Update

Going out to dinner to take away nerves: $50.00
1/2 a tank of gas $10.00
Hearing your grandfather say I love you: Priceless


After hemming and hawing since 11, I decided that it was important for me to go to the hospital whether it was a danger to my own health or not. I knew if something happened and I didn't go, it would eat away at me the rest of my life. So my previous post said that he has double pneumonia. That is pretty much all I knew before I went.

Once there, I learned the following:

1. He has double pneumonia ~ meaning pneumonia is in both of his lungs. He had just been discharged from the hospital yesterday from another stay where he had been having difficulty breathing. I am not sure whether he was being treated for Pneumonia already or whether this was something that popped up after he was discharged.

2. He is on Oxygen. He's already been on this at home with the nasal cannula, but he had on the mask. They say they are going to switch him over to another kind (i'm guessing nasal cannula) since his Oxygen levels are now stable to avoid drying out his lips and mouth with mask.

3. His blood pressure was really really low when they admitted him into the ER by ambulance. They began fluids right away and just the fluids alone have raised his blood pressure closer to normal. He's on an automatic blood pressure monitor that monitors him every 30 minutes or so. While I was there it was about 110 over 57.

4. His respiration were between 15 and 20 while I was there. Apparently this is good, but I don't know much about respiration rates.

5. The plan is for the pulmonologist (the lung doctor) to come visit in the morning to see about transferring him out of the Critical Care Unit to a regular hospital room. They want to keep him in the Critical Care Unit at least over night to keep a better monitor of his stats.

6. He was responsive to the nurses and to us while we were there. It was very difficult at first for me, but when he realized I was there he opened his eyes and talked to me briefly before going back to sleep.

7. How am I? Well it was very difficult not only because I hate to see my Grandfather in this condition, but b/c the last time I was at that hospital my Granny was literally on her death bed. She died before I could get there in time. Every spring, I get lonely for her. "It will get better in time" they say. But does it ever really? Yes & No. So today I was getting my heart ready for another heart ache. I am also worried about my own health because it was very dangerous for me to go there. BUT, I had to go. We were only allowed to go back 2 at a time. So I went back with my father. Then my father left me there alone and my uncle came back. Then my Uncle left and my brother came back. I then left to see if anyone else wanted to go back.

It was at that time I knew visiting hours would be over and there was nothing else to do but to come on home. Please continue to pray.


**** there were 3 messages posted on this day *****

This one, the initial one on my Grandfather and then the one about it being the one month anniversary of my picc line being removed. Ironic that on the day one month ago that I had my picc line removed that I head to the hospital to see all these IV tubes coming from my grandfather.