Dad's had better days. Lots of testing, moved from ICU down to Med Telemetry (about 1/2 way between ICU and a Med floor, from what I understand) when he had a little episode tonight when he either (depending on sources) either just got too tired to bother breathing, or aspirated some food followed by high respiratory adventure. Both Nurse and Respiratory Therapist were present, at no time did the heart cease beating from what I'm told, and they quickly started CPR and intubated him before rushing him back up to ICU.
Of course, I got the call whilst in mid-sigh-of-relief with my friend who's been my rock through all this over dinner after we'd gone and gotten the luggage that'd finally returned from Memphis.
Mom is a former clinic director and did the admin side of medical for many years in an era when "doctor is always right, even when doctor is wrong, and it's never the medical staff's fault if things go wrong short of tablets of stone delivered from the heavens, etched with still-flaming lightning"
I'm just not built that way. Friend and I double-teamed the doc...friend took the rational, calm, understanding role...and I played to my strengths, broadcasting vast displeasure and barely leashed fury while relatively calmly asking pointed questions.
Doctor was amazingly conversational, thank goodness.
Things are more or less in a holding pattern till morning, but we'll see from there.
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