(written June 2008)
Four days ago Victor took a turn for the worse. He became very weak at breakfast and during the meal he threw up some bile. So we took him to his room and put him to bed. He is DNR, (do not resuscitate) but we always talk to them anyway, in case they have changed their mind. So we asked him if he wanted to go to the hospital to see what the problem is. His answer was no. So we left him in peace about that issue.
He is a man who has a very good sense of humor, intelligent, but can be very stubborn about certain areas of his life. For instance he has very strange eating habits, and odd ideas about health and how best to pursue it. There can be some difficulty with him, but since he is very intelligent individual, some sort of resolve can often be worked out.
He loves Jack Mackerel, a fish that comes in a can, and smells like road kill left out in the heat for a week and then brought indoors. Well perhaps not quite that bad, but on some days I have to hold by breathe as I walk by him eating his supper. He eats mostly raw veggies, and likes his water room temperature. His appetite is huge, though I would not say he is overweight. A tad eccentric, colorful, and well loved by all who care for him…… and all of this from someone who can laugh at himself from time to time; life is good.
Over the weekend I noticed that he was not improving much, also a bit confused. You would ask him a question and his reply would be off the mark by quite a bit. He slept a great deal, though he has always been good at that, sleeping. I can’t say I was overly worried, for he is 89 years old after all, and he shows no fear of death, or dying.
This morning I noticed that his left thumb was red. Over the weekend he complained of pain and told me it was arthritis. After checking his med list, I started giving him some extra strength Tylenol, which seemed too helped. The redness was a new development and I notified the Nurse. So we both talked to him and tried to persuade him, to allow us to send him in to the outpatient clinic, at the local hospital. We needed to find out about his thumb, if it was broken or not (he had a fall on Thursday of the previous week); also to get an x-ray of his lungs, for he also seemed to be congested. Then we needed a little more clarification about what he wanted.
Even though we knew the answer to the question we presented, we asked it anyway. The question being; would he be willing to stay in the hospital if they wanted to do some more test on him. He looked at me and Rose and did not give a clear answer. So I reminded him that if he was not clear with me, and they found something in the hospital that need further test, I would admit him. So he thought a little more, saying that he did not want to be put in the hospital. So we called an ambulance service and I followed it in.
I was glad we could go to outpatient, for if I had taken him to the ER, we would have been there all day. He would have been far down on their priority list, since his life was not in danger. It was hard for him; he was a little confused and became quite impatient. We were there only about 45 minutes when he began to ask what the hold up was, he wanted go back home. So I talked with him a bit, sat down next to him and started reading a book I brought with me. He was soon fast asleep. Soon he was processed, the x-rays done.
After he was brought back into the waiting room, I asked one of the techs’s if they cold please get Victor some water. Soon a glass was brought to me; he took it, sipped, looked at me, at the glass and said two words….”ice water”…&hell ip;.. So I took the cup and got him some very refreshing room temperature drinking water.
The tech told me that she did not see any sign of a fracture, so I asked them to call the Ambulance service to take Victor home. They were there very soon, and he was off. Soon he was in his bed, eating a very good lunch. The fact that his appetite is still strong, is a good sign that he may be with us for awhile longer. I like that, though I wish the Jack Mackerel could be dealt with, just joking.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
