Paleobird's Next Big Adventure page 138

[Paleobird]

*hugs* I haven't got anything else, but figured they would not go amiss.

Thanks, Badgergirl. Always appreciated.

Thanks for the pemmican link, Paleobird. That's another thing I have been wanting to try. My primal list of things-to-try is getting as long as my stack of books-to-read is high!

Keeping up with the reading is a full time job!

ive always wanted to try pemmican, does it have a good flavor?

Mine does. That's because I know my way around a spice rack. Without spicing it wold be pretty bland.

we've been looking into pemmican for emergency/earth quake rations. this is probably the best article/description that i've read. between pemmican and water, we'd be alright. for several days/weeks at least. it's definitely a good option. and, we can definitely get grass fed here.

Business is ticking along nicely, to say the least, but it's so nice to have most evenings home.

That post on Pemmican was one I kept finding being referenced by all the other posts on Pemmican, so it seems to be the "Bible" on the subject. Glad to know busines is good and you are finding some personal time as well.

It sounds nice that your sister has someplace to stay.

Your pemmican recipe sounds really good. I'll have to figure out if there's a place where I can source organic bone marrow... I find other organic things over here, but haven't found marrow yet.

It doesn't have to be bone marrow. I was just using my overstock up. Any rendered fat would work.

[BennettC]

what did you spice it with? I heard sage was good

[Paleobird]

what did you spice it with? I heard sage was good

Sage would be great. I used a mix of garlic salt and turmeric.

[Paleobird]

In other news......

Dad's in the hospital and not doing very well.

We went in yesterday to his Primary Care doc because his leg swelling was getting painful and one really angry area had erupted overnight. There was obviously an infection going on and it was so bad Dad could hardly put weight on that leg without wincing. The Primary Care doc said get thee to the ER, STAT. So we did, and proceeded to spend the next four hours sitting in a waiting room. If you aren't bleeding or having a heart attack, you get to wait. ARRRRGGGGGHHH!!!!

So we finally got seen and Dad got scanned backward, forwards, and sideways. They determined that there was no clot activity or blockages in the leg blood vessels which was good news. They determined that it is just a nasty infection exacerbated by the swelling caused by his heart not pumping at full capacity. I didn't get home until 2am. It was a long day.

During the whole day yesterday and again today there have been some marked changes in my Dad's mental state. It's like his brain is doing a systems shutdown. He doesn't know where he is, has no idea what is wrong with him or what's going on. Yesterday he asked me how much longer his aunt was going to be staying. I thought he might have gotten my sister confused with his aunt and so I asked, "Do you mean Linda?" And he said , "No my aunt Dell." When I explained to him that Aunt Dell died in the early 1970's He was positive there was someone else staying with us like "maybe a cousin?"

Tonight he was in the hospital bed looking up at the TV on the wall and asking me when I had that installed. I explain to him that I didn't and that we are in the hospital. Oh. Then, right after this, I tell him that the nurse is going to come in to give him a bath and change his sheets. And he asks me if the nurse is going to be staying the night and tells me I should make up the guest room for her.

Now the question comes to the forefront, if they heal up his leg but his mental state remains the same, caring for him at home is going to be a whole different level of involved than before. I am going to need to basically "move in" at his house and just make sure that he is OK 24/7.

It has got to be terrifying from his shoes to be in this in between twilight zone where nothing makes sense. It's terrifying enough to be on the outside watching the process. There is nothing I can do to help except be there.

My posting will be spotty for a while.

[NourishedEm]

Oh Robin, that must be awful. I can tell you that older people often experience exacerbated confusion when they have an infection. I can't tell you how many times we've found a UTI or some such in an elderly patient by virtue of observing for behavioural changes. It's an almost universal truth in nursing - if an elderly patient suddenly has a mental decline, check their white blood cell count and do a blood culture.

I tell you this to give you some hope that this severe down turn in his mental capacity may be temporary until the infection gets under control. Not that he'll be back to normal, but he will almost certainly improve.

Hugs and much love to you xxxxx

[Goldie]

Oh, Robin... **hugz**

[Jena]

Sorry, and you are right. I wondered how scared and confused my grandpa must have been when he got that way. It's heartbreaking. Your dad is very lucky to have such a kind daughter that treats him with respect and dignity. Unfortunately that's not always the case. I am sorry you have to go through this. Why does life have to hurt so much sometimes? ((Hugs))

[Jac]

I second what Em said - infection changes everything for older people. He may improve once he's properly treated. Many, many times I've seen admissions to the mh for the elderly ward that turn out really well because an underlying infection is identified and treated.

Don't forget to take care of yourself in all this.

[primal me]

**Hugs** Hope your father pulls around!

[badgergirl]

what everyone else is saying: hugs and it's the infection doing the talking/thinking. You're both in my thoughts. I hope he's feeling better soon.