Dashing this off in a hurry before attempting to get some sleep. Dad is being held overnight for observation at the hospital with a good chance of being discharged in the morning. He has pneumonia more serious than the mild case from before and maybe a bleeding ulcer. Still waiting to hear more about what caused the vomiting and whether it was blood or not.
Coughing and phlegm issues began to bother Dad yesterday, which I noticed. What went unnoticed is his drinking soured milk that had actually curdled. Apparently his taste buds couldn’t detect it.
When I arrived home from church today, he was suffering hiccups like under the chemotherapy treatments. This was a rude surprise since they had vanished around a week ago. Vomiting followed and so did a mild fever. Calling in and speaking to one of the doctors involved, the decision was made to bring him in.
Good thing we did, since he got worse as soon as he arrived at Gunderson. Instead of bringing up small amounts of white milk, larger quantities of black spewed forth. Nurses and a doctor looked at it and were fairly certain it was blood.
Problems with congestion were detected in the left lung and x-rays confirmed pneumonia. Saline, antibiotics, and protonix are being administered intravenously while he’s under observation.
I’m back home to get everything in order that was left in disorder from the unexpected trip to the ER. There wasn’t time to grab things for me to stay overnight anywhere. In case my father isn’t discharged, I’ll be bringing needed items for a stay.
All of this follows a week where Dad finally put on some weight and appeared to be getting stronger. Even an emergency run to the ER on Friday worked out when a nurse was able to actually clear his blocked feeding tube.
I wish life was more boring.
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