I know I won’t be the only one, but I am exhausted by my father’s seemingly never ending hospital admissions.
He is 77 and has stage 4 prostate cancer as well as mobility issues and severe swelling (edema) in the legs meaning he is basically housebound. He is also overweight due to lack of mobility.
For the last 12 months we have been trapped in an endless cycle. He will be admitted to hospital due to an infection. These seem to switch between a UTI and cellulitis of the leg. He’ll be there a week on antibiotics. We get him home, spend 2-3 weeks trying to get him back to his normal routine only for a week later him to end up back in hospital again.
We have a district nurse visit twice a week to clean and dress his legs. He also has a carer twice a day (only for 15 mins a time). But it’s exhausting. Everytime I think he’s back on the up….ill get the call saying he’s taken a turn again and ends up back in A&E.
Today I get that call from my brother who says dad isn’t well, leg is hot and he is confused. So ambulance called and he is admitted again for cellulitis and more antibiotics.
The hospital can’t seem to give me an answer on why this keeps happening and how we can stop the cycle. They just say once you’ve had cellulitis you’re more prone to it and his cancer also means his immune system is low.
I don’t want to lose my dad (my mum passed say last year) but his quality of life is so poor with these constant admissions and infections. He keeps saying he doesn’t want to be here anymore.
I’m not sure what I want anyone to say, I guess I just needed to write it all down.