Stubborn Old Farmer

You know it’s not going to be good news when your older brother calls you up Monday evening to ask, “Have you heard anything about Dad yet today?”

A couple months ago, when the weather was nasty with nothing but snow and ice for days on end, my dad had gone out to fetch the mail and had fallen on the ice. He smacked the back of his head pretty good. Then he crawled to the edge of the road where he could get better footing before trying to stand again.

The next day, he had a miserable headache. But, being a tough old farmer, he took some Tylenol and called it good.

“Mom, did he go see a doctor about it?”

“Oh, do you think he should?”

“Um. Yeah, I do.”

To answer your question, no, he never went.

The headaches continued. The Tylenol treatments continued.

Then came this weekend. And my brother's phone call.

On Friday, Dad had trouble standing upright. By Saturday, he was staggering like a drunk. Come Sunday, he knew something was wrong. (Really, Dad? Took you long enough.)

Monday, Mom and my brother took Dad to the doctor who sent them off to the hospital to get Dad a CATscan. If I understood my brother correctly, my dad’s brain is bruised in two places. He was sent to surgery to have a couple holes drilled in his head to drain excess fluids.

Dad’s doing fine. If all goes well, he will be able to go home later this week.

Mostly, Dad is relieved that his problems were caused by his fall on the ice and not from a stroke or something irreversible.

I am relieved that it finally got bad enough to cause him to take action before he climbed up on a tractor and drove off into a field where he could pass out, and no one would miss him for hours.

A lot of folks had a slip on the ice this winter. If you know someone who had an accident, and they’ve been complaining of headaches or other unrelenting pains since, I urge you to get them to a doctor. It may be unnecessary, but then again, it may be my dad.