-levels have risen constantly anytime her younger brother is even mentioned in conversation.
He's definitely fallen into a kind of depression because oh yeah - my SIL has been going through a very bitter separation for the past 9 months that is headed for divorce; which followed his own 2nd divorce in February of this year. SO yeah - not a whole lot of happy news going on in DW's family right now...
BUT... thanks for the prayers for his physical well being so far. I truly do appreciate it. He's a special guy, and not one we want to lose yet."
And then from this morning:
"On the greater family front, however, I will say there was such a cloud hanging over the weekend though. I spoke with my wife on the phone late Friday night and she shared with me more about her dad. And then last night after we got home she shared some more.
They found some spots on his lungs, hip and back. A biopsy was performed yesterday and we are waiting for the results, but as I was suspecting the big C is apparently looming fairly large on the horizon. My BIL finally Friday evening made the doctor shoot straight with them, and yes, he told them both (BIL & FIL) that they were suspecting cancer, which is what I was suspecting myself just from the round of tests and info that BIL was sharing. My FIL broke down pretty hard from what I understand. But by Sunday's procedure, he was adjusting to it, and pretty resigned to the situation. They'll know more for certain within a day or two. The doctor put a rush on the results, and is hoping to have them back today, but said most likely it will be Tuesday.
DW was checking out airfare for the next couple of weeks to be able to at least get out there and spend some time with him. We are all heading out there in December to spend Christmas out there, but as she said last night, that might be too late. And I certainly understand. When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer 19 years ago she was in the hospital for 3 or 4 days and then transferred to an assisted living facility where she lived the rest of her days, which in her case was only 3 months, dying the day after my birthday.
He's being transferred today or tomorrow from the hospital he's in now, to another hospital that has a specialized oncology unit with more long-term type of accomodations. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this, but ok. If it's like my grandmother's situation, then why not just say assisted living? But then I wasn't the one on the phone asking the questions so perhaps my DW just didn't know or my BIL just didn't know. I don't know.
So dear friends - once more, please just continue to pray for comfort all around. I do believe that he can be healed, but that's not my decision. He's lived a long full life, and perhaps his time is drawing near, perhaps not and his situation is being used for some other purposes by our creator. We don't always see how the pieces are brought together until after the fact, so we wait and watch and see. I need to get my DW on a plane soon to be able to spend some important quality time at her dad's side. Hopefully I can do that very soon. Next stop - Southwest's site to check out some fares myself. More later..."
Very long post - I know. I apologize for that, but DW and I are definitely concerned. She's waiting for a call back from him now. He has a new procedure tomorrow to try and get some of the pain relieved in the back. She's waiting to make a move on airfare until she talks to him tonight, and then her brother tomorrow after the procedure. So we'll see how that goes, but she does want to try and get out there soon. Cancer is treatable and many people have beaten it, but from what I'm hearing, he's not willing to fight and is starting to give up already.
Thanks guys.
SENT MY GIRL TO Disney WITHOUT ME 
Yea I let her go with her uncle and nephew.Just doesn't seem fair that she is going without her family.
