One Thing After Another

30 September 2008

Dear family,

Hi. I hope you are all well and looking forward to conference this weekend. We are here in Snowflake.

Things are going relatively well here, (relative is the operative word.) Last week was hard on dad. He began having quite a bit of pain when we moved him, and by Friday he really hurt. Mom had Uncle Alan come and check him out, and he said it could be a couple of different things. Because it seemed to hurt most of all at the top of his leg and in the groin area it was very possible that he had a bladder or prostrate infection, so Alan immediately started him on antibiotics. On the other hand, the pain could also indicate blood clots in his legs, in which case there was nothing that could be done except give dad pain killers, so they began giving him Tylenol twice a day. Saturday evening he was hurting so bad mom asked if he would like a blessing, and he said yes. Moe and Uncle Colton blessed him that he would be able to sleep and that the pain would go away. By Sunday afternoon the pain seemed to be letting up. Hopefully, it was just an infection and it is getting better.

Yesterday when I picked dad up he didn't complain about pain at all. They told me at the Carriage House that he had eaten a good breakfast, usually they can hardly get him to wake up long enough to eat one or two bites of food in the morning, and more alert and aware than I have seen him in a long time. He knew that Aunt Sharon and I were his daughters, although he didn't actually call us by name, and he was laughing and teasing Jessi and Jenna. I was really surprised, because Sunday afternoon he was really, really out of it.

I suppose this is the nature of dad's disease. I have been told that dementia can seem to come and go, but I sure do hate it. It is so hard to have dad almost normal once in awhile, because it makes you hope that he is getting better, and almost feel guilty for thinking that he has dementia at all. Then it comes back with a vengeance, and you have to go through the grieving process all over again. This nasty disease can really where you out emotionally. I don't know how mom keeps on handling it so well.

Speaking of mom, she went to the cardiologist yesterday to see why she is having such a hard time breathing. The doctor wants her to get blood work done and do some more tests. Most likely it is her pulmonary hypertension, but the doctor said it could possibly be caused by blood clots in her lungs. Anyway, they will do the tests and see.

More bad new, on top of that. Aunt Ejvor called mom last night to tell mom that they found Aunt Elise (mom's oldest sister) collapsed on her floor yesterday and rushed her to the hospital. She had not regained consciousness at the time Aunt Ejvor called. We'll let you know more when we hear more, in the meantime, remember to keep her and her family in your prayers.

Sorry this has been kind of a down message. The weather here in Snowflake is beautiful, though, and we are all looking forward to conference, so that is something to smile about.

I hope you can all keep on smiling, and remember how much we love and appreciate each of you. Thank's for being our family.

Love,

Aunt Gale