Fri 3/28/2008 10:24 AM

Hey all,  I wanted to let everyone know that Dad is back in the hospital.  Anna and I suspected that he had pneumonia again so we took him on in.  Well, the ER says he doesn't have pneumonia, but they admitted him because of 1.  shortness of breath, 2. High sodium level, and 3.  His cardiac enzymes were high (suspect of a heart attack).

One of the bad things is that his regular doctor, Dr.D., had to have emergency surgery herself and is out on medical leave.  So we have a doctor we haven't ever seen and have no idea about her.  I hope this isn't bad, but that is all you can do.

We also got some news that Dad's pacemaker battery is low again.  They usually last about 5 years and it has only been 2 since he got it replaced.  The Cardiologist said that the leads are causing the power drain on the battery and they really need to be replaced for the best results.  The pacemaker replacement didn't go too well two years ago and it took him about 1.5 years for the wound to heal.  If you remember the site got infected with Staph and he was admitted to the hospital for 10 days shortly after the replacement and the wound just wouldn't heal. 

He is also having major issues with his skin healing as it is. When we got the pacemaker site all cleared up he got a scratch on his butt.  That has turned into a bed sore and won't heal.  He has had that for about 6 months.

Anyway, the family has decided it would not be in his best interest to have the surgery to replace the pacemaker.  The physicians do not know how long the battery will last as it how his body will react without it when it does not have any more power.  So his heart is in God's hand.  We are leaving it up to the Big Guy Upstairs.

I will let you know how things are going.  I would say the long term outlook isn't too good, but he isn't in any pain (that we know of) and he is resting comfortably.

Have a great day and I will keep everyone posted.

Mary