Since I’m meeting dad for lunch the answer is no, at least not yet. Dad is healthy as a horse. He’s literally only been to the doctors twice in his almost 80 years. The last time he went to the doctors was 2 years ago and he was sick with the flu, because he’d smoked since he was 10 years old he got scared not being able to breathe. When they released him a few days later he never touched a cigarette again and he feels great. We lost mom a few years ago and watching dad fumble through the days trying to stay busy and fill his loneliness is tough to watch. I don’t want to live a long life, I want to live a full life. I’m healthy but my back is wasted from abusing it when I was younger. Had a 2.5” attack line charged before I called for it and that threw me for a wallop, had a 400# patient fall while transferring her and that also found me in the ER. My bad back is the only complaint I have so I’m very thankful for the good health I’ve been blessed with.
As our children get older and we watch their success in their young life it makes me excited to stick around and enjoy them for a good while longer. I’ll live until the good Lord calls me home but I can’t imagine what my life would look like or feel like if my wife wasn’t in it. If she were to pass first I’d be lost.
Regarding your 400 lb. patient. Same thing happened to my son. He is 6' and 240 and was partnered by a 5'5" 140# punk that pissed and moaned all shift about wanting to be a supervisor. He let a big con home patient go and my son took all the weight. Badly blown out back with a disability settlement. He tried to tell management the kid was a liability. No chance at a fire service career now.
