Dad looked and sounded much better this afternoon.
His cancer doctor mentioned the possibility (likelihood?) of him being sent to a nursing home / rehab center after getting out of the hospital. Both Mom and Dad are saddened by that idea, but seem to be accepting of it. Dad's main concern is confirming if it would be covered by their health insurance. A secondary hope is to get to a desirable place.
Dad was put on a liquid diet, due to his still vomiting. Even with a liquid meal, he still had trouble keeping food down.
Dad dehydrated enough that admitted to hospital.
Dad was weak again today. This late morning he drank some water, and a nutrition drink. A bit later I asked him to try some more water. He said he felt nauseous, but I encouraged him to try a bit more. He did, and a bit later he thew up. So much for getting the nutrition drink and pills he had earlier.
The raised toilet seat had been helping a lot. The main challenge in that area has been that Dad has developed painful hemorrhoids.
Eventually, we went to the chemo doctor, and doctor felt the dehydration was serious enough to admit Dad to the hospital. So Dad is at St. John South Macomb hospital again.
Transportation mostly solved; nutrition good recently, but still a concern.
Yesterday afternoon Dad, in despair, called me over to the house to help. He wanted help cleaning himself and getting food and water.
I was able to help some.
Also he was able to have a breakfast drink this morning, a sandwich for lunch, and a reasonable dinner.
Today he also got a raised toilet seat that goes over the existing toilet.
Dad was also able to get up from the toilet seat unassisted after the placement of a seat riser on the toilet.
The physical therapist was there, and seemed to feel Dad would have enough strength to do his business unassisted.
His cancer doctor today thought he looked a lot better, mainly because of his body posture reflecting his less pain and more strength. Chemotherapy is continuing Wednesday.
Dad had felt weak enough that he decided to ask the Doctor for a walker. Doctor felt that Dad should not give in yet to getting more of that type of help, and that for now he should keep using a cane.
As part of the visit to the doctor, the hired help came along to learn where the doctor's office was, and the procedure that had been used to transport Dad.
It looks like the hired help will be a huge help for transportation. They helped Dad down the stairs safely, and were able to drive Mom's car home without any concerns.
Dad requested, and the hired help agreed, to also try their vehicle to see if it works better for them than Mom's car.
They will cost slightly more than taxi service, be much more helpful with steps in and out, and be understanding of the situation. Also, riding in Mom's car is much more comfortable for Dad than one of the taxis he was in one-and-a-half weeks ago.
Mom did not question today Dad getting a ride from someone else, nor that she would get a ride tomorrow to her doctor's appointment. Now that the arrangements are being made in somewhat of a whirlwind, she does not even seem to be asking the question of why, and why does she need help driving. Hopefully the question will not come to her mind, or be answered sufficiently in some non-threatening way.
There is still a concern of Dad getting water and nourishment. We are still working for agreements and arrangements so hired help can work to help with that as well. Alternatively, if Dad can gain enough strength to get himself to the refrigerator and table himself, maybe the hired help will not need to worry about that part.
So praise God for the extra help, and Dad's improvement of today anyway.
I was able to help some.
Also he was able to have a breakfast drink this morning, a sandwich for lunch, and a reasonable dinner.
Today he also got a raised toilet seat that goes over the existing toilet.
Dad was also able to get up from the toilet seat unassisted after the placement of a seat riser on the toilet.
The physical therapist was there, and seemed to feel Dad would have enough strength to do his business unassisted.
His cancer doctor today thought he looked a lot better, mainly because of his body posture reflecting his less pain and more strength. Chemotherapy is continuing Wednesday.
Dad had felt weak enough that he decided to ask the Doctor for a walker. Doctor felt that Dad should not give in yet to getting more of that type of help, and that for now he should keep using a cane.
As part of the visit to the doctor, the hired help came along to learn where the doctor's office was, and the procedure that had been used to transport Dad.
It looks like the hired help will be a huge help for transportation. They helped Dad down the stairs safely, and were able to drive Mom's car home without any concerns.
Dad requested, and the hired help agreed, to also try their vehicle to see if it works better for them than Mom's car.
They will cost slightly more than taxi service, be much more helpful with steps in and out, and be understanding of the situation. Also, riding in Mom's car is much more comfortable for Dad than one of the taxis he was in one-and-a-half weeks ago.
Mom did not question today Dad getting a ride from someone else, nor that she would get a ride tomorrow to her doctor's appointment. Now that the arrangements are being made in somewhat of a whirlwind, she does not even seem to be asking the question of why, and why does she need help driving. Hopefully the question will not come to her mind, or be answered sufficiently in some non-threatening way.
There is still a concern of Dad getting water and nourishment. We are still working for agreements and arrangements so hired help can work to help with that as well. Alternatively, if Dad can gain enough strength to get himself to the refrigerator and table himself, maybe the hired help will not need to worry about that part.
So praise God for the extra help, and Dad's improvement of today anyway.
Dr. Kent Brantly discharge statement shows a willing servant of God.
Praise God for His servants who are willing to risk their lives for the chance to save others' physical and spiritual lives.
I think these heroes need to be publicized, as this is a respectable American Dream.
May God continue to bless the world through America.
May God give wisdom to the medical and spiritual help from so many nations currently trying to help western Africa deal with this disease.
Dr. Kent Brantly's statements are available in text or in the video below.
I think these heroes need to be publicized, as this is a respectable American Dream.
May God continue to bless the world through America.
May God give wisdom to the medical and spiritual help from so many nations currently trying to help western Africa deal with this disease.
Dr. Kent Brantly's statements are available in text or in the video below.
Dad was weak from dehydration, chemo, maybe hunger. Still weak but sounds better. Hired help.
Wednesday on 8/13, when I had previously seen Dad, he seemed to be doing OK and taking some care of self in regards to liquids and eating.
On Monday, 8/18, Dad seemed very weak before we went to his chemo doctor's appointment.
Dad, if I read the scale right and remember right, lost over 5 pounds in one week. He no longer has extra weight to lose. Dad mentioned that he needs to eat more than the one meal a day he had been getting. The nurse also confirmed my suspicions that he was dehydrated. They gave him some fluids intravenously.
His tongue was dry and sore (likely in part due to dehydration). That made drinking and eating all the more difficult. Doctor gave him some medicine to numb his mouth to make eating and drinking easier. It seemed to help, but Dad barely had the strength and motivation to eat just a little bit. I am hoping that what he did eat, the fluid shots, and nutrition drinks, will revive him. I am also hoping that the home care will also help once set up. His visiting nurse will be sure to check and discuss nutrition and drinking fluids with Dad when she visits tomorrow, 8/21.
The meeting with Affordable HomeCare went well. Dad decided to sign up, and Mom did not protest. The first session is Monday, 8/25/2014.
Affordable HomeCare is willing to help with transportation, grocery shopping, and much more. The limiting factor is more likely to be my parents than their willingness. The main limitation is anything remotely medical is not allowed. They will start out with a plan for primarily transportation related days / activities. I have hopes that my parents will get more comfortable with other items such as pill reminders, dish washing, laundry, whatever my parents will accept.
Dad yesterday was talking positively of the service. Mom seemed OK with it until Dad suggested, among other things, that they could do grocery shopping for them. She was very upset with that idea. Cousin Sean tried to convince her that they will not do anything she does not want. They will treat her like a rock star. During the introduction meeting we had mentioned them going shopping with her, and taking over when she gets tired. That was fine. But she does not want to stop going to the grocery store. That is her time away from the house. Thankfully, the HomeCare team seem to understand the desires of people to do as much as they can, and only be there to help as requested.
Dad is having trouble getting up from seats. Including toilet seats.
Monday night, 8/18, after waiting for 3 hours of Dad trying to get himself up, Mom finally called the fire department to help.
We are awaiting a toilet seat booster on back-order from a catalog, currently estimated for end of the month. Cousin Sean said he might be able to get one from a relative who no longer needs it.
Yesterday he was able to get up out of seats three or four times with great effort. However, the 5th time he needed Cousin Sean's help.
Mom's surgery for her nose skin cancer went well yesterday, 8/19.
She has a big bandage on her nose. She feels kind of awkward about it. She is self-conscious and is not crazy about going outside with it, since she looks funny in her opinion. She should keep it on for 48 hours.
On Monday, 8/18, Dad seemed very weak before we went to his chemo doctor's appointment.
Dad, if I read the scale right and remember right, lost over 5 pounds in one week. He no longer has extra weight to lose. Dad mentioned that he needs to eat more than the one meal a day he had been getting. The nurse also confirmed my suspicions that he was dehydrated. They gave him some fluids intravenously.
His tongue was dry and sore (likely in part due to dehydration). That made drinking and eating all the more difficult. Doctor gave him some medicine to numb his mouth to make eating and drinking easier. It seemed to help, but Dad barely had the strength and motivation to eat just a little bit. I am hoping that what he did eat, the fluid shots, and nutrition drinks, will revive him. I am also hoping that the home care will also help once set up. His visiting nurse will be sure to check and discuss nutrition and drinking fluids with Dad when she visits tomorrow, 8/21.
The meeting with Affordable HomeCare went well. Dad decided to sign up, and Mom did not protest. The first session is Monday, 8/25/2014.
Affordable HomeCare is willing to help with transportation, grocery shopping, and much more. The limiting factor is more likely to be my parents than their willingness. The main limitation is anything remotely medical is not allowed. They will start out with a plan for primarily transportation related days / activities. I have hopes that my parents will get more comfortable with other items such as pill reminders, dish washing, laundry, whatever my parents will accept.
Dad yesterday was talking positively of the service. Mom seemed OK with it until Dad suggested, among other things, that they could do grocery shopping for them. She was very upset with that idea. Cousin Sean tried to convince her that they will not do anything she does not want. They will treat her like a rock star. During the introduction meeting we had mentioned them going shopping with her, and taking over when she gets tired. That was fine. But she does not want to stop going to the grocery store. That is her time away from the house. Thankfully, the HomeCare team seem to understand the desires of people to do as much as they can, and only be there to help as requested.
Dad is having trouble getting up from seats. Including toilet seats.
Monday night, 8/18, after waiting for 3 hours of Dad trying to get himself up, Mom finally called the fire department to help.
We are awaiting a toilet seat booster on back-order from a catalog, currently estimated for end of the month. Cousin Sean said he might be able to get one from a relative who no longer needs it.
Yesterday he was able to get up out of seats three or four times with great effort. However, the 5th time he needed Cousin Sean's help.
Mom's surgery for her nose skin cancer went well yesterday, 8/19.
She has a big bandage on her nose. She feels kind of awkward about it. She is self-conscious and is not crazy about going outside with it, since she looks funny in her opinion. She should keep it on for 48 hours.
Taxi working for my Dad; Also considering hired home care help.
Dad has taken a taxi 3 times now. He is OK with taking one to and from his blood test tomorrow. He does still feel it is expensive, and is tempted to try driving.
Mom has not ridden with him, and also has not thrown as much of a temper tantrum about it as she did in the past.
Dad and Mom both seem to be doing OK, but both wish they could do more physically.
Monday, 8/18/2014 PM I have invited a home care help service to the house to offer more help to my parents. Basically, I expect they will give their sales pitch to Dad and Mom. We will see if Mom is accepting of it... Dad is not too hopeful, based on how Mom has forced away so much of the help that was offered by family. However, Cousin Sean and I can not spend all our time over there. I also worry that Dad will feel it is too expensive, as the service is not cheap. However, I think it is a good option for near term transportation needs, and gives more options if they ever need more extensive help in the future. Also, considering all they are willing to do, the price seems not unreasonable for hired help.
Mom today asked me if I was in trouble at work. She then asked why the work does not realize that I have family that needs help. She does not seem to understand how much time I have already been spending, how much time is still needed for many more months, and that workplaces can not just keep fully paying employees forever for only working half time. I have been very thankful at the flexibility and understanding my workplace has already given.
Mom has not ridden with him, and also has not thrown as much of a temper tantrum about it as she did in the past.
Dad and Mom both seem to be doing OK, but both wish they could do more physically.
Monday, 8/18/2014 PM I have invited a home care help service to the house to offer more help to my parents. Basically, I expect they will give their sales pitch to Dad and Mom. We will see if Mom is accepting of it... Dad is not too hopeful, based on how Mom has forced away so much of the help that was offered by family. However, Cousin Sean and I can not spend all our time over there. I also worry that Dad will feel it is too expensive, as the service is not cheap. However, I think it is a good option for near term transportation needs, and gives more options if they ever need more extensive help in the future. Also, considering all they are willing to do, the price seems not unreasonable for hired help.
Mom today asked me if I was in trouble at work. She then asked why the work does not realize that I have family that needs help. She does not seem to understand how much time I have already been spending, how much time is still needed for many more months, and that workplaces can not just keep fully paying employees forever for only working half time. I have been very thankful at the flexibility and understanding my workplace has already given.
Much bickering, but seems healthy physically.
Today there were quite a few bickering and arguments between my parents and sometimes myself. However, some times of relative peace too. So both of them have some degree of energy and health.
Dad's chemo is going uneventfully.
Below is mainly just rambling on on emotional health. Physical health of them both is pretty much unchanged.
Dad's chemo is going uneventfully.
Below is mainly just rambling on on emotional health. Physical health of them both is pretty much unchanged.
Dad is home, and to restart chemo.
Dad decided to go home rather than to a rehab nursing home, mainly because the health insurance would cover either chemotherapy or nursing home, but not both. If Dad is healthy enough to go out to chemo treatments, he is too healthy for the nursing home. Dad chose to continue the chemo treatments, which restart Friday, 8/8/2014.
Mom is very glad to have Dad at home again.
Dad's back was hurting him quite severely tonight, which he attributes to having been stuck in bed a lot at the hospital. He is focused on regaining strength by eating 3 meals a day. He is hoping Mom will wake him up when she gets up, and then he'll be able to eat all 3 meals at fairly normal times. Because Dad has no appetite, he has to force himself to eat, which takes a lot longer (an hour for a peanut butter sandwich), but he gets the food down.
While Dad is very thankful for the help he got at the hospital, he told the staff as he left that he hopes to come next time as a visitor rather than as a patient.
Mom is very glad to have Dad at home again.
Dad's back was hurting him quite severely tonight, which he attributes to having been stuck in bed a lot at the hospital. He is focused on regaining strength by eating 3 meals a day. He is hoping Mom will wake him up when she gets up, and then he'll be able to eat all 3 meals at fairly normal times. Because Dad has no appetite, he has to force himself to eat, which takes a lot longer (an hour for a peanut butter sandwich), but he gets the food down.
While Dad is very thankful for the help he got at the hospital, he told the staff as he left that he hopes to come next time as a visitor rather than as a patient.
Dad much better, and considering nursing home for next step. Mom feels home spooky alone.
Dad looks and is much better, both physically and emotionally.
Dad's doctor asked what he thought about spending some time in a rest home. Dad thinks it might help. So Dad is thinking of going to a rehab/nursing home until he can take care of himself. He feels he tried going home and having Mom take care of him, but she & he could not handle it. Mom felt sad that she could not. She could understand that she was not giving him good cooked meals, and blames herself some for that. She could not understand so well that Dad needed to be woken up to get pills and meals at certain times of day. In her words, when she tried that, Dad bit her head off. We said that the nursing home workers have thicker skin.
Dad's doctor asked what he thought about spending some time in a rest home. Dad thinks it might help. So Dad is thinking of going to a rehab/nursing home until he can take care of himself. He feels he tried going home and having Mom take care of him, but she & he could not handle it. Mom felt sad that she could not. She could understand that she was not giving him good cooked meals, and blames herself some for that. She could not understand so well that Dad needed to be woken up to get pills and meals at certain times of day. In her words, when she tried that, Dad bit her head off. We said that the nursing home workers have thicker skin.
Dad hospitalized due to dehydration and nausea
Dad had not left bed the last couple days. His cold and sickness had not gotten better. He said he had not been getting food or drink either. However, he also said that he had spilled his water earlier that day. So I am not completely sure. In any case, his nausea resulted in him missing his pills for a couple days.
Mom called me to visit at Dad's request today. Dad had a pain in his side, and wanted a nurse's opinion. He feared a problem with the stent between his bladder and kidney.
The nurse, by phone, hearing the symptoms suspected at least dehydration, and recommended taking Dad to the hospital. The nurse also (as others have done) expressed how sweet my parents were. The nurse was one that had treated my mother at rehab, and was key in my parents selecting their home nursing service. So I was able to tell the nurse my parents had been greatly appreciating her help.
So Dad was admitted, and due to the nausea not allowing him to keep food down, he will be there at least overnight.
His white blood cell count is high, so the doctor fears it is a sign of infection. However it could also be due to his chemo treatments. They took some scans to try to identify the pain in the side, and if the stent was OK.
Once he got some intravenous fluid in him, he started to look better. He also seemed in less pain and discomfort from nausea by the time we left. He still was disheartened, and feels no use to Mom. One of the items given was methylphenidate (Ritalin), which was given last time to Dad in the hospital, in an attempt to help him feel happier. Dad generally dislikes drugs with main purpose of mood altering, and his regular doctor told him he did not have to take it anymore. However, being his typical (get the most for the money)
self, he said he would keep taking it until the bottle he had was emptied.
Mom tried to encourage him that she still wants him around. She did her best to express to him that she still loves him dearly. Dad in return tried to encourage her to take care of herself and not to worry about him.
Mom called me to visit at Dad's request today. Dad had a pain in his side, and wanted a nurse's opinion. He feared a problem with the stent between his bladder and kidney.
The nurse, by phone, hearing the symptoms suspected at least dehydration, and recommended taking Dad to the hospital. The nurse also (as others have done) expressed how sweet my parents were. The nurse was one that had treated my mother at rehab, and was key in my parents selecting their home nursing service. So I was able to tell the nurse my parents had been greatly appreciating her help.
So Dad was admitted, and due to the nausea not allowing him to keep food down, he will be there at least overnight.
His white blood cell count is high, so the doctor fears it is a sign of infection. However it could also be due to his chemo treatments. They took some scans to try to identify the pain in the side, and if the stent was OK.
Once he got some intravenous fluid in him, he started to look better. He also seemed in less pain and discomfort from nausea by the time we left. He still was disheartened, and feels no use to Mom. One of the items given was methylphenidate (Ritalin), which was given last time to Dad in the hospital, in an attempt to help him feel happier. Dad generally dislikes drugs with main purpose of mood altering, and his regular doctor told him he did not have to take it anymore. However, being his typical (get the most for the money)
self, he said he would keep taking it until the bottle he had was emptied.
Mom tried to encourage him that she still wants him around. She did her best to express to him that she still loves him dearly. Dad in return tried to encourage her to take care of herself and not to worry about him.
Dad surviving a cold.
It seems my parents are basically the same, with same or very similar challenges.
Dad is weaker again, perhaps due to a cold that he has been fighting. The cold seems to be breaking up, but he is weakened. His back was also bothering him for an unknown reason.
Dad is weaker again, perhaps due to a cold that he has been fighting. The cold seems to be breaking up, but he is weakened. His back was also bothering him for an unknown reason.
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