Getting Old is Weird
I had the very distinct pleasure of sitting in the ER with my father for a little over 5.5 hours Saturday evening. As I discussed with my wife, we're not quite at the “we have to take our parents to the hospital” phase of adulthood just yet, but I got a fun preview. My dad, mom, and brother have been living in a plague house for nearly the entirety of last week – seems like my brother brought the flu into the house, and they all three went down.
My dad's had a rough go of things for the last ~18 months. Lymphoma, lung cancer, surgeries, etc. So, maybe because of those things, maybe because of who-the-heck-knows, the flu completely wrecked him. My mom and brother went down, but my dad was sick in ways they were not, and wasn't really getting better. So, I masked up, picked him up, and took him to the ER for some fluids and testing.
Long story, short – test were all negative (except for confirming Influenza A), an IV bag and some imaging tests later they sent us home once he could keep some food and drink down.
At one point, probably around Hour 3, I texted my wife something to the effect of “It's weird being at the stage of life were our parents depend on us for medical care.” She pointed out that this was a unique case because everyone else in my dad's house was also sick that this probably didn't qualify, and she's right. But I was still feeling reflective. My dad, specifically, sat with me in countless ERs as a kid. I had a real gift for acquiring injuries that required lots and lots of stitches, and my dad was always the parent on ER duty, it seems. Even when I needed emergency back surgery about 12 years ago, it was my dad driving me all over creation as I laid in the back of his truck, wincing over every pothole and bump in the road. So, for us to be reversed positions, him laying on the ER gurney, me sitting in the uncomfortable chair watching him sleep, it was a strange moment for me.
I may not truly be at the “I'm responsible for taking my parents to the hospital” stage of adulthood just yet, but this is how it starts, isn't it? It's a one-time thing until it's not. I'm a 40-something guy with a tween son, and parents who are getting older. I watched how hard my parents worked to attend to my grand-(and great-grand)-parents, so at least I had good examples to draw from.