Wednesday, April 8

12am report: checked in with Nurse Emily once more before heading to bed. She had just gotten the nights blood tests back and his Hemoglobin and Hematocrit numbers we back up and looking good.. they were 13.4 and 39.7. They are really happy with that and will certainly keep watch. He is perky and tonight they did some oral care and he was super helpful while they brushed his teeth, washed his face, etc. His Urine output seems to be picking up since the feeding tube was inserted, which is great. His Blood Pressure is 159/70, seems high and they are not worried at this point. Oxygen is still holding steady and they are happy with that. He has been chatty and knows his name and why he is the hospital. More tests in the am which will help to determine the future path of treatment. More to come tomorrow.

10am report: Just got a phone call from Dr Ward, he has been following dads case and wanted to check in. He said that he is looking a bit like yesterday. The concern today is that his hemoglobin levels are not above 9 (yesterdays number were a false read - too close to transfusion time) - which shows that he is still bleeding internally - so for now they will give another unit of blood and they plan another CT scan to re-check lower rear abdomen area to see if bleeding is still happening - they will now bring Interventional Radiology to discuss next steps which might include a cauterization (or burning) to close off the bleeding vessels. The troponin numbers which might have indicated minimal heart damage now are trending to normal and that is clearing. With regards to his kidneys, a renal ultra sound shows that numbers are slightly elevated due to recent blood loss and a slow in oxygen to the organ. The kidneys take time to recover and they anticipate that will clear itself up once they stabilize the oxygen/blood levels flowing through the kidneys. He feels that these complications are all in addition to the COVID-19 virus and its presence in his system could be another 3 weeks or longer..SO a lot to manage for today - but he is staying strong, they are working hard and we are praying hard…

The renal ultra sound showed that there was no blood in the space of the kidneys which could compress and cause damage - this is good that they did not see that.. Dr ward also mentioned that the ICU delirium/disorientation is totally common and expected when patients are in unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar faces - they become confuses and agitated - they do not expect this to continue and they see no reason to believe that his brain has been compromised.

1pm report: Just heard back from Dr. Ward and he started the conversation with ‘Good News’ - it seems like the size of the blood collection in his rear abdomen is getting smaller on its own so it appears that no interventions are needed at this time. Of course they are watching it closely to make sure it goes away on its own. He is currently still getting the blood transfusion from earlier today and they will recheck levels later this evening. This bleeding, they say, is not uncommon especially since he has been on anti coagulation meds. They have stopped those meds and will re-start when it seems safe. So for now the Doc says it seems like the worst of the virus is over for dad - that related to the respiratory issues which have been stable and hopefully wont get worse. Once the bleeding is under control, the blood counts return to normal and the kidney functions improve they plan on weening him off the oxygen slowly. This morning - we also received a call from a nurse who said dads been pestering her to chat with us - we expect a phone call in the next two hours. all moves in the right direction…

2.30pm report - Family report: Spoke to dad today via face time and he was truly difficult to decipher - but with a feeding tube down his nose we wouldn’t be able to talk either. He was talking a bit - and responding in typical conversive manner. He was alert and when i told him ‘dont stop fighting’ he said ‘with who’…

Nurse Ellen called us today - it was tough but was great to be in touch...

: Tonight i spoke to Nurse Claudia. Update was quick. They are watching the bleeding closely, his oxygen is steady at 5 Litres, his Hemoglobin numbers are back up to a level that they were looking for, he seems calm and comfortable despite pulling out his feeding tube tonight. They will have to replace that tomorrow to ensure hydration levels and to medicate. Dad was definitely missed as we celebrated passover tonight. Next year with him leading the seder!