29 October 2024–A day of rest, still exploring the hospital in Italy: We met with a doctor this morning in the hospital’s gastro unit, who explained the procedures, tests they had done, results they had received, results still forthcoming, and projected time to discharge. We were told that it would take at least one or two more nights in the hospital before all results would be delivered. Meanwhile, Dad had to be stabilized before they would consider releasing him. A bland diet was introduced for Dad, and he ate both lunch and dinner. He is still belching and hiccuping, and he is still receiving IV antibiotics as a preliminary treatment. Preliminary because if it turns out that this whole situation was caused by a virus, his body would not respond to antibiotics. Some of his bloodwork revealed that his body appeared to have signaled some sort of response to the antibiotics. The plan at this time is to continue with IV fluids and antibiotics until Dad sees the doctor tomorrow morning once again. I took a cab home to the B&B this afternoon to catch some sleep and shower. Sleep in the hallway in the hospital was not all that comfortable for me. Additionally, Dad needed some personal items and clothing from our B&B. This afternoon, Dad was transferred into an actual hospital room on the same floor, with three other patients in the room. Nevertheless, at least now they share a bathroom in the same large room and do not have to walk into another patient’s room to use the toilet, shower, and so on. One of our hosts drove me to the hospital early this evening, and I took a taxi “home” at the end of visiting hours. Upon arrival at the B&B, I found a hot pot of water on a serving tray in our room, with tea and some homemade jam/toasties, and crackers. Looking forward to tomorrow, as yet another beautiful day in Umbria, even though Dad will likely spend it in the hospital—but…maybe they’ll let him out….
Our Travels 