Encouragement

Today was a much better day than yesterday. Despite yesterday being such a draining day, I actually woke up refreshed this morning. We didn't get to do anything fun for Father's Day since my dad is in the hospital, but he was in good spirits for most of the visit. However, just like when he was in the hospital for his triple bypass last month, he was a bit discouraged about his current health condition.

I feel like that sometimes, but not as often as I did after my first surgery because I remember that what is done is done. I can't go back to before my thyroid operations. Neither can my dad, he can't go back to before his bypass surgery. But I can't get him to see the positive side of either of these very serious events that have happened to him, like the fact that they caught his clogged arteries before he had a heart attack, or that his stroke could've been a lot worse. He's also not so happy about having to change his diet, which is even more important now if he doesn't want to be back in the hospital for another bypass surgery or stroke.

I know exactly how it feels to not be able to eat what you'd like to eat since I'm on the low-iodine diet, but I also only have to endure it for 14 more days. But I won't be completely off the hook after the LI diet since I will have to begin fighting weight gain which is often experienced with hypothyroidism. Fun. But I learned a lot from the "Weight Watchers at Work" program I was on before my surgeries, and I had pretty good results up to that point. So at least I know what I need to do to get my eating habits under control. Diet is just one part of staying healthy and being alive, so I hope my dad will realize that and see all the good that can come out of his recent health wake-up calls. It is definitely something we can do together.

So for Father's day, I just want to say to my dad, "Hang in there, Dad! You are not in this alone. We will both overcome what is before us, and we'll do it together. I love you.  ~F."