Sunday, August 22, 2010 8:15 PM, MDT

Well, sometimes doctors know their stuff. Bill has been taken off the anti-seizure drug that was apparently causing the altered mental state. He is taking a much smaller dose of another drug, lets hope for no side effects. After dialysis, Bill was, mentally, pretty much back to where he was last week. It is amazing what drugs can do to your mind. The drug even effected his swallowing and he has gone backwards in that area. He should get that back pretty quickly I think.

Tomorrow he is back to a full therapy schedule.

It has been a very tough week, with Kayla being off to college and just Jalyn and I here to cope with the changes in Bill. But we made it through and we will have other days that don't go as we expect and we will get through those as well.

 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:46 PM, MDT

We are still dealing with some altered mental state. I suspect the medication for seizure and am working with the doctor on that.  It is very frustrating! I am hopeful that we will get it figured out soon. Bill said to me tonight that he hopes his mind is clearer tomorrow. So do I because that would mean that I was right! If I am not we will keep searching for the answers.
Thanks for all the support it means a lot.
Bill still likes to see people even if it is for a very short visit. Even though he may be confused he has known everyone that has stopped by and he brightens up every time.

 

Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:26 PM, MDT

Drugs can save lives and really mess things up! Bill has developed a bladder infection. Last night they started anti-biotics. This morning he had a bad reaction to one or both of them. One of the anti-biotics he had had a bad reaction to in Montana. I remembered that and told the doctors. We thought that maybe Bill had a seizure this morning, but an EEG proved that he didn't have any. One more piece of evidence that he doesn't need the anti-seizure drugs. The anti-biotics have been changed to one that is less harsh and I think that Bill had this one before and tolerated it well.

As for the anti-seizure drug, we are planning on reducing the dose and trying to take him off of it completely over the next few days.

This has been an incredibly long and exhausting week! Keep the prayers coming!

It was so weird that at times Bill would be very clear and not in that mental state. It was those times that I held onto. I kept thinking that one of these days he would just stay in that clear state of mind and we could get on with the healing.

The doctor and I got along quite well. He listened to my concerns as well as agreeing with me most of the time when I would bring something up. When I asked what the risk of taking Bill off the seizure meds altogether was, the doctor looked at me and said " we are on the same page, that is my next step".  Having the doctor on my side was so comforting after all he is a neurologist and what do I know about anything?

The mix up with the anti-biotics was very upsetting. I was not as pleased with one of the infectious disease doctors. The one that prescribed the anti-biotics that made Bill sick was not my favorite. It turned out that Bill didn't even need the stronger drugs that put him into seizures. It took at least a week for him to recover from that mix up. For the record I don't think Bill ever had a seizure except ones that were caused by anti-biotics.

Part of the reason that I was able to go to the hospital day after day was the staff on the rehab floor. They helped me so much by listening to me. And offering their support.

My emotional state was very fragile during this time. I cried and cried and prayed and prayed. I also tried to be positive for my daughters. I wanted them to stay positive. But there were days when I didn't want do this anymore. I don't know where I found the energy or the power to go to the hospital and help take care of my husband. I guess I loved him too much to leave him there. I signed up for better or worse and I wasn't going leave him. I was going to save him.