ER update

The bleeding in Steve's mouth stopped shortly after he arrived at St. Paul.

His lab work looks pretty good. The platelets and clotting values don't indicate a big problem.

The bleeding was in that little piece of gum that sits between the teeth -- between the two last teeth on the upper left side of his mouth. Dr. B, the ER doctor, just gave Steve a shot (a mix of epinephrine and Novocaine) at that site. The idea is that the adrenaline will help the vessels in that area clot better.

Steve was very brave with the injection. In the ER (unlike at a dentist's office) there is no numbing medicine first -- just a needle straight in the gums.

I spoke with Dr. M, and it looks like there's no reason to keep Steve. We may take today off from the blood thinners and then step down the daily dose a week earlier than expected.

We are relieved to think that we may be back home in just a couple of hours!