Hi All,
Well, as I'm sure you've imagined, Dad is still in the hospital. They MAY let him go home today, but that remains to be seen. They had to give him more blood on Tuesday, so they have transfused him twice. They are not really sure where he is bleeding.
I hate to say it, but they have said the dreaded word, "hospice." They said it is time to start discussing that, and that when they discharge him, it will most likely be with hospice services set up to come to the house once a day.
I spoke with the nurse last night, and she said Dad's Oncologist said "it looks like things are moving faster than projected," meaning faster than that 3 - 6 month time line they gave us one month ago. BUT, it may also be just a bump in the road and he may rally and improve again, so it remains to be seen.
Once again, he really appreciated your comments to the last post. I am flying to Green Bay on Saturday, and will stay through Monday evening. We'll be able to post more frequently then, cause I can type while Dad talks ;-).
xoxox,
Amy
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Update on Dad's Hospital Stay
Hello all,
I spoke with Dad a couple times today. He is not being discharged today, because of his severe pain issues. They want that to be under control before they let him go home. They are trying multiple tactics, and will go with what works the best.
I read the comments from Ben-my brother-'s post to Dad, and he seemed cheered by your thoughts and wishes. So, keep commenting, and Ben and/or myself will make sure Dad hears you thoughts. If you want to talk to him, you can call (920) 288-4125 and ask for room #145. That will get you his room.
I'll warn you, though.... Dad is on morphine ;-)!!! Now, for someone like Dad, who has never really done drugs, and who has never been a huge drinker, morphine is kind of a beast for him. When I spoke to him, he was grumpy about how the drugs are making him lose his train of thought, mid-sentence. I reminded him that it was normal, and that he can blame the drugs, not himself or his head, but I don't know if that helped much. He does not like being in this situation, and who can blame him.
Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes.
Amy
I spoke with Dad a couple times today. He is not being discharged today, because of his severe pain issues. They want that to be under control before they let him go home. They are trying multiple tactics, and will go with what works the best.
I read the comments from Ben-my brother-'s post to Dad, and he seemed cheered by your thoughts and wishes. So, keep commenting, and Ben and/or myself will make sure Dad hears you thoughts. If you want to talk to him, you can call (920) 288-4125 and ask for room #145. That will get you his room.
I'll warn you, though.... Dad is on morphine ;-)!!! Now, for someone like Dad, who has never really done drugs, and who has never been a huge drinker, morphine is kind of a beast for him. When I spoke to him, he was grumpy about how the drugs are making him lose his train of thought, mid-sentence. I reminded him that it was normal, and that he can blame the drugs, not himself or his head, but I don't know if that helped much. He does not like being in this situation, and who can blame him.
Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes.
Amy
Monday, April 21, 2008
I have some unfortunate news.
I'm blogging in Dad's place today because he's been admitted to the hospital. He is doing just fine, though.
The problems he's been having came to a head last night with severe nausea and light bleeding from the nose and anus. We summoned paramedics, and not long after we learned from the ER doc that he seems to have lost some blood. Not a lot, but enough to cause problems.
His admitting physician explained that the liver plays a role in regulating the thickness of a person's blood. Since Dad has some cancer on or at least near his liver, its functionality might be impaired somewhat, causing the thickness of his blood to vary. That, combined with the blood thinners he's been taking since the episode with the clots, resulted in blood that was way too thin, which in turn facilitated the bleeding.
They are going to do a CT scan to determine if they need to do any plumbing work on his kidney, give him some blood (A- it turns out, which is apparently rare), and of course, adjust the dosage of his blood thinners.
Right now, they expect him to be out as early as tomorrow.
The problems he's been having came to a head last night with severe nausea and light bleeding from the nose and anus. We summoned paramedics, and not long after we learned from the ER doc that he seems to have lost some blood. Not a lot, but enough to cause problems.
His admitting physician explained that the liver plays a role in regulating the thickness of a person's blood. Since Dad has some cancer on or at least near his liver, its functionality might be impaired somewhat, causing the thickness of his blood to vary. That, combined with the blood thinners he's been taking since the episode with the clots, resulted in blood that was way too thin, which in turn facilitated the bleeding.
They are going to do a CT scan to determine if they need to do any plumbing work on his kidney, give him some blood (A- it turns out, which is apparently rare), and of course, adjust the dosage of his blood thinners.
Right now, they expect him to be out as early as tomorrow.
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