Bad thinking and better

    So OK, back in May Dad had a procedure on his skull and the next day suffered a seizure that left him not breathing for several minutes. Since then, these almost three months later, he's been on Dilantin. It's a perfectly good anti-seizure medication that's also famous for being featured in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." I finally looked up the side effects and more or less saw Dad's picture. He has nearly all of them.
    Today was pretty much an echo of Tuesday. Dad would nap and talk aloud in his sleep saying fairly bizarre things. Then he had physical therapy, where he could barely do anything at all as he was so tired and listless. It was then that I asked the therapist if she thought Dilantin could be the problem. She didn't know but suggested I take it up with his nurse so I did.
    I remarked that he had one seizure in 90 years and given the array of side effects which he clearly was experiencing, maybe Dilantin was overkill. She suggested that maybe it was the Dilantin that was preventing him from having seizures. I pointed out again that he isn't epileptic. (I forgot to mention that he had had a CAT scan before they put the graft in his arm (more on this in a minute) but will do so the next time I discuss this with somebody.) She said that they would check his Dilantin levels and she would discuss taking him off it with the doctor, and I thanked her.
    It turns out the graft was completely unnecessary and is never used. Apparently it would have been required by the dialysis facility that he never got a slot for anyway. The dialysis treatment facility he is using has asked that we please send him over wearing button-front shirts so they have access to the catheter on his chest. William is bringing them, but I again feel like an idiot.
    We also got to talk to someone from the dietary staff about the undercooked vegetables. We went back and forth but essentially she said that some people like them highly cooked, some in the middle and some little cooked, so they split the difference and go for the middle. I asked them please to try harder and she said they would.
    Earlier I got to talk to the nurse about Dad's insulin levels. What they had been doing was giving him insulin every time he ate, adding more based on a sliding scale if his blood sugar was high. What they're going to do now is just give it to him if his blood sugar is high (still on a sliding scale).
    Also Dad finally got his hair cut. Looks great, too. Busy, busy day.
    After physical therapy, Dad got back to bed, but Margaret didn't want him to go to sleep, so they sang together. Old, old songs, mostly love songs but also "Down By the Riverside" and "Ol' Man River." I requested "My Blue Heaven," knowing it's his favorite. It was a great idea by Margaret. I'd tell you more about it, but I think I have something in my eye.