07:56 – Barbara and I had dinner last night, and then settled in to watch a British mystery on Netflix streaming. About 8:30, someone from the nursing home called to say they’d just gotten lab results on Barbara’s dad. His BUN and creatinine levels were very high, suggesting acute renal failure. The nursing home recommended transporting Dutch to the emergency room, which Barbara approved. She drove down there to meet her sister and mom. When she finally returned home in the middle of the night, she said they’d scheduled a meeting at 8:30 at the hospital to discuss options. Given Dutch’s age and other health problems, I can’t imagine that they’ll recommend dialysis, so my guess is that they’ll recommend either moving Dutch to Hospice or keeping him there under their palliative-care group.
11:08 – Barbara just called to update me on the results of their meeting. Apparently, Dutch is terminal but not critical. That is, there’s nothing that can be done to fix the underlying renal failure and congestive heart failure, but Dutch is not in any immediate danger. Although the doctor said that obviously Dutch could die at any moment if something else happens, she doesn’t think it’s necessarily imminent. They’re rehydrating him and plan to keep him in the hospital for a couple days before transferring him back to Brian Center. The doctor is going to contact Hospice about getting Dutch in their palliative care program while he’s still at Brian Center. They’ll consult with the family and nursing home staff and help manage Dutch’s treatment to keep him as comfortable as possible. When the time comes, they’ll probably suggest transporting him to the hospice facility to care for him there during his last few days.