It was on or about Thursday morning that I go to the ER to ask Dr. White if he know of any pulmonologists who could replace Dr. Weiner. He gives me a few names. I call Dr. Ira Tauber from the Baha group and am told he is at the hospital on rounds and would be paged. I hear the overhead page. Dr. Nawaz is in the ICU and I inform him that I want Dr. Weiner replaced. I explain that I need a doctor who isn’t “hostile to the idea of my father recovering,” using Ruthie’s words. He asks me to please not bring in another group because it will “sour the relationship.” If I feel it is really necessary I should call Dr. Chanales back for another consultation, but not a new group. It will “sour the relationship” he repeated. “Look,” he told me, “say what you will Dr. Weiner is a good doctor. He did exactly as you asked. He is treating your father as any pulmonologist would.”

Dr. Alan Diamond comes late in the evening to evaluate for a peg tube. He examines my father and describes the procedure and its’ risks; if he punctures the Zenkers the results will be catastrophic. I tell him I’m scared; what does he think? He replies “look around you. You’ve been here long enough to see that everyone in this room is pretty sick. But I’ve been watching you from a distance. You decided to treat your father aggressively and it looks like he may have turned the corner. As I see it you now have two choices. You can either give him ice chips for comfort until the end or you do this surgery and
continue the aggressive path.” I sign the paperwork immediately.

I recall “getting into trouble” with charge nurse Ian for staying with my father past ICU hours. He told me early Friday morning that he had called security to come and escort me out just as I was leaving. He will be “reporting” me to Susan King.