“Get Out!”

April 13, 2016

Den had a really bad night last night. The double dose of melatonin did nothing to help him sleep. He is very agitated today and seems to want to fight about everything.

When he got his morning meds the nurse also hung 2 IV bags, Potassium and Magnesium. His weight is down to 230. (That would be 25 pounds lost in 7 days…that would be 3 gallons of water out of his system!)

The hospital psychiatrist was in to do his consult. We hold him about Den’s prior history with depression and the recent change from Lexapro to Prozac. He said he would review his chart and see what changes might need to be made. He also said he would be back a few time to talk to Den before he could be cleared for surgery.

Just before 11AM, Den was taken for his head CT. The nurses had noticed that Den’s left eye lid drooped and there was a concern that he had had a stroke. When he came back Neurology came in to check Den over. That was quickly followed by a Trans Cranial Doppler. This is where they check the large blood vessels in the head to see if there are any problems. This would be done again after the LVAD surgery.

The doctors ordered Den to have supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula. His oxygen levels were falling while he was in bed.

Becky came by again and we were enrolled in the Momentum 3 study.

Just before noon, Den and I had a huge fight. It ended with him basically kicking me out of his room and telling me he didn’t want me there. I talked to Chris, our day nurse. I told her what had just happened. She told me to go home and get some rest…tomorrow would be a better day.

I remember crying all the way home. I was hyper-emotional at this point due to lack of sleep and the stress of the pending tests to clear Den for surgery. I had taken Den’s blanket with me, since it had gotten wet when he couldn’t get the urinal fast enough. I went to the laundromat, since out washing machine was on the fritz. I stood there crying the entire time. I just could not stop myself. When the blanket was washed and dried, I went home. My sister, Marg, had taken Harry, our dog, home with her. She had gone home for an appointment, but would be back in time to get Em from school. I don’t know what time they got back, but they found me asleep on the couch. I woke up just long enough to eat dinner and fill them both in on what was happening, then I went to bed for the night. I think I slept a total of 12 hours that day. I guess I know what caused the fight…sleep deprivation!

I did call up to the hospital before I went to sleep that night. Neurology had completed their exam and there were no signs of a prior stroke on Den’s CT or exam…more good news. The nurse told me that they had replaced one of Den’s meds in order to get him ready for surgery next week.