Paul had a good day yesterday. One of the tenors from the Park Forest Singers came by and played the piano for Paul. He played show tunes, songs from the 40's, Scott Joplin, etc., for about an hour, all from his head. We really enjoyed it. Paul had a good cry when he played "I'll Never Walk Alone" and I had a good cry when he played "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." That's a song that Paul sang to me a lot when we were dating.
Paul didn't eat much yesterday, just a little applesauce in the middle of the afternoon. Dr. Will said to try to continue giving him some Decadron so he weans off it gradually instead of stopping suddenly, so I've been trying to give him a little each day in applesauce. The pharmacist said we could also crush the dyazide (the diuretic) so I put it in the applesauce too. Paul was sometimes able to drink from a straw yesterday and then other times not able to.
He slept well last night, and was pretty alert when he woke up this morning. His blood pressure last night was 150/80, pulse was 80, and lungs sounded ok. He had some apnea, or periods of not breathing for about 10 seconds. He also had a temp again of 100 axillary, so we gave him another tylenol suppository. This morning his blood pressure was 158/82 and pulse was 100.
The Hospice chaplain was here this morning, and I think it was really good for Mom. She has been grieving the last couple of days over my Dad's death, wishing she could have had him at home with people coming to visit and to help like we have with Paul. I told the chaplain that Philip and Karen are both in the apartment now, and he said he would give them a call next week.
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Created: Mar. 26, 1999
Last updated: July 21, 2010