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Two heart attacks and at least one stroke. He went in with chest pains and was having a heart attack. Everything beyond the first heart attack happened while in the hospital which is so frustrating.
I've been going to the hospital every day to spend time with him but he's being kept somewhat sedated and I'm not sure he's aware I'm there very much. The longer he stays there, they less hopeful I'm feeling and getting more stressed with every passing day.
I have a very long rant I can go on about the idiots in the hospital but not in the mood right now...
Sat - chest pains, goes in, they put a stent in, he's ok, ready to go home but they want to monitor him
Sun - early in the morning after we've gone home happy that things are ok, his blood pressure skyrockets, has second heart attack due to lots of clots forming around the stent. We weren't with him at that time, around 1 - 3 am but they said he had been in a very dangerous condition and we assume that means close to dying and the blood we saw on his face and gown made me think things must have been crazy as they worked to save his life. Around 7 am he takes a ride in life flight to the main Methodist hospital in the medical center near downtown Houston. Later this day we get to see him but he's barely there, just wants to rest. Doesnt remember we were there when we ask the next day.
Mon - feeling a lot better, made some dad jokes. Tells everyone (friends and me) to take care of my mom. So he's very coherent. We go home feeling ok again.
Tue - has a very headache. Asks me 20 times how to make a call on his cell phone. Doesnt know how to wake up phone, cant find the number to their house, I ask who does he need to call he gets mad at me says it doesnt matter. We go through this over and over, each time he seems to run out of energy to keep trying but then starts again in a couple minutes with the same question asking me how to make a call. Finally with a lot of help he's able to call their house. I think I pushed most of the things on the screen for him. I ask who he's calling, he says your mother. She is standing right next to me on the side of the bed and who was talking to dad and and holding his hand right before. I tell the nurse that he's extremely confused and cant see and agitated and has a terrible headache and all they do is say they will check with the doctor and sometime later will tell us they've already given pain medicine, headache medicine, etc. Say he's like that because of the really strong pain meds they gave him earlier when they took the balloon out of his leg.
At 8pm I request a doctor, the PA finally comes over, I explain everything, he does a test where my dad has to hold out his arms, wiggle toes, etc. A neuro test of some sort... PA says he seems to be ok but if the confusion continues, a CT or MRI will be needed. Says ICU delirium is a real thing and thinks thats what this is. At this point my dad is really sleepy, barely knows we're there. I trusted that they know more than me.
Wed - Dad is yelling at me to give him some headache meds we brought that the nurses/dr's say he cant have. I keep telling him I cant because I trust that the hosp staff is right. He's just squirming around in pain, cant open his eyes, same confusion as yesterday. Stupid nurses keep saying he's had his pain meds, cant have more and that they dont see the confusion he's having. I keep saying this isnt my dad anymore, he's completely different. One look in his eyes tells me all I need to know that he's not normal. I push for the MRI/CT scan but everything I ask for has to work its way up the chain from the bedside nurse and never seems to get anywhere.
We get excited that he's been moved to a room! Yay! But in the room he's exactly the same. ICU delirium did not fade, they must have been wrong. Complains that he wants to die rather than continue with the headache. Doesnt understand what he's being told to do by the nurse, or is hard headed which is typical of him. Hard to tell if the headache is causing the confusion, or if something else is causing both. I keep asking the new nurse why he's like this. They give him muscle relaxants. Keeps his eyes closed and sleeps on and off for hours, I assume the muscle relaxants are making him sleep. He wants badly to stand up, so we get help, not supposed to let him stand. Two nurses help him but he's so dizzy, weak, and disoriented that he cant, back to bed.
I again ask for the MRI, I ask for a doctor, anyone to come over and take a look. Actually I waited until 6pm thinking someone would show up, no one did, then I asked around. I'm told he had an MRI of his head monday and it was fine. We leave for the night because we're tired and really need sleep, badly. That evening, after my kids stopped fighting and went to bed I started to think about that MRI. Why would an MRI on monday, when he had no symptoms, mean anything on Wed when his symptoms started Tuesday? I've been so low on sleep I'm not thinking straight anymore, but I finally told my wife, I think my dad is having or going to have a stroke. I went to bed thinking that tomorrow I would find someone to listen to me about this.
My mom calls me right after I went to bed and tells me my dad had a stroke and we head back to the hospital.
Will add more later, gotta go see dad now. Sorry for typos, really in a hurry and getting very mad as I type this. Will have edit later.
I've been going to the hospital every day to spend time with him but he's being kept somewhat sedated and I'm not sure he's aware I'm there very much. The longer he stays there, they less hopeful I'm feeling and getting more stressed with every passing day.
I have a very long rant I can go on about the idiots in the hospital but not in the mood right now...
Sat - chest pains, goes in, they put a stent in, he's ok, ready to go home but they want to monitor him
Sun - early in the morning after we've gone home happy that things are ok, his blood pressure skyrockets, has second heart attack due to lots of clots forming around the stent. We weren't with him at that time, around 1 - 3 am but they said he had been in a very dangerous condition and we assume that means close to dying and the blood we saw on his face and gown made me think things must have been crazy as they worked to save his life. Around 7 am he takes a ride in life flight to the main Methodist hospital in the medical center near downtown Houston. Later this day we get to see him but he's barely there, just wants to rest. Doesnt remember we were there when we ask the next day.
Mon - feeling a lot better, made some dad jokes. Tells everyone (friends and me) to take care of my mom. So he's very coherent. We go home feeling ok again.
Tue - has a very headache. Asks me 20 times how to make a call on his cell phone. Doesnt know how to wake up phone, cant find the number to their house, I ask who does he need to call he gets mad at me says it doesnt matter. We go through this over and over, each time he seems to run out of energy to keep trying but then starts again in a couple minutes with the same question asking me how to make a call. Finally with a lot of help he's able to call their house. I think I pushed most of the things on the screen for him. I ask who he's calling, he says your mother. She is standing right next to me on the side of the bed and who was talking to dad and and holding his hand right before. I tell the nurse that he's extremely confused and cant see and agitated and has a terrible headache and all they do is say they will check with the doctor and sometime later will tell us they've already given pain medicine, headache medicine, etc. Say he's like that because of the really strong pain meds they gave him earlier when they took the balloon out of his leg.
At 8pm I request a doctor, the PA finally comes over, I explain everything, he does a test where my dad has to hold out his arms, wiggle toes, etc. A neuro test of some sort... PA says he seems to be ok but if the confusion continues, a CT or MRI will be needed. Says ICU delirium is a real thing and thinks thats what this is. At this point my dad is really sleepy, barely knows we're there. I trusted that they know more than me.
Wed - Dad is yelling at me to give him some headache meds we brought that the nurses/dr's say he cant have. I keep telling him I cant because I trust that the hosp staff is right. He's just squirming around in pain, cant open his eyes, same confusion as yesterday. Stupid nurses keep saying he's had his pain meds, cant have more and that they dont see the confusion he's having. I keep saying this isnt my dad anymore, he's completely different. One look in his eyes tells me all I need to know that he's not normal. I push for the MRI/CT scan but everything I ask for has to work its way up the chain from the bedside nurse and never seems to get anywhere.
We get excited that he's been moved to a room! Yay! But in the room he's exactly the same. ICU delirium did not fade, they must have been wrong. Complains that he wants to die rather than continue with the headache. Doesnt understand what he's being told to do by the nurse, or is hard headed which is typical of him. Hard to tell if the headache is causing the confusion, or if something else is causing both. I keep asking the new nurse why he's like this. They give him muscle relaxants. Keeps his eyes closed and sleeps on and off for hours, I assume the muscle relaxants are making him sleep. He wants badly to stand up, so we get help, not supposed to let him stand. Two nurses help him but he's so dizzy, weak, and disoriented that he cant, back to bed.
I again ask for the MRI, I ask for a doctor, anyone to come over and take a look. Actually I waited until 6pm thinking someone would show up, no one did, then I asked around. I'm told he had an MRI of his head monday and it was fine. We leave for the night because we're tired and really need sleep, badly. That evening, after my kids stopped fighting and went to bed I started to think about that MRI. Why would an MRI on monday, when he had no symptoms, mean anything on Wed when his symptoms started Tuesday? I've been so low on sleep I'm not thinking straight anymore, but I finally told my wife, I think my dad is having or going to have a stroke. I went to bed thinking that tomorrow I would find someone to listen to me about this.
My mom calls me right after I went to bed and tells me my dad had a stroke and we head back to the hospital.
Will add more later, gotta go see dad now. Sorry for typos, really in a hurry and getting very mad as I type this. Will have edit later.
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