Mikie really had a good day today, one of the best he has had in a while.  He was so relaxed all day that he didn’t need a single dose of Lopressor.  At one point the alarm went off because his pulse dropped below 50!  It was only for a few seconds and it went back up to a very comfortable range in the 70’s, and it happened several times.  I really think this steady improvement this week is due to cutting back his Valproic Acid (Depakote) for his seizures.  And we have not seen a single seizure in weeks.  Home Health tried to get some blood yesterday so they could do some liver function tests but she just wasn’t able to do it.  She got enough to check his PT/INR levels and they are still low, not a big surprise.  I’m concerned about what might be happening that the Valproic Acid levels would not increase with increased doses but not so concerned that I think something is seriously wrong, as other drugs are working quite well, especially the Lopressor.  I’m going to ask Dr. Mauldin if he can check to see if they tested Mikie’s liver function while he was in the hospital and if so and it was ok, then let’s just try to get him off the Depakote completely.  We see him Thursday.

Something else I noticed since we have cut Mikie way back on the Depakote is that his belly isn’t talking as much as it used to.  I listened with the stethoscope yesterday and it was just quiet squishing and gurgling sounds, not noisy pinging noises.  If it is possible for me to rate Mikie’s discomfort levels today I would say he was at a zero day.  (BTW, he finally had that BM yesterday.)  Mikie has been reaching more today than usual, grabbing my hand or clothing.  When awake both eyes are open, though one still droops a bit.

Praise God, we’ve been asking God to give him comfort and he did just that.  Thank you Lord for the good days, and thanks for helping us to forget the bad ones.