I Feel My Saviors Love

Camille watching SpongeBob while hanging out with PaPa at the hospital

This week we went up to my parents house in L.A. since the girls had the whole week off of school. Since breaking my ankle we haven't really gone anywhere or done anything. My parents were hoping to give me some time to get some stuff done. I love them so much!

On the drive up on Monday night I was talking to my dad who sounded horrible. He said he felt like he was getting pneumonia but he still wanted us to come up. When we got there I realized my dad had downplayed everything...not a surprise. He was struggling to breath. The next morning he got up to go to physical therapy for his shoulder he had just had surgery on 6 weeks ago. I woke up startled by my dads breathing after he walked down the stairs. I panicked and yelled down the stairs, "Dad, are you okay? What is wrong?" His breathing was so distressed that it woke me up from downstairs. He said he was okay but wondering why he was getting really winded so easily. I expressed my concern. He got back from PT and made a doc appt for that afternoon. The doc didn't think it was anything other than maybe a virus but he sent my dad for a blood workup, EKG, and chest xray to rule out pneumonia. All of his labs came back pretty normal but the doc referred him to a cardiologist and pulmonologist but that was a few weeks away.

Wednesday came and I asked my dad to go vacuum shopping with me. He couldn't even walk from the car to the store without having to stop and catch his breath because he felt like he was going to faint. Mind you I am still walking with a splint and shoe for my ankle and am walking pretty slow. That night my brother came over to visit with me and the girls and expressed his concern with my dads health. My dad said that there was no point in going back to the doc since they were just going to send him home.

Then on Thursday my dads long time friend, Drew, came and picked him up for lunch. I went on some errands, my brother was getting ready to head out of town, and my mom was at the movies with the girls. For some reason I felt like I should go back to the house even though I hadn't finished all my errands. When I got there I was surprised to see my brother still there. He told me he was taking dad to the doc in about an hour. When I went in the house Drew was telling my dad that he felt strongly he needed to go back to the doc. He said that one of his friends had similar symptoms and it ended up being blood clots in the lungs. So off Nik and I went escorting my dad to the doctor. I wish I had a picture of it and the faces of the nurse and doc. So pretty much the doc didn't seemed worried but I reminded him that my dad had just had surgery 6 weeks ago and asked if it could be clots in the lungs. He said, "Well it could but all the tests we have done so far won't tell us if he does. I guess I can have you go down to Woodland Hills ER for a catscan just to rule it out." My dad said, "No, that will just be a waste of time." My brother and his sarcasm responded with, "Well, it isn't like you are traveling the world, inventing something.....you are just going to go home and watch t.v. It is worth wasting your time." Nik and I insisted he was going to go to the ER.

Nik and mom coordinated taking care of the girls while I drove dad to the ER. Within 2 hours at the ER the blood tests and catscan test came back showing multiple clots in his lungs. They quickly gave him an injection of blood thinners. He was going to be admitted to the hospital for a minimum of 4 days. I stayed with my dad in the ER for 4 1/2 more hours as we waited to get him admitted and out of the ER. As we waited I felt immense gratitude and overwhelming peace. I was grateful for good friends like Drew, what a good team my brother and I make (and neither of us were panicking and that is a BIG improvement from other family emergencies), my mom for letting me take my dad while she stayed with the girls (plus she had a cough and wasn't feeling well so it was probably best she not be at the hospital), that I was already up in Simi so that I could be with my dad, that my dad actually let us help him and he didn't get mad but in fact he was very gracious. I felt peace knowing that we did the right thing bringing him to the ER and that he was getting the treatment he needs. As I was driving home across the San Fernando Valley (note, I hate driving here) at midnight I found myself repeating "I feel my Savior's love, the love he freely gives me."

Yesterday the girls got to go visit Papa. Papa thought it would be funny to tell Camille about how the nurse needed to take his "big poopy" (that is what Camille says when they are huge). Well Camille didn't think it was funny and I can't say I blame her :) We met my dads roommate and he is a member of the church and goes to the same stake that Jordan and I went to when we lived here. While we were visiting PaPa asked if we had any chapstick he could have. I took one out of the bag and Camille immediately said that is my dads. She tried to hide it because she didn't want Papa to take it. It was funny how possessive she was over daddy and his multitude of chapsticks.

Today Camille hung out watching SpongeBob and eating part of Papa's dinner. Papa loves his grandgirls.

So now we wait on more tests to see what may be causing this amount of clots, any damage to the lungs, and monitor the blood thinners and his oxygen levels.

These sort of experiences truly puts things into perspective and reminds us how important our family is. I have had several "put things in perspective" experiences over the last few months and each time I learn more and more about my priorities, faith, strength, and attitude.