Blood Thinning and Therapy Dogs

Dad had some fun visitors this weekend as he waited for things to "thin" out.  Melanie came by to keep Mom company.  Carrie, Kelsey and Cameron popped in to say hello and a few of the Thompson's stopped by as well- Greg, Tucker, Travers and Titus-came by to liven things up and see how Dad was feeling on their way to the Tech game yesterday.  Ralph and Rebecca visited today just in time to also see the Therapy Dogs who stopped by the room to create a smile.  (apologies for "in motion" camera phone pictures)

Since Dad has been in the hospital, they have been monitoring his PT/INR levels.  PT stands for Prothrombin Time-which allows doctors to assess the ability of the blood to clot properly.  INR, on the other hand, stands for International Normalized Ratio.  The INR is used to evaluate how well anti-coagulants are working.  Yesterday, Dad's INR was 2.  The ideal range for patients who have basic "blood thinning needs" is 2.0 - 3.0.  The plan was to push a large dose of coumadin last night, reevaluate the INR and hopefully, release him back to Raider Ranch today.  However, this morning after they evaluated the INR, they did not feel comfortable releasing him today.  They will push another large dose of coumadin this evening and aim for tomorrow.  

That's all from the Raiderland hospital for tonight! A big thank-you to Tech for finally winning a game again! That makes everyone a bit happier around here! ;)

Until next time,

Dan's Dozen