[Loch-ruadh] Update on Granddad

PBW pookie2 at airmail.net
Tue Jan 15 16:38:46 PST 2002


Well, first let me say thanks everyone for letting me take up the bandwidth
to send out these little reports. I know they can/are boring but they help
me by letting me "vent" a bit.

In my last update I told folks about our family making the decision to not
keep Granddad hooked up to machines or to start dialysis, but to let him die
with what dignity we could give him. So on Monday the doctors started slowly
weening him off the ventilator. We had no idea how long, if at all, he
could/would breath on his own after being removed from it. Well, we got a
suprise. They were able to get Granddad totaly off the ventialtor by 4pm
yesterday and he was breathing on his own with minimal difficulities. By
about 8pm he was sitting up in bed and trying to talk. Needless to say his
throat is sore so talking isnt exactly easy on him but he was able to to say
"hi" and was calling people by thier names, and was even asking for some
people. His kidneys still arent doing what thier supposed to though. He is
making urine but they are not filtering much. As of this afternoon (Tuesday)
he is doing better in communication and let my Dad (his son) know we did the
right thing that he didnt want the machines, and should he "go downhill"
again to not sustain him but only to help him get better. The doctors are
guarded on his total recovery but time will tell. Right now the biggest
battle is keeping him from getting pneumonia as he is getting mildly
congested again and getting him to deep breath and cough is almost
impossiable when he is his usual self much less when he is feeling like "dog
doo" (his words to my Dad this afternoon).  This afternoon his kidneys still
arent doing much in the filtering department but the tests show they are
trying, his creatinine level has come down about half a point since
yesterday and his urine output has improved. They also have been able to get
him off some of the cardiac medications (he was having mild erratic heart
palpataions) and now he only has 3 IV's hanging. An improvement from the 7
he was on Sunday.

Please keep Granddad in your prayers (if anyone wants to pray for him by
name his name is Paul Crocker). RIght now it can go either way with him and
we're all on kinda an emotional rollercoaster.

Thanks for listening to me babble.

Magdalea




More information about the Loch-Ruadh mailing list