Dad is in the hospital and I am scared

He was just admitted today. He fell over a week ago and kept his discomfort a secret from me and my brother at first. But his caregiver told my brother and so we found out. He has had a lot of pain, lower back pain, and finally faced up to it and saw his doctor who sent him right to the hospital. I know this is not likely a terribly serious event but it is part of his decline. He has had other falls, including a bad one for which he had to have a hip replacement. He is 94 and very intelligent and entertaining. He is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. I don't want to lose him, and at the same time I don't want him to suffer. My fear is a bad fall followed by pneumonia because he does have COPD and at his age this seems a likely scenario. I just hate to watch his decline. I want things to go back to how they were, even a few days ago before he fell. We lost mom in 2000 and Dad is my hero--always was. I don't want to think about life without him. I am dreading what we may learn from the doctor after his x-rays and other tests tomorrow.

i am so sorry tex about your dad,

i just lost my dad dec 13, 06, and lost my mom in 1994, my dad went into hosp for back pain, no fall just back pain , they mentioned maybe an old injury!!

i didnt take it serious as i was sick also from cat bites, i am just now getting relief finally for the infections from my cat bites.

anyway my point i wasnt up to going to see him much at the hosp. due to my own illness and thati ddint think it was serious at all, he was 73 and in good health so i thought, except he did have diabetis, but i never saw it really bothering him .

my dad was my hero also , he is bigger than life to me, your post about your dad almost sounds like my other posts out here , anyway i called my dad everyday!!

i so regret it that i didnt take it serious, i have so much guilt and many regrets , we had a troubled relationship in alot of ways, so this migh tbe alot of the guilt , i feel things were ok with us when he left thi slife but stil so much more i would like to hacve shared!!

my encouragement to you is spend as much time as you can with your dad,tell him all you need to say , ask him all the questions you can think of , and tell him how much you love him and how much you love him!!

i miss my dad so much, more later when i can talk clearer i am devasted and cant follow a thought, sorry , but i am thinking about you , and wish the best for you and your dad!! yellowrose9

for your reply, YellowRose. I am encouraged today. Dad has a compression fracture to a vertebra. Not uncommon and likely to respond well to rest, pain relief, and physical therapy. This is going to be the end of his driving days, and we are determined to see to that. In some ways it may be a blessing in disguise if it gets him into some physical therapy that helps him adapt better. I am hoping for this anyway. I am well aware, of course, that at age 95 his time is short. I just want it to be quality time for him. We do have a very good relationship and I have said many of the things to him that I might wish to say, as well as putting them into writing. Now I will redouble my efforts to have more time with him. I feel for you in your present situation, and know in my heart that I, too, will have to face this separation before too very long. I am grateful for a little more time and will heed your wise advice. Thanks again for your caring and wise words, and I will keep you in my prayers in this hard time for you.

hey i dont know how your dad is looking, my dad was looking to bad , by the timei thought about this, i took my camera to take pictures but i knew my dad wouldnt like it, as he was sick but not sick enough ever to no tbe embarrased at his neediness and i dont know how or even what i am trying to say, all i do know is if your dad is ok with it, i would get a video camera and recorder and get him if he is up for it to tell you things , like favorite memories in his childhood, with your mom, with you , so much i wish i had of done whil emy dad was well, i tried to get some of that info while he was sick i am blessed for alot of what i did get, but right now i am hurting so much everything seems bleak, i thankyou for you, and i hope for many more happy memories, i am so sorry for your dad , is he in pain, i am so sorry !! yellowrose