Dad Update – 11/8

As I mentioned in my previous update on my dad, he was released on Friday.  I drove back to Chapel Hill from DC Saturday morning, arriving about 12:30.  Since we couldn’t leave before check-out and the room was paid for, we decided to stay in the hotel that night.  Plus, it gave me a break in the drive.  So, after I got back, we hung out and went out for dinner.  My dad was feeling pretty good.

Sunday morning, mom and I both woke up somewhat early and let him sleep in before heading down to breakfast, packing up, and driving home.  When he woke up, he was a little light-headed, but we weren’t too concerned since that often happens when you first wake up and is expected with everything he’s been through.  Then, he went in to go to the bathroom.  While going to the bathroom, he started shaking really badly.  I was able to see him in the mirror, so my mom and I ran in to make sure he was ok.  He ended up passing out (and there was blood in the toilet – the 1st since Thursday night), and I had the hotel call 911.  The 911 operator called back to get more information while we waited for the ambulance.  He had me pick my dad off the toilet and lay him on the floor so that the circulation would increase for his heart and he could breathe better.  He was starting to come around just before the paramedics arrived.  They took his vitals and carted him off to the hospital.  We got down to the ER and they said his hemoglobin was down to a 5.7, the lowest it had ever been.  They gave him another transfusion, which helped him a lot.  The gastro-intestinal doctor came by around 5 to say that since there wasn’t anything they could do via another colonoscopy, they were going to put dye into his blood to see if they could trace that and find out where he is bleeding from.  Once they do that and hopefully find out where the bleeding is coming from, they will decide to either radiologically seal off the bleeding or go in surgically.

My mom was so glad that I was back.  She didn’t dare leave him to call 911 for fear he’d fall over.  And there’s no way she could’ve lifted him off the toilet without me.  And the hotel staff was so sweet.  They came to the room to make sure my mom was doing ok (especially since they didn’t know I had returned from DC), and said we could have the room as long as we needed it.