Recap in Pictures

I've given it some thought, and decided pictures would be appropriate.

When I first posted about the minor surgery, it seemed my dad would be home in a matter of days.



As you can see from the picture, he didn't seem any worse for wear, considering his age.


Within days, he had developed a reaction to the antibiotics administered as part of his post-op care, and while doctors struggled to figure out what was going on, he had begun the process of slipping into a near-death state as the SJS took hold of him. He looked like he had been in a fire... his skin was blistering all over, both externally and internally. Deep red rashes were evident on his torso, arms, legs, face, and scalp. The inside of his mouth was raw and bleeding. These were the days when I could barely stand to look at him, for fear my shock and horror would be telegraphed to him. Mercifully, I have no pictures from this period, although the picture below is representative of his condition.




A patient suffering from SJS shows the rash on arms, neck and torso


After nearly a month of treatment, my dad had been progressively getting better. However, it wasn't all good news... Not only was he suffering from SJS, but he had contracted pneumonia and septicemia. And after the steroid treatments were stopped, the SJS started to make an immediate comeback. Then, the doctors decided to try a blood transfusion. He seemed to make a nearly miraculous recovery.




After the transfusion, he seemed to perk up a bit, though the receding SJS rash is still evident.


In this picture, if you look closely at his neck, you can see the bright red rash that had completely engulfed his body. Around his mouth are the remnants of sores and dried blood that had come from his internal bleeding. Still, I took this picture because it represented a monumental improvement from his condition over the previous two weeks.


Little did I know that within four days of taking that picture, my dad would be having what we thought were his last moments on earth. And just three days later, we again thought it was the end.

Somehow, he keeps fighting back, and today, we got to spend Father's Day with him. As you can see from the pictures below, he's on the mend again.




When I looked at this picture afterward, I could tell how alert and attentive he had been.
It made me so happy.




My dad looked pleased that we were there to celebrate Father's Day with him.




Lending a cheek, my mom gets cozy with dad.
At the time, he seemed to be more interested in getting some sleep.




And of course, my wife (posing with my mom) was there to help lend support to me and my dad.