Thanks for all the help and advice. It is much appreciated. After today, my dad won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
We had a call before 10 this morning saying he had had a major nosebleed, but it had been treated and he was stable. 10 minutes later, we were being asked to go in, so I picked mum up and got to the hospital by 10.40.
He was open to all in the ward wearing just his protective pants, and blood down his side as he had pulled out his canula. Very distressing, but at least they cleaned him up straight away and got a gown on him.
After being so perky the evening before, he was back in a world of total confusion. The doctor told us he was now nil by mouth due to concern about blood in his lungs, was being given anti-biotics to counter the possibility of pneumonia, more blood to build his platelets, and a new stopper was in place up his nose.
Only when these had been given was he given a drip to build up his hydration. To be fair, his high blood pressure and heart rate were much improved when we left him.
It was the confusion, asking for various drinks, (manlly alcoholic!), seeing trains and ships and not really knowing where he was, his desperation to go home, and the sentiments that we were letting him down that was the most distressing. We stayed for 6 hours, and I was praying he would fall asleep, but in the end, I said to mum that we weren't helping him nor us he, so we left him in the hope he would settle.
We rang tonight to see how he was. He had pulled the stopper from his nose, but this was refitted so he can't remove it now. Blood pressure and was OK but his pulse was up. I am glad my mum has a short term memory, as what we saw today would break her heart if she could remember everything.
And it is for her I must....