We had to take Dad to the ER on Sunday night.
Sunday evening started out okay enough and ended with some lively Wii tennis playing before we all settled in for the night. Around 1am, Mom came frantically running to my room complaining that something was wrong with Dad. He was complaining of chest and shoulder pains so we naturally thought Dad was having a heart attack. So, Dad was taken to the ER where he was examined, had blood work and a CT Scan.
After a LONG waiting time in the ER, the tests all came back okay, except Dad’s Billy Rubin level was elevated (which is linked to your liver). Without discovering what the cause of his pain was, the ER admitted Dad Monday morning with severe abdominal pain. After some more consults and another CT scan, the doctor came and delivered the bad news: Dad has a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot, in his right lung. We were stunned and totally not expecting that news. His blood clot is actually pressing on his nerve which is causing him horrific pain in his abdomen and shoulder. In a way, the pain is a blessing in disguise because without it, we NEVER would have known Dad had a pulmonary embolism until it was too late.
Dad is actually handling the news relatively well, all things considered. We’ve been reassuring him and the Doctor said we caught it early enough and it was good we brought Dad in when we did. I wasn’t aware but blood clots are the leading cause of sudden death in the US.
So now, Dad is starting blood thinning medication and some other stuff. Mom is going to have to become “Nurse Mom” and administer injections at home and he’ll need his blood checked every other day. Dad was actually worried that Mom might not know how to do the injections. We said that Mom always takes care of us and Dad said, “yes, that’s the beauty of Mom, she always cares for us, no matter what.” I thought that was really sweet.
Dad hasn’t received any of his regular meds yet and we’re very worried about how he is going to react without them. He was also given morphine several times which is considered a “bad” medicine for LBDers so I’m hoping and praying that tonight and tomorrow will be not a living hell. Mom is spending the night in the hospital room with Dad as the staff asked if she could stay. Sister and I volunteered but Mom being Mom is taking it upon herself. Sister and I will be up there first thing in the morning to relieve her.
Dad’s neurologist is suppose to consult and see Dad while he’s in the hospital. So far we haven’t seen him yet, but hopefully he’ll be able to help Dad with the swallowing issues and order a speech pathologist. We also want to discuss adding Namenda.
Anyway, I’m heading to bed as I’m completely exhausted and surviving on just a few hours sleep in the last 24 hours. I hope this entry makes sense. I wanted to get this down as I’m not sure when I’ll be able to blog again soon.
Lewy Body Dementia 