First of all, the nurse is almost heaven sent. She is amazing. She is strong, so strong she could lift my FIL with no problem. She is also helping him with his bed sore or pressure sore. He had one in the beginning and it finally got better when we got him a pressure relief cushion but unknown to us, there's new one coming up. The thing is, he is embarrassed to show us his buttocks so I had no idea what's going on there. My mother in law described it to me and I described it to the pharmacist who just gave me some cortisoid cream and camomile lotion. The nurse finally showed me the wound and told me what to buy for him. We managed to buy the DuoDerm CGF pads which you are supposed to cut up and put on the wound. It serves as a barrier to keep the wound dry and a cushion to help with the pain. She is confident it should be healed in a week. No wonder they call them angels.
Not only that, today my father in law went out of the house in months! The only time he leaves the house is to go to the hospital and the last time he left, he was pushed into the ambulance and got driven there. Aside from the hospital, he has not been anywhere open for a long time. Today the nurse pushed him on his wheelchair for a walk around the park and along the streets... she had another Indonesian helper to push the oxygen tank. We've always wanted to bring him out but we had no idea how and whenever we suggested it to my FIL, he is so worried about a trip out that he keep saying another day. I'm happy to see him living a life again. For him, a walk in the park.. is not a walk in the park.
Hey Leez, stumbled upon your blog whilst doing some research on pulmonary fibrosis - Dad has been diagnosed and I agree that there just isn't enough information and studies on this disease. Like your father in law, Dad got diagnosed with PF after a few years of intermittent but prolonged coughing. I still wonder if his condition would be better off if detected earlier. Anyhow, I hope really your father in law's condition has stabilized. Thanks for sharing such personal experiences in your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Happylungs
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your dad. I've heard of people who found out early with maybe 10% scarring of lungs who are able to manage their condition and wean themselves of constant oxygen use. In our case we found out fairly early but none of us knows what to do and we lost so much precious time and made so many costly mistake. I hope your journey would be better. Take care and let me know if I can be of help.