Thank you for keeping up with Tony's status as he was battling cancer.

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Friday, July 9, 2010

He spent about 4 hours in the ER last night. He woke up about 11PM, and said he was dizzier than ever, and needed to go to the hospital. However; he was standing up straight, so dizzy wasn't the problem (we think light-headed might be what he meant). We tried to put him back in bed, but he physically resisted, and insisted on going to the hospital. Getting down the stairs to the car was very difficult; at one point I was completely holding him up. The transport chair that was given to us recently really came in handy getting around.

The blood tests showed nothing out of the ordinary - considering the medications he is on. A CAT scan showed no obvious brain changes, and no bleeding in the brain. So the doctor sent him home assuring him to relax and things would get better as the Keppra medication is reduced over the next six days.

The real challenge right now is communication. Frequently, he either can't understand what we are saying, or can't formulate a reply. We have to use simple yes/no questions. Even then he sometimes stares through you like he didn't hear. Sometimes you can see him struggling to respond before he does. Sometimes he can't say yes or no, so gives a thumb-up or thumb-down sign. Sometimes he is relatively lucid and can communicate a little.

The doctor's all tell us this will get better over the next six days as his Keppra medicine is gradually reduced to zero.

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