My father--symptoms help

[jenlm]

This is in regards to my father. He has not been to a doctor for 20 years or so. He gets very angry when it is suggested he needs to go. He is 64 years old, recently tried out my sister's blood pressure monitor a few times and each time it reads it is extremely high.
For 4-6 months he has been complaining of sciatica type pain and has not been sleeping and is noticeably in pain when moving. He has been taking robaxacet, lakota, and extra strength advil on a daily basis. He has had a hernia for years and says it comes and goes and it is nothing to worry about.
For the past six to seven days he has been having chronic nosebleeds that last for up to 4 hours. Yesterday I was told that he felt dizzy during a nosebleed and had strong heart palpitations and he was scared. Then he said that he had a nap and was fine. He had chronic nosebleeds as a child from prolonged whooping cough. He said that the nosebleeds are caused by advil and he has stopped taking them.
I knew he had pain but did not know the amount of medication he was taking or about the nosebleeds as severe as they are. I told him he has to go to the doctor and he refused again. I was told about his medication and nosebleeds only after he had taken my 3 year old alone in his car. I have to look out for my daughter's safety and don't think he is in the right state to look after her. I don't know if I am over-reacting here or not.
I guess my question is--am I over-reacting? What kind of damage could he have done with so much medication? What is the likelihood of him having a serious medical condition? I know the last question is very broad but he will never get checked out in person.

[Purple98Lady]

Hi jenlm,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your father is feeling so ill. I don't think your over reacting in regards to your daughter. Since it has been many years that your father has been seen by a physician, the heart palpitations, nose bleeds, and the fact he needs to self medicate daily all are certainly worries about his health in general. Your are wise to reconsider his caring for your daughter not to mention driving her around. He sounds like he just plain does not feel good at all.He really should be seen for a complete evaluation and put on the proper meds for his conditions. If he won't go there is really nothing you can do make him, just try to encourage him. Let us know and good luck.

Purple98Lady:smile:

[jenlm]

Since that post my father had a minor stroke in August 08 while we were on holiday. He tried to pretend it was nothing but began going regularly to the doctor in September. He then had a heart attack in November 08 and that resulted in having a quintuple bypass. I knew that something was wrong and I feel I did the right thing by bringing my concerns to the forefront. He is now much more active and I feel safe having her with him driving alone. He regularly goes to the doctor and has had excellent exams ever since. Thanks for helping me feel more at ease during a difficult time.