Fwd: Dad having good day!

Dad had a terrible 4th of July.  We visited him with Danielle on Saturday and he did not acknowledge our presence.  On Monday he threw a punch at one of his caregivers and missed only to cut his hand requiring a trip to the emergency room.  I got a voice message on my cell phone on Tuesday informing me that he had an appointment with a doctor at 1230pm on Thursday.  I went to Arden Court to see if I could meet with the doctor to discuss medications.  At this point I feel that more sedation is probably in order.

When I got to Arden Court today I found Dad in the TV room being attended to by a very pleasant Hospice nurse named Patti.  She was looking at and cleaning Dad's right palm which had four or five staples in it.  She informed me that Dad was taking antibiotics to prevent infection and ibuprofen for pain.

Dad recognized me right away, smiled and said, "Good to see you, son."  He asked me what I was up to.  We talked about Joshua, Danielle, Jason, Janice and Sandy.  I told him that the next time he tries to throw a punch at someone he sould not miss and cut his hand.  He laughed.  When I told him that Joshua planned to get married before the end of the year he smiled, tilted his head and said, "Josh? ... Getting married?"

Lisa, the head nurse and Patti could not figure out which doctor had an appointment with Dad.  I told them to make sure that he gets the ativan regularly.  I ran out to see if I could get Dad a hot dog because we were having such a good time that we missed lunch.  I drove to a convenience store but could not bring myself to get him a corn dog.  I settled on some salami, cheese and crackers from a nearby supermarket.  I returned to Arden Court and feasted with Dad.  He was very happy to see me and he introduced me to a heavy black caregiver who claimed to be his girlfriend.  The caregiver asked Dad who I was.  Dad responded, "This is my son."  The  caregiver asked him what my name was.  Dad hesitated and said, "Stuart."

Stuart 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Stuart Levy <bigstu52@gmail.com>
Date: July 7, 2011 12:51:26 PM EDT
To: Janice Mirra <mirra7@comcast.net>
Subject: Dad having good day!

You never know.
Love,

Stuart