My father is very ill at the moment, and it could be any day now that he passes. He has told the doctor that he does not want any CPR or life support in the event something bad happens. I do not blame him, as he has had his fair share of crappy times the past 12 years or so. He lost both of his legs to diabetes. He now has a hole in his heart that is apparently inoperable. My step mother just died from liver disease, so my step brother stayed at the house to care for my father. They were unable to pay their rent so they got evicted. My brother went to the house the other day and cleaned it out. He will move most of it into storage.
Having heard that my father was evicted from his apartment, his doctor told him to come into the hospital until they could find a hospice center to care for him. When my father arrived the doctor found my dad in very poor shape. He has multiple pressure sores all over his body, his two stumps, and a fairly large one on his arm, which has claimed a nice chunk of flesh. He now is missing skin and muscle from that arm, and the infection is still there. He desperately needs surgery, however that is not an option because he is in such poor health. They are treating him with antibiotics, cleaning his wounds and changing his bandage every three days. It does seem to have improved slightly. He also has emphaseema (sp?) and a few other things to deal with.
It can be any day, and we are all prepared. He will be cremated and his ashes skattered with his wives, who just passed away about a year or so ago. I need to sit my oldest son, age 7, down and explain to him what is happening and prepare him for what is going to happen. I know he is young, and the last thing I want to do is scar him for life. I do not know how to approach the subject. I am afraid he is going to start crying, which is going to make me cry, and we're just going to sit there and cry and nothing will get accomplished. I want him to have an understanding of what is going to happen and why he might not see "grandpa" again. He is a very sensitive little boy. He has always been that way, and that is one of the things I love so much about him.
If anyone has been in this situation before, and can give me some tips I would greatly appreciate it. This is a tough time for our family, and I would like to try to make this as easy as possible.
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