Getting Better

Things are steadily getting better. Pauls sodium level has gone down to 154. Not yet normal but heading the right direction pretty consistently now.

   

What remains is the unanswered question: how did he get so dehydrated, so suddenly. Im in one of those very frustrating holding patterns with a doctor I havent met or talked to in the 24 hours that Paul has been here at Palomar Hospital (moved from the hospital in Encinitas/ now we have a 45 minute drive here w traffic/oh well at least be has insurance)

The big looming question is did Paul have a condition that came on very suddenly, like Diabetes Insipidus which arises in 3% of long term traumatic brain injury patients, or was it that no one noticed at the nursing home that he wasnt drinking any fluids. If this is the case, he was basically a man lost at sea on a life boat for many days and no water. 

That is what the ICU doctor conjectured, and he said it will come down to watching how he processes this new fluid. In other words keep tabs on the pee output. If in his dehydrated state he is peeing alot that could mean DI, if there is very little pee that would be normal (just think of how little you pee when you have the flu) . 

So Alexander is doing his homework and I am writing to you and the sun, as predicted, is going down. 

Now wheres that doctor....

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