Big Blessing in Disguise!

So yesterday morning Danny calls me and says he'd pulling off his job because Pop was being taken to the ER at Kaiser. His sweet nurse, Millie, was concerned because he seemed lethargic and appeared to be holding his chest and slurring his words. Danny stopped by to check in on him and he seemed fine. So, he came up to get me. We dropped Lucy off at a sweetheart of a neighbors house and headed down. Pop was in really good spirits and kept laughing and making faces at us.

I still haven't spoken to my parents since the original Pop issue but Danny gave my dad a quick call (next time we'll ask the nurse to) in the morning to let him know what was going on. Still to our dismay, he laughed and sounded all happy and blew it off like it was nothing and said he might get cut off because he was arriving at his destination and parking underground. We didn't hear from him again (Barbara called the nurse at the board and care facility but she didn't know anymore than we were telling her) until 5:00Pm when we were heading home from the hospital. Danny asked if he was going to stop by and he said probably not because he had to drive up to L.A. for a job and had to run home first. We were thinking, well gee, take five minutes to say hi on the way up. We found out later (I was on the phone with Kat who hadn't even been told Pop was in the hospital) that Barbara and Tom were having dinner at a restaurant before he left for L.A.. So sad that he didn't have time for Pop.

Ok, so believe it or not, despite the fact that I felt really sorry for their behavior, especially for Pop's sake, I didn't allow myself to get all upset (Danny was) and best of all, some good came out of his hospital visit. First, he was acting "off" because he had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and when elderly people get that, they can become disoriented. He's had that before and some antibiotics should clear it all up in no time. But since he was already there, they ran every test imaginable and since he isn't able to easily go to the doctor, I was really glad to know what was going on inside him. He does have C(ongestive) H(eart) F(ailure) but his heart is still pretty much the same. However, about 6 months ago, at the Lennon house, I went to visit and we all agreed that Pop seemed a bit altered. His mouth was going to the side and he was slurring a bit. Having experienced the stroke with my dad, it came to mind. But we did some of the other tests to see if he had any other signs and he didn't. He was fine a couple hours later.

Well, to make an incredibly short point, long, the head scan yesterday did show he'd had a minor stroke. Poor Pop has been having some trouble getting his sentences/ thoughts out entirely and we all noticed his throat sounded a bit flemy, causing him to clear it sometimes when he eats. These are most likely stroke related. The doctor was really sweet and called us on the way home to recommend a different medicine that was a blood thinner. I'm praying that it will help his brain become a bit more clear so he can think and communicate better. I woke up feeling so thankful (the hospital called saying they're going to discharge him after lunch) that we were able to get these tests done for him and that maybe now, whatever life God has left for him will be more enjoyable. Also, perhaps we'll get a little more of our Pop back.

On the way home yesterday, Danny and I were talking about how Italian's are supposed to be all about family and blood. In the end, Danny thinks of Pop in regards to being his grandpa/ family, more than he ever did his own grandfathers. And ironically, Pop is being loved and cared for most by his grandson (in-law) and his "adopted" grandaugther. Where's the rest of the family? We also laughed about how everyone keeps saying we'll be rewarded for this (in Heaven I guess is what they mean). That's nice and all but this is Pop we're talking about. It doesn't take a saint to do right by him. The man deserves it! He's been better to us than anyone else in our family and has shown nothing but love and respect to us, how could we give any less back now that he needs us?

Today Lu and I are going out for a mom and daughter day of lunch and shopping. She's excited and it's a beautiful day for an outside mall. Later, I promised to bring Pop some Irish Creamer for his coffee:)