Fri 5/31: Talked to Mom, issue is that the doctor could prescribe either aspirin or Coumadin. Mom very much does NOT want Coumadin because of the risks of excessive bleeding. She "doesn't have enough blood" and "they're always taking my blood" were comment responses. Mom could not answer why the doctor wanted to prescribe Coumadin, or what good it would do.
Fri 5/31: Left message for Dr Antonucci, no response
Mon 6/3: Spoke to Dr Antonucci.
- Mom came to the emergency room from SLV complaining of shortness of breath. Diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which is a particular type of arhythmia. The A-Fib is OK, but one possible problem is that clots can form in the vessels around the heart, and those clots can be dislodged and go to the brain, which is a stroke.
- In order to prevent stroke in A-Fib patients, normally prescribe either aspirin (a mild blood thinner) or Coumadin (a stronger blood thinner). In patients below 80, normally go with Coumadin because it is better at preventing stroke. Above 80, the bleeding risks associated with Coumadin start to outweigh the benefits, and aspirin is appropriate.
- After discussion, although Mom is healthy and could probably take Coumadin, she does not want to and therefore aspirin is OK.
Other notes:
- Dr Antonucci has other SLV patients. He described the nursing staff at SLV as "very good."
- Dr A mentioned that Mom was considering a higher level of care at SLV.
- Dr A mentioned that Mom has some symptoms of age-related decline or dementia; she seems to be quite forgetful.
