And Now For Something I Shouldn't Share

     I try to be an optimist.  When something bad happens, I can usually turn it around and say at least it wasn't this.  Or it could have been worse.  I remember as a teenager being told that I was always smiling.  It wasn't like I was trying, it just came natural.  But right now I am in a tough spot trying to see the good in a bad situation.  I debated on whether I wanted to write about this or not, but it is a part of our story and that is what I want the blog to continue to be.  My dad is a very independent, private person.  But he is sick, and for some reason he thinks he is protecting us by not sharing the details.  Thankfully my mom sees the importance of us kids knowing the extent of his condition and continues to divulge information as she gets it.  Currently my dad is being transferred to the University of Miami Hospital {from one in Fort Pierce}.  But I guess I should back up to explain how we got to this point.  A few years ago my dad was told he was pre-diabetic.  And if he lost a little bit of weight, ate right, and quit drinking beer he would most likely not develop diabetes.  For the most part he was making life changes.  But the drinking beer part was really hard for him.  He was not an alcoholic in the since that he would get drink to the point of getting drunk, but it was definitely an addiction for him.  Like any addiction it was hard to kick.  He would do fine for a while, but then would start back by having a few here and there.  This didn't really become an issue until they told him that he had a fatty liver, which eventually progressed into liver disease.  After a few hospital stays the doctors decided that the best and most immediate course of action for him would be to put a stint in his liver to help it function.  So he had that procedure done and we thought he would be okay for a while.  But shortly after he had the stint put in he kept on getting fevers and chills that he just couldn't shake.  In the midst of all of this he was trying to find a new primary doctor {the other one was not with the program}.  Finally he got his new doctor who immediately ran some blood tests and informed my dad that he need to get to the hospital right away.  After two days in the hospital they finally told my dad that he had a staph infection.  He started a course of IV antibiotics twice a day and was told he would need them for the next four weeks.  When he completed the round of IV antibiotics he was put on a pill form.  He seemed to be getting better.  Some of his energy had come back and he was able to get back into a routine again.  But then the fevers came back.  So they went back to the doctor who again instructed him to go to the hospital.  Which brings us to the current date.  The infectious disease doctor {just one of about five who see him regularly} thinks that he cannot shake the staph infection because he contracted it when the stint was put in.  On top of that the pill antibiotic they had put my dad on was affecting his kidneys.  In the hospital they first wanted to take care of the kidneys before worrying about the infection again.  Now his kidneys seem to be functioning, but they want to transfer him to the University of Miami Hospital to take a closer look at the stint and the possibility of removing it {a procedure they can't do at the currrent hospital}.  Needless to say that this all has me worried.  And frustrated.  I wish I could be there for my mom, to at least be more of a support system, but that is not possible right now.  We are hoping that if my dad needs a long term transfer {there is a possibility of a liver transplant} that they will be able to do it somewhere closer to us.  But for now I am a phone call away for my mom, and spend the days waiting to hear what bit of news the doctors now have to tell us. And there you have it, way more info. about my dad's illness than you wanted to know.  But you know what, it is so therapeutic just to write it out {he will just have to deal with it out on the internet}.