Don’t ignore the signs or symptoms!

Hope you’re doing well!

Life’s had some challenging moments for me recently. My dad got really sick due to the prescription medication he was taking for his cholesterol. I’m an only child and my mom passed away a couple of years ago, so taking care of him was left up to me alone.

I was a bit of a wreck on the inside, but I’d like to believe I acted tough and strong on the outside. I’ll admit that when life or death situations arise, my adrenaline kicks in full gear. My faith in Christ and the promise of Heaven, I believe, also holds me together. I know, deep down, that there’s nothing much I can do to alter life, but what I can control are my actions and my words, and I hope that the way I respond makes any ordeal easier for everyone else going through it alongside me.

Do I have my moments? Yes. Get cranky? Yes. Cry? Sometimes. But for the most part, I think I’m a pretty tough cookie.

After six weeks of worrying and caring for him while he was hospitalized and then in a nursing home for physical therapy, he’s home and much healthier and stronger. Praise God! We are so thankful to the doctors, caregivers, friends, and family who helped us through that time.

For the longest time, I thought my dad was getting old. Giving up because he refused to stop grieving my mom in a way that didn’t consume him and his life without her. It turned out he was also very sick. His medication took his appetite, made him weak, shaky, tired, and achy. Finally, he was so overcome with pain and weakness and an inability to eat that he wanted to die. He told me that early one Friday morning while I was getting ready for work. Those were not easy words to swallow, and for about a week I panicked trying to figure out how to raise three school-aged children, work full time, plan a funeral, sell his house, and store all the items of my mom’s and grandmothers’ I wanted to save for my children. In that time, however, I took off work, convinced him to live, to eat, and to see a doctor. Days later, I took him to the emergency room.

Six weeks later, he’s focused on staying healthy and getting stronger. He doesn’t fixate on my mom anymore. He’s easier to talk to. I hope he’ll be happier. We’re hoping to help him to be. As for me, I had a week of rest, because once my adrenaline high wore off I was exhausted. (Well, I rested at night after working and this past Saturday… but that was enough!) And now, I’m ready to write again and spend some time taking care of my book business while also catching up on my teaching job and my family. Just in time for the holidays.

But, readers, pay attention to the side effect warnings of your prescription medications!! They’re for real!

Much love and happy reading! Stay safe. And if something doesn’t feel right, call your doctor and get it checked out. Please.

Cecelia 

P.S. I’m reading A Court of Thorn and Roses right now!