Dad is improving, since he is getting nourishment now.
Today he had meatloaf for dinner without difficulty.
That is to say, the medicine they are giving him is helping so that he is not having any problems eating.
I am not sure if the types of medicine they are giving will be available for use at home or not.
As long as Dad can keep food down with whatever set up he will have at home, he can go home from the hospital tomorrow.
Thanks to cousin Sean, Mom has been able to visit Dad every evening. Mom seems to be doing well.
Dad will continue his chemotherapy treatments for his bladder cancer, and the less serious chronic high white blood cell count (which they label as some variety of leukemia).
Status update
This sounds more of a change than it really is I think. The health situation seems about the same in my opinion.
I visited on Saturday, and Dad felt bad still. He has still been having trouble getting anything to stay down. Sometimes orange juice has been working. The Ensure nutrition shakes worked for a while, but mid or
late last week the sweetness started bothering him.
So when Dad would try to eat or drink, he would throw it back up. Even when not eating, his nasal mucus or some unknown item would sometimes cause him to have dry heaves.
He also had a bit of pain in his chest.
Mom was about the same. She is realizing her memory issues, and to accepting / appreciating help with certain items. However, she still is frustrated at times. Dad feels her memory is getting worse. For
instance, he reported that one time immediately after a nurse talked with her on the phone, Mom could not tell Dad what the conversation was about.
Dad has been able to urinate, so some fluids are still in him. His bladder is not filling up as it should, so he has to go nearly every hour. He has a prescription to help, but it often does not start taking effect for a week or two.
Sunday evening Dad had Mom dial a nurse to discuss his pain. He had not been able to sleep due to it (and the bathroom trips).
The nurse recommended going to the emergency room. The medical people never like to guess with chest pains. Heart attacks are too serious. Dad's pains are very likely a mix of heart-burn and hunger pangs.
The nurses confirmed Dad was dehydrated. The hospital started intravenously giving him fluids, and took some X-rays. Dad was admitted overnight.
Dad is worried about Mom. I tried to reassure him that she was fine alone last time he was in the hospital. However, he still worries.
Mom is worried about Dad. Leaving the hospital last night she was very tired, and as a result also emotional. Once she was home, and a clear plan for bed and for tomorrow, she was better.
I told Mom that she should wait at home, and the nurses would give her an update on Dad. She seemed to accept that.
The challenge is that I am leaving for a business trip in California, and plan to land back late Friday night. I will be relying on Cousin Sean to check up on my parents. I thank God that he has agreed to help, and has been a great friend to both my Mom and Dad.
[Morning update]
This morning, I called the nurses station at St. John's Macomb hospital.The morning update as of 7:45am was from the nurse is:
Dad is in room 519.
He received pain medication at 6:30am, and was sleeping a little while ago when the nurse checked in on him.
No discussions have been had yet, but the nurse is guessing Dad would not be released today. Maybe a couple days. Obviously, that depends on how well he does today, and what the diagnoses are.
My guess is that they will want to get him rehydrated at a minimum, and make sure he can keep liquids down.
Dad better in some ways, but struggling with chest pain and lack of food and water
Mom just called, with Dad.
Dad had just got off the phone with the medical service, and arranged a nurse to visit the house.
They had recommended he go to the emergency room for a check-up on what is going on, but he worries too much about Mom being left by herself overnight.
Dad has had pain fairly consistently all week, and in particular chest pain all last night and today. It kept him from sleeping almost all last night.
He suspects it is heart-burn, which he has had before. He has tried to take antacid, but could not keep it down.
He has been throwing up most foods and liquids. Nutrition shakes were working for about a week, but now the sweetness of them bother his stomach. He has been having dry heaves often as well.
So Dad is very discouraged from the lack of sleep and the lack of nourishment.
I am to take a trip to California all this week, so I will not be around to help them.
On the positive side, Dad's first round of chemo seemed to go well, without discomfort. Dad's nausea started before the chemo, so it is hard to blame it on that.
Please pray for wisdom for the family, nurses, and doctors.
Dad had just got off the phone with the medical service, and arranged a nurse to visit the house.
They had recommended he go to the emergency room for a check-up on what is going on, but he worries too much about Mom being left by herself overnight.
Dad has had pain fairly consistently all week, and in particular chest pain all last night and today. It kept him from sleeping almost all last night.
He suspects it is heart-burn, which he has had before. He has tried to take antacid, but could not keep it down.
He has been throwing up most foods and liquids. Nutrition shakes were working for about a week, but now the sweetness of them bother his stomach. He has been having dry heaves often as well.
So Dad is very discouraged from the lack of sleep and the lack of nourishment.
I am to take a trip to California all this week, so I will not be around to help them.
On the positive side, Dad's first round of chemo seemed to go well, without discomfort. Dad's nausea started before the chemo, so it is hard to blame it on that.
Please pray for wisdom for the family, nurses, and doctors.
Dad's minor surgery went well, and eating some
Dad's surgery yesterday, Friday 2/14/2014 went well. The port is now installed in his chest near his right shoulder. He seemed to be doing well today.
Dad had some anti-nausea medicine in preparation for the surgery. It helped him get some light food down without difficulty. He also got some nutrition supplement shake bottled drinks that helped give him nourishment in an easy to digest manner. He got some from a visiting case worker, myself, and Sean. So he went from needing some to having an over abundance! He was able to eat some light food last night and today without taking any more of the anti-nausea medicine. So hopefully his stomach will continue to be cooperative now that it is used to food again.
Dad and Mom are getting on each other's nerves again in a fairly big way.
Mom seems to feel like Dad does not feel she can do anything.
Dad seems to feel like Mom will not do many of the things he requests of her. She says later, and then later never comes. Mom also sometimes does not treat the visiting nurses well.
Dad and Mom are both frustrated with themselves because of their inability or doctor's orders to not do things that they used to do for themselves.
I am glad they are both well enough to be irritable about such things. I do hope they can learn to adjust to their limitations without too much frustration.
Dad had some anti-nausea medicine in preparation for the surgery. It helped him get some light food down without difficulty. He also got some nutrition supplement shake bottled drinks that helped give him nourishment in an easy to digest manner. He got some from a visiting case worker, myself, and Sean. So he went from needing some to having an over abundance! He was able to eat some light food last night and today without taking any more of the anti-nausea medicine. So hopefully his stomach will continue to be cooperative now that it is used to food again.
Dad and Mom are getting on each other's nerves again in a fairly big way.
Mom seems to feel like Dad does not feel she can do anything.
Dad seems to feel like Mom will not do many of the things he requests of her. She says later, and then later never comes. Mom also sometimes does not treat the visiting nurses well.
Dad and Mom are both frustrated with themselves because of their inability or doctor's orders to not do things that they used to do for themselves.
I am glad they are both well enough to be irritable about such things. I do hope they can learn to adjust to their limitations without too much frustration.
Dad not keeping much food down, and minor surgery scheduled for Friday.
Dad is having trouble keeping food down. He had milk and 2 slices of toast mid-day or so today, but threw up a bit of it. This evening he had some orange juice which seemed to stay down. Hopefully he'll be able to find foods that can increase his calorie intake.
He feels like he may be starting to get weak from the lack of nourishment. That makes getting to the store to try different foods a challenge.
Mom seems about the same or slightly better. Physically she seems fine. Mentally she still seems to have some memory issues.
Dad is scheduled to have surgery this Friday early morning. He will be getting the port installed which will allow the chemotherapy to be put into his veins.
Right now, Dad is miserable enough from the hunger / stomach discomfort that he at times hopes the surgery has some complication so that he does not make it.
Dad's misery is getting on Mom's nerves, but she has been holding together fairly well, biting her tongue on occasion.
Thanks for your prayers.
Oncologist optimistic
The oncologist (cancer doctor) was very encouraging.
The chemotherapy treatments have improved greatly over the last decade. The treatment Dad is scheduled for has been tested to show good results on older people, with little / no nausea nor pain.
Dad will get a port surgically installed. That will be put into his upper chest to allow the medicine to be more easily injected into his blood vessels.
He will have four or six months of chemotherapy, after which the bladder will be examined and possibly removed. The 4 or 6 depends on the results of a not yet scheduled CAT scan. The treatments will be one day a week getting 3 hours worth of medicine injected via the port, with a shorter visit the next day to check his status.
Dad should even be able to drive himself to and from the chemotherapy sessions! He may feel a little weak after the chemo gets into him, but should be able to get home without trouble.
Dad is looking and sounding better and better. He is still tender, but is no longer in pain. He is praising God that the he no longer has a catheter and that he can sit or ride in a car without pain.
Mom was occasionally very worried for Dad, but then was reassured. Her memory is such that she forgets items, so I worry that she may forget the reassurance that the bladder cancer is not as serious.
My Uncle Chuck called this afternoon, and was able to further encourage Dad. Uncle Chuck currently has a port installed as part of his chemotherapy, which has turned out well.
I think perhaps one of the biggest challenges remaining for my parents is dealing with the disappointment of growing older and less independent. Dad was told by the doctor he should no longer be shoveling snow, and he should take care of himself. Mom was saddened that she did not have a nice dinner on the table. I am very glad that their worries are focused on items that while are sad to realize, are very common and a normal part of aging.
The chemotherapy treatments have improved greatly over the last decade. The treatment Dad is scheduled for has been tested to show good results on older people, with little / no nausea nor pain.
Dad will get a port surgically installed. That will be put into his upper chest to allow the medicine to be more easily injected into his blood vessels.
He will have four or six months of chemotherapy, after which the bladder will be examined and possibly removed. The 4 or 6 depends on the results of a not yet scheduled CAT scan. The treatments will be one day a week getting 3 hours worth of medicine injected via the port, with a shorter visit the next day to check his status.
Dad should even be able to drive himself to and from the chemotherapy sessions! He may feel a little weak after the chemo gets into him, but should be able to get home without trouble.
Dad is looking and sounding better and better. He is still tender, but is no longer in pain. He is praising God that the he no longer has a catheter and that he can sit or ride in a car without pain.
Mom was occasionally very worried for Dad, but then was reassured. Her memory is such that she forgets items, so I worry that she may forget the reassurance that the bladder cancer is not as serious.
My Uncle Chuck called this afternoon, and was able to further encourage Dad. Uncle Chuck currently has a port installed as part of his chemotherapy, which has turned out well.
I think perhaps one of the biggest challenges remaining for my parents is dealing with the disappointment of growing older and less independent. Dad was told by the doctor he should no longer be shoveling snow, and he should take care of himself. Mom was saddened that she did not have a nice dinner on the table. I am very glad that their worries are focused on items that while are sad to realize, are very common and a normal part of aging.
Praise God for modern medicine and the kindness of medical practitioners.
Transportation challenges should improve for a while, but then what?
Dad has hopes of driving himself again fairly soon.
One of the areas wisdom will be needed is how to get Dad (and Mom) to and from all the upcoming visits to doctors. I have been able to take personal time off days so far, but I have a limited number of days. So wisdom when to take them is needed.
Mom's short term memory loss is still severe enough that it would be a concern of her driving. She forgets some things (but not everything) after a few minutes, and forgetting where she is driving to would not be good.
Dad had hoped from the outset of the expected to be outpatient surgery that he would be driving himself right away. Today the primary care physician told us that Dad can drive once some conditions are met. Dad should be pain free enough to comfortably sit to drive, and to be no longer taking the pain killing medication that also induces drowsiness.
So we have hopes now that the catheter is out, Dad will recover quickly.
However, tomorrow I imagine we will learn that the coming chemotherapy will wipe him out enough that driving again will be out of the question...
We have also considered taxis, and taxi-like services focused on medical transport. However, having had no experience, it is hard to know what would be usable.
Aunt Vera in the past has been a great help in this manner. However, her own health issues and other family obligations limited what she could do recently. Now I am hesitant to directly ask again, unless it can be part of a rotation or some other load sharing method.
Cousin Sean has already expressed willingness to help with this or other things, even while I was writing this, and it is greatly appreciated.
"Many hands make light work."
One of the areas wisdom will be needed is how to get Dad (and Mom) to and from all the upcoming visits to doctors. I have been able to take personal time off days so far, but I have a limited number of days. So wisdom when to take them is needed.
Mom's short term memory loss is still severe enough that it would be a concern of her driving. She forgets some things (but not everything) after a few minutes, and forgetting where she is driving to would not be good.
Dad had hoped from the outset of the expected to be outpatient surgery that he would be driving himself right away. Today the primary care physician told us that Dad can drive once some conditions are met. Dad should be pain free enough to comfortably sit to drive, and to be no longer taking the pain killing medication that also induces drowsiness.
So we have hopes now that the catheter is out, Dad will recover quickly.
However, tomorrow I imagine we will learn that the coming chemotherapy will wipe him out enough that driving again will be out of the question...
We have also considered taxis, and taxi-like services focused on medical transport. However, having had no experience, it is hard to know what would be usable.
Aunt Vera in the past has been a great help in this manner. However, her own health issues and other family obligations limited what she could do recently. Now I am hesitant to directly ask again, unless it can be part of a rotation or some other load sharing method.
Cousin Sean has already expressed willingness to help with this or other things, even while I was writing this, and it is greatly appreciated.
"Many hands make light work."
Dad (Harold Abbey) much more comfortable, for a while, but chemotherapy coming
Dad (Harold Abbey) had a very tough week. His bladder tumor removal
surgery on 1/21 went smoothly, but recovery has been difficult, mainly
due to a very painful catheter. Praise God that it was finally removed
today, and Dad is already able to be up and about. Previously to this
morning he could barely get out of bed, and even movement in bed was
painful. By afternoon, he was already well improved, able to have
regular conversations and sit up without pain.
However, today we learned that the evaluation from the surgery is that
Dad had a high grade cancerous tumor, and the cancer had advanced into
the muscle of the bladder. So the next step is chemotherapy, and very
likely removal of the bladder. Bladder cancer seems to be a cancer that
is often successfully treated these days. However, the delay of getting
it treated has added risk. Tomorrow, 2/7/2014, Dad will have his first
visit with an oncologist (cancer doctor) to discuss plans.
Both Mom and Dad are still adjusting to this news while also adjusting
to the very positive change of Dad's sitting up and being able to eat a
meal at the table.
Please pray that the doctors and the family have wisdom how to best
handle and prepare for the upcoming challenges.
surgery on 1/21 went smoothly, but recovery has been difficult, mainly
due to a very painful catheter. Praise God that it was finally removed
today, and Dad is already able to be up and about. Previously to this
morning he could barely get out of bed, and even movement in bed was
painful. By afternoon, he was already well improved, able to have
regular conversations and sit up without pain.
However, today we learned that the evaluation from the surgery is that
Dad had a high grade cancerous tumor, and the cancer had advanced into
the muscle of the bladder. So the next step is chemotherapy, and very
likely removal of the bladder. Bladder cancer seems to be a cancer that
is often successfully treated these days. However, the delay of getting
it treated has added risk. Tomorrow, 2/7/2014, Dad will have his first
visit with an oncologist (cancer doctor) to discuss plans.
Both Mom and Dad are still adjusting to this news while also adjusting
to the very positive change of Dad's sitting up and being able to eat a
meal at the table.
Please pray that the doctors and the family have wisdom how to best
handle and prepare for the upcoming challenges.
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