July 10, 2001
7/10
We have a bad situation here. A couple of days ago, my father was having pain in his legs, and trouble walking due to the pain. The muscle in his thigh was twitching so I could see it. He took some of my mother's painkillers, which is something in and of itself. He's a "man's man" and rarely takes anything for pain. The next day, he could barely feel his legs at all, and fell. That was yesterday. So, my mother made him an appointment for the doctor. He fell at the doctor's office, and hit his head to boot. The doctor decided that he needed to be admitted to the hospital. He had an MRI, and this morning we found out the diagnosis. He has two discs in his back that have degenerated. The doctors insist that surgery or a wheelchair are his options. The truth is, I'm not certain that he won't choose a wheelchair. He's that terrified of surgery. Anyway, my mom's making sure he has all the information he needs to make a choice. He's still in the hospital. I haven't visited the hospital yet. I have Joseph, of course, and my mother insists that a baby doesn't need to be around the germs that are in a hospital. I think that my father (who adores his grandson) might be cheered up by a visit. However my mom says that dad is in too much pain. He's on morphine, and that's not even taking care of all of it. He can barely talk on the phone.Anyway, this, and all the added chores Jay has in my father's absence, are pretty much overshadowing anything else right now.
