Hard times

This week has been something else! My dad had cataract surgery on Tuesday so I went to stay with him and my mom all day and I stayed the night so I could take him to the Doctor on Wednesday morning. This was supposed to be a no brainer…people have this done all the time with no problems and that was our expectation. Leave it to my dad to make things more challenging.
He was doing fine on Tuesday, a little nauseated and weak but ok. When he got in the chair at the eye doctor’s they had him put his head in that little thing to look at his eyes. He had to stop because he was feeling nauseated. Then he started feeling really bad-the nurse put a wet cloth behind his head and left me alone with him to go get the doctor. The color drained from his face and his eyes were all glazed over, then he started moaning and snorting… it was so scary. I was slapping his face and calling his name-he was completely unresponsive. Finally a nurse put her head in the room and I said, “Could you please not leave me alone with him?!”
Shortly thereafter the doctor came in and he said, “Call 911!” At this point I am completely freaked! They got him to respond a little so they said to forget 911 and they gave him some oxygen. He came around a little more and I suggested that it might be his blood sugar because he hadn’t eaten much in 2 days. A diabetic nurse ran and got her glucometer so she could test his blood. His sugar was 65(normal is 70-120). They gave him some crackers and juice and he started to get some color back and become more responsive.
During all of this I called his friend Katie since she is a doctor and was familiar with Conroe, where Dad lives. By the time she got there all of this was pretty much over he was sitting up, his color was better, and he was drinking a coke. We ended up leaving there to go to his primary care doctor who did all kinds of blood work and an EKG to double check. He said my dad’s hypoglycemic and gave him some instructions concerning diet and we went home.
It’s amazing that a lifetime can pass so quickly. This whole scenario took place in under 30 mins. Inconceivable! (I do know what that word means.)
I have never been so scared. When my mom almost died from her aneurysm I never saw her except in the ICU, this was different because I was present for the whole thing. I have never seen anything like what I saw yesterday except on TV or a movie. Trust me its totally different. I know that lots of diabetics and their families deal with this all the time but that’s not my reality. I feel like I got a glimpse yesterday of what my dad will look like when he dies…no color, eyes glazed over mouth slack… if I never see him like that again I would be completely happy!
OK, this is a long post , so I’ll be done. I just needed to get it out!
Things to thank God for:
That this happened at the doctor’s office and not at home or in the car
That he is fine if a little thick-headed
That I went through something horrible and didn’t have a panic attack or complete breakdown.