Addendum

Dad is not going on blood thinners yet. We saw Dr. Biswas for our bi-monthly visit and even though the neurologist Dr. Hajjar okayed him to go back on blood thinners for his Afib, Dr. Biswas, as mentioned, doesn't want to rush into anything. Originally he was going to put Dad on them. Friday he discussed with us the risks involved with going back on blood thinners, the dosage Dad was to go on, with now weekly followups to monitor everything. While Dad may not remember the disastrous results, the rest of us very clearly remember the hemorrhagic stroke Dad had about a week or so after his initial infarction, most likely a result from the blood thinners he was on at that time.
Dr. Biswas checked Dad's pulse and asked if we could stay a little longer. He wanted Dad to have an EKG. Ok I thought. Meanwhile, inside I began to have anxiety about Dad going back on blood thinners. Dad was slightly hesitant too. The nurse came in and administered the EKG. The nice thing about this test is that the results print out immediately. Within moments Dr. Biswas came back in the room and changed his mind. When he had checked Dad's pulse he did not feel the irregular heartbeat. In fact he hasn't in months. Dad is currently not in Afib and as a result doesn't need to be on blood thinners at this moment. Both Dad and I breathed a sigh of relief. We are still very much aware of the reason he was on them and the reason he may one day have to go back on them. But for the moment he doesn't need the blood thinners. The less pills you have to take the better you are. Dr. Biswas joked that he changes his mind a lot and was going to have to do an addendum to his dictation for this office visit. I'm ok with that because I trust him with the care of my father immensely.
And that is the word from Maine on this Sunday, July 28, 2013, day 207.