I was in the room with my dad. He is very thin and frail and on oxygen. He used to smoke but all but quit. It is just not so much fun when you can not breathe anyway. I had some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies i had forgotten for a hot sec. in the oven, so i went quickly into the kitchen passing Debbie in the living room. Debbie is my dads roommate, best friend and caregiver, and she was heading into dads room which is like in a u shape from the kitchen. I did not notice anything or hear the boom as far as i can recall, but maybe i did because i have this distinct idea of a very flat sounding boom. I think it registered for a brief second in my conscience before falling deep into the folds. Anyway, regardless i am totally oblivious of the trauma going on concurrently on the other side of the walls.
Flame the fire (Photo credit: Darwin Bell)
Evidently when they tell you that oxygen is highly flammable, they were not kidding around. I am merrily putting hot cookies on a plate and a couple glasses of milk poured and walk unknowingly into my dads room where he is sitting on the edge of the bed with the blanket melted, a huge hole in the bed and his face and his face and arm blackened with soot &n smoke filling the air. The the blanket he was using caught fire and that fire made the oxygen he had on his face explode. He has some burns on his nose and cheek as well as his arm and part of his mustache is gone too. He had a wet rag up to his face. He was in shock. Maybe even more than Debbie and I. I am very thankful that i am not Debbie because she has the picture of my dad on fire in her visual memory now. I dont think i would like to be haunted with that image! The house is smokey and we had to move him over to the other side of the bed after we cleaned and covered his burns. He doesnt want to go to the hospital and he seems to be alert and doing ok. These pain pills really make him wander and while on them and at the same time, he nods off. That is why he fell last week. it is really scary. If Debbie was not right there right then, my dad could have died in a fire tonight. That is i think the most scared i have ever been.
Oh, and before you ask me why he is not in the emergency room right now, I think that a Sunday night emergency room would not give my dad anything different than what we have done and it will be cold and scary and he has his nurse coming at 8 am tomorrow. I dont think it is enough to kill him in 12 hours and if he is not doing well in the morning and/or if his nurse recommends it, we will go then. I just want my dad to be as happy and comfortable for as long as possible and he is one of the most stubborn people i know. I will pull rank if i need to, but i think it is ok to wait, let him get a good night sleep and see where we are tomorrow. If at that time it is what i need to do, there is a first time for everything i suppose!
Fingers crossed!
fingers crossed (Photo credit: cinnamon_girl)
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