He seemed himself again on Monday (March 10) morning taking his shower as usual, eating a normal breakfast and his temperature normal. As a precaution I decided I would take him to the doctor before I go to work. I would also take him to have his glasses adjusted. Dr. Nawaz checked my father’s blood pressure and measured a systolic of around 65. He immediately called for an ambulance. He checked the BP with 2 other cuffs and found the pressure to be normal but was nevertheless concerned about the first reading. He advised me to let the ambulance take my father to the ER for an evaluation. I agreed.

At the ER I’m told by Dr. Chu that my father has a white count of 38,000, indicative of infection somewhere. Soon afterward I’m told he has pneumonia in the lower left lobe. I speak with Dr. Nawaz by phone. He explains that although he could release my father and treat him with oral antibiotics he’d strongly recommend that we keep him in the hospital for 24 hours so he can be given antibiotics by IV. I agree. A Foley catheter is inserted. I watch the nurses take blood culture tests. My father was moved to the 1st floor chest pain observation area as a holding place until a room would become available in approx. 6 hours.

He was first admitted to the 4th floor. His nurse was a lady named Ginta. A bag of levaquin 500 was hanging from his IV. When I entered the room I saw his hands were shaking and he had the chills. I had never seen him like this. He was in great pain. Something was wrong with the catheter area. The bladder was swollen and his naval hernia was bulging outward. Four nurses were standing over him looking and examining the bladder area. They were asking each other, “is that where his bladder would be or is that a hernia?” The problem subsided just as Dr. Nawaz came by. He ordered my father moved to the 6th floor where telemetry was available. My father missed dinner and had no food all day.