Hospital log on my dad
8 am: My mom wants to stop all treatment of my dad because she thinks he’s dying and should be allowed to go. I want to stop all meds because I’m not convinced that they’re not contributing to the problem. She ruled out a transfer to a different hospital, but is fine with me trying to get a second opinion so that’s what I’ll try for today.
10 am: I tangled with dad’s doctor once again because they started him on yet another medication over the weekend without telling us… some anti-convulsant. But he agreed to halt all further meds until a 5 pm family conference later today. I told him I wanted a second opinion from the head of the geriatric unit at a different hospital and he agreed to arrange it.
3 PM – The geriatrician came in and met with me and evaluated dad. He said he’s definitely not asleep and thinks it’s either an undetected stroke, or the onset of depression or other mental disorder. He said the variety of other meds were very unlikely to cause this level of unresponsiveness. So he recommends Ritalin, an anti-depressant, and if that doesn’t work, some mild electro-shock therapy. So I’m feeling a little better, though this guy didn’t take time to hear me out either, and kept cutting me off as I tried to explain the history and situation. Damn these guys and the system that makes them so rushed.
4 pm – So we’ve got a family meeting in about an hour to decide what to do. Another geriatrician just phoned me and gave her support for the other guy’s diagnosis. So I’m feeling better about that. Now it’s just a matter of convincing my mom that it’s worth trying a few things yet.
7 pm – Consensus! Tube feeding for a few days while they see if Ritalin works and if a new CAT scan reveals any hidden signs of a stroke. If he doesn’t snap out of it, they may want to try electro-shock. His doctor admitted that it was good to get another opinion and I ate a little crow too, since his diagnosis was pretty close to the geriatrician’s.