Tuesday April 21

I have talked to the doctor about the Versed and today I found out that they will be using a new medicine on dad something called Precedex (the information I found on it here on the web is not the same as what the doctor told me) which Dr H said should help to keep dad calm without sedating him. The Versed may still be used as a back up if the Prededex does not keep him calm. Dr H said it was the same stuff they give alcoholics who are going through withdrawal. (I don't find that mentioned in the sites I looked at about this drug but I just found this about the drug) Confused? Me too. I will just have to wait to see what happens and go from there.

Dad was given 2 more units of blood today. I asked Dr H why does dad seem to need blood so often and he said it could be the because of the blood thinners they have dad on because of the blood clot in his arm and they are cutting back on that drug. I asked if they could check to see if the blood clot is still there (which I had asked Dr B about before but I guess I wasn't as straight to the point or maybe it's just a difference in doctors) and he said yes. When I called to check up on dad Nurse S told me that they had come in and did some sort of scan on dad's arm to see if the blood clot was still there and that the results weren't back yet.

Because they hadn't started dad on the Precedex early this morning they evidently gave him a huge dose of the Versed because he slept the whole time I was there and when I called to check up on him he was still sleeping. Nurse S said dad was really agitated and wound up this morning and it took a long time to get him settled down. I still think all the sleeping via Versed is keeping him confused and might be causing all the agitation.

Waiting to see what happens. Right now all I want is for dad to be awake (and not in pain of course and not highly agitated). It has only been the past few days that I have gotten a glimpse of him recognizing me and I don't want to lose that.

Keep those prayers going up for dad and me. Keep them going up for Aunt Betty too.

Kathy