Ixamyakxim: Fuck! Low hemoglobin and worries of being anemic could be a good thing as a "simple" transfusion could set him straight... but I'm guessing they would have done this were it the primary concern.
Sounds like they were looking for bleeding - any idea why the angioplasty? Regardless, my heart goes out for you and yours. It sucks to hear it, but medicine works backwards a lot of times - ruling out what it isn't to get to what it could be. Wishing you the best, and I know it can be slow but I hope your family is able to pull together during the uncertain times. Honestly, those are the worst. When you know what it is, you can at least prepare and support each other. Before that, it's the in between of not know what to prepare for. Much love your way!
Thanks for the kind words...reposting this from the "bitch about life" thread:
just spent another day at the hospital with my mom and there's very little that's changed; in fact this morning he called and told her that the doctor was going to discharge him even though he's in the same position he was when they brought him in. After two nurses and a physical therapist spoke with my dad they managed to get through to the doc that there was no way in the nine hells my father was well enough to be discharged. Today they were just trying different painkillers since his back and chest pain hasn't subsided. No x-rays have been done since he was first brought in and my worry is that the chest pain is caused by a cracked rib that they didn't' see before since they didn't x-ray that part of his body. My mom had been an x-ray technician and she said that such a thing was possible. All we can do is sit and wait.
Edit:Apparently they cannot sedate him for that because they wouldn't be able to get a proper reading. However, the endoscopy did come back negative, even if it's not as thorough. His heart's in decent shape for a man his age, we were told.
The main worry is that he hasn't been able to do more than sit up in his bed without agonizing pain. Twice while we were there the physical therapist tried to move him to out of the bed and he just cannot do that, yet the doctor who has barely spent any time with him except for cursory visits once a day denied a request for a hospital bed. I'd like to meet this doctor and give him or her a piece of my mind. And possibly my boot up their ass.
My family has a proud tradition of many nurses, but no doctors. I've met many more nice, friendly nurses than I have doctors, who all seem brusque and busy and generally as if they have better things to be doing. I'm sure that's not true for all of them, just apparently most of the ones I've met.
