Today was exhausting and scary. It started out OK, though rather early.

I set the alarm for 5:30 because I wanted to get to the hospital by 7 so I would not miss Dr. Fehrman. That worked. He just updated us on what would be happening in a perfect scenerio.

Shortly after he left, Jim and Michelle came in and they spent most of the day also.

Dick had a rather good night though he was experiencing pain. We were all told that the had to stay "ahead of the pain" and that he could push the morphine button every 8 to 10 minutes. He was SO sleepy and then the technician came in at 9:30 to start the ultrasound to check his heart. While that was going on, Jim, Michelle and I kept tabs on the time and pushed his button for him. Not a good thing to do we found out at about 11AM. He cannot overdose, BUT the morphine had built up in his system and he was out like a light. At 4:00 or so, he was still out, when the PT guy came to try to get him out of bed for the first time. Well, we tried to wake him and somehow or other, the phlem that had been building while he slept so long, breathing through his mouth got into a BAD place and he choked and could not get it out.

I was terrified and so was he. The nurses came with syphon tubes, oxygen masks and other stuff and finally after about a half an hour got him calmed down and most of the phlem out of him.

The rest of the night was quiet but he is very weak. They did and EKG and everything IS OK.

I am home now. I stopped at Mom's to drop off a prescription for her and update her. And now I just want to get ready for bed and go there. I want to be back at the hospital at 7 again, so I get the reports in person as this was such a bad day.

Just remember if you every have a loved one on a morphine pump. THEY are supposed to push the button themselves. We were told that the deep rest he got was worth the mistake, BUT it is not recommended. The three of us were horrified to realize that as Jim and Michelle said. " We drugged Daddy." One of the nurses said that she usually tells people but some of the other nurses were watching us do it and never said anything. We did feel better when a nurse that we know who came in to just say hi said that she did the same thing to her Dad.

Tomorrow will be better. I know. My poor sweetheart deserves nicer things.

Love

Mary