Dad is still dealing with his hands and they are really splitting. He's actually oozing (not to be gross, but it's true). His throat is raw again, so eating is not really an option. He has enough trouble just getting his medication down. They are actually switching some back to I.V. form so he doesn't have to swallow it, but there are always a few stinkers that will have to be choked down, literally.
He's still on lasics (diuretics), but he looked less "puffy" today. He got up for a little walk while I was there and sat on the side of his bed for a bit. He got a new mattress that is supposed to help alleviate bed sores since he's starting to get some tender spots and a new "tushy cushion" for when he sits in a chair.
I am hoping to be able to bring the kiddos up for a very brief visit on Friday, but it will depend on how they are doing (getting over their colds) and how Dad is doing. They are chomping at the bit to see him. It's been 6 weeks and we usually don't go more than 7-10 days without seeing him and Mom. We'll see....
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Hour to Hour
It seems like this illness is an hour to hour thing. My Dad was pretty slow moving this morning, but this afternoon managed to sit in a chair for a couple hours. He sounded better when I talked to him a few minutes ago than this morning too.
The doctor had come in and they are continuing to give him more lasics (diuretics) to get some of the fluid off of him.
The doctor had come in and they are continuing to give him more lasics (diuretics) to get some of the fluid off of him.
Anyways, nothing really to report, just that one person can visit and get one experience and another can visit later and have another. Things change that fast some days. It's bizarre.
Day 33 - The Long Haul
If you haven't given up on this blog by now, you're in it for the long haul like us. I know how it is to follow somebody through their illness and it takes some fortitude to keep reading up on them sometimes. We appreciate that you are still behind us and sending up your prayers.
Went to visit Dad today. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling up to snuff and figured, why risk it? He is definitely heading back into the harder part of chemo treatment. If you remember about a week after his first series of chemo, his hands started swelling and blistering and his tongue and throat too. It was absolutely miserable. Well, he's starting to have some of those symptoms again.
His feet and hands are swollen and red (not as red as before), but they are blistering and peeling already. His mouth is starting to react again and develop the herpes sores. He's sleeping a lot and pretty lethargic right now.
The fact that he had to repeat chemo was enough of a bludgeon, but now that he's reacting the same again, it's really dragging him down a little. Once we got through the first time, we were so hoping not to have the same symptoms crop up again.
We are again waiting for his neutrophils to show up (those are the white blood cells that fight infection etc). It could be another 8-10 days, though, at least.
In the meantime, thanks for checking in and sticking it out with us.
Went to visit Dad today. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling up to snuff and figured, why risk it? He is definitely heading back into the harder part of chemo treatment. If you remember about a week after his first series of chemo, his hands started swelling and blistering and his tongue and throat too. It was absolutely miserable. Well, he's starting to have some of those symptoms again.
His feet and hands are swollen and red (not as red as before), but they are blistering and peeling already. His mouth is starting to react again and develop the herpes sores. He's sleeping a lot and pretty lethargic right now.
The fact that he had to repeat chemo was enough of a bludgeon, but now that he's reacting the same again, it's really dragging him down a little. Once we got through the first time, we were so hoping not to have the same symptoms crop up again.
We are again waiting for his neutrophils to show up (those are the white blood cells that fight infection etc). It could be another 8-10 days, though, at least.
In the meantime, thanks for checking in and sticking it out with us.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Day 31- Mizzou falls to KU, booooo!
Nothing earth shattering to report today. Mizzou lost to KU, which was a bummer. I watched some of it with Dad.
Dad was unhooked from some more of his leads and they reduced some of his medication. He's still on the antibiotics and lasics (diuretics), but came off the oxygen, which is good.
We took a little walk. He gets tired easily, still.
He is very focused on getting home and they have told him if his numbers rebound in about 11 days (which is typical), they will see if he's eating, moving around well, and holding his own and determine if he can bust out of there.
He will then come back for the bone marrow biopsy the following week or so.
Right now, we're still pushing food of any kind in his direction and just trying to moderate the boredom.
Mom has a cold and took a well earned "sick day" today, much to her dismay. Hopefully she'll kick this cold she's got and be back on board tomorrow (who am I kidding? She'll be there with gusto in the morning ordering corn flakes for Dad to choke down). Go Mom!
This holding pattern is wearing on the nerves as much as it is a lull in the action. Playing the waiting game for results is about keeping a positive attitude, redirecting your thoughts away from all the "what ifs" you're dwelling on, and focusing on the here and now. For here and for now, I'm just happy to visit with Dad as much as I can and take it one day at a time.
Thanks for the prayers and blessings to you and yours!
Dad was unhooked from some more of his leads and they reduced some of his medication. He's still on the antibiotics and lasics (diuretics), but came off the oxygen, which is good.
We took a little walk. He gets tired easily, still.
He is very focused on getting home and they have told him if his numbers rebound in about 11 days (which is typical), they will see if he's eating, moving around well, and holding his own and determine if he can bust out of there.
He will then come back for the bone marrow biopsy the following week or so.
Right now, we're still pushing food of any kind in his direction and just trying to moderate the boredom.
Mom has a cold and took a well earned "sick day" today, much to her dismay. Hopefully she'll kick this cold she's got and be back on board tomorrow (who am I kidding? She'll be there with gusto in the morning ordering corn flakes for Dad to choke down). Go Mom!
This holding pattern is wearing on the nerves as much as it is a lull in the action. Playing the waiting game for results is about keeping a positive attitude, redirecting your thoughts away from all the "what ifs" you're dwelling on, and focusing on the here and now. For here and for now, I'm just happy to visit with Dad as much as I can and take it one day at a time.
Thanks for the prayers and blessings to you and yours!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 30 - Good Day
Dad had a really good day today. He got unhooked from the heart monitor so he could really take a nap and rest. He slept a good hour and a half and when he woke up he said it felt like he'd slept all night. It felt that good!
He ate half of a sandwich and had a rootbeer float. He took a couple walks today too.
The doctor told him that if his numbers improve enough, he could potentially go home in 14 days or so. Then he would have to come back for his bone marrow biopsy as an outpatient. The neutrophils we were rooting for earlier in this journey are what we are rooting for again. We need those numbers to start increasing.
Dad is pretty focused on getting home, although, he admits, his insurance may preclude that from happening until after the biopsy - we'll see. Insurance companies are so nutso (if you work for one, of course, I don't mean Yours).
All in all, I'll take it. I'll take whatever good days we get along the way and I'll run with it. Here's to another good day tomorrow!
Keep up the prayers - so far, so good! Keep the faith and know that we all appreciate you and your support. Just knowing friends and family are out there gives us all the strength to keep on keepin' on.
Love ya!
He ate half of a sandwich and had a rootbeer float. He took a couple walks today too.
The doctor told him that if his numbers improve enough, he could potentially go home in 14 days or so. Then he would have to come back for his bone marrow biopsy as an outpatient. The neutrophils we were rooting for earlier in this journey are what we are rooting for again. We need those numbers to start increasing.
Dad is pretty focused on getting home, although, he admits, his insurance may preclude that from happening until after the biopsy - we'll see. Insurance companies are so nutso (if you work for one, of course, I don't mean Yours).
All in all, I'll take it. I'll take whatever good days we get along the way and I'll run with it. Here's to another good day tomorrow!
Keep up the prayers - so far, so good! Keep the faith and know that we all appreciate you and your support. Just knowing friends and family are out there gives us all the strength to keep on keepin' on.
Love ya!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 29 -
Not much to report today. My Dad is finally getting a little bored. He felt so bad for so long that he didn't even care, but today he said he was bored. He was lobbying for hall priveleges again on the 5th floor and wasn't making much progress when I talked to him at noon. Hopefully, he managed to get his "outback steakhouse" monitor back by this evening (that's the heart monitor that he can move around with, it's not secured to the wall, but on a beeper that looks like the buzzer you have at a restaurant while you wait for a table. He dubbed it the outback steakhouse monitor way back when), but they were still monitoring his heart rate very closely. At noon, his heart was at 72 beats per minute, down from the 144 the other night.
He was considering ordering lunch when I called, so hopefully, he did. His appetite is returning, slowly, so I'm hoping that any side effects this chemo will present won't interrupt that progressive improvement.
Keep the prayers coming and the positive thoughts. We appreciate everyone's support.
He was considering ordering lunch when I called, so hopefully, he did. His appetite is returning, slowly, so I'm hoping that any side effects this chemo will present won't interrupt that progressive improvement.
Keep the prayers coming and the positive thoughts. We appreciate everyone's support.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 28 - Room 5907
Dad finally made it to his room around 11:30 last night - ugh. Apparently, there wasn't a spare room to be had in the entire hospital. They ended up moving 3 other people around just so my Dad could be moved to this floor with better monitoring.
He's doing fine, though! His heart is getting back on track and they are pumping the potassium again (potassium helps heart function - I started taking a supplement after learning that a couple weeks ago! Can't hurt!).
He has one of my favorite nurses back on this week (Sweet Sarah, he calls her). She's awesome and really helped get him all organized this morning, while I was there. Love her!
Not much else to report - I ordered him some breakfast before I left and it hadn't come, so I hope he ate it! He sucked down the root beer I brought in no time flat, so A&W must taste alright! : )
A quick thank you to Quinn's 2nd grade class! They each made Dad Get Well Cards and they were so cute! He really loved them!
He's doing fine, though! His heart is getting back on track and they are pumping the potassium again (potassium helps heart function - I started taking a supplement after learning that a couple weeks ago! Can't hurt!).
He has one of my favorite nurses back on this week (Sweet Sarah, he calls her). She's awesome and really helped get him all organized this morning, while I was there. Love her!
Not much else to report - I ordered him some breakfast before I left and it hadn't come, so I hope he ate it! He sucked down the root beer I brought in no time flat, so A&W must taste alright! : )
A quick thank you to Quinn's 2nd grade class! They each made Dad Get Well Cards and they were so cute! He really loved them!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day 27 - A-Fib, again
Just so you know, Dad's heart went A-fib again this evening. If you look back at posts in the beginning, his heart did this then too. Because of this reaction, he has to move back to the more intensive care unit on the 5th floor. I don't have a new room number, but when I do, I'll post it.
From what my Mom said, he is totally "pissed" because he feels fine, but his vitals are all over the place. They tried to get it back to a normal rhythm with an injectable and it didn't work, so he has to go back on the cardiac drip medication and the big heart monitor once he gets to the fifth floor. That means, he'll be tethered again between all the wires and a very unhappy camper.
After the good day he was having, I'm sure this was a huge let down to him, so please send good prayers up tonight for his spirit.
The good thing is he has a lot of fans on the 5th floor in the nursing staff, so he'll be well taken care of and I told Mom, don't let them take his bed from him with that extender! She said, oh, he's already told them that! I guess he unloaded on the poor doctor too, but I'm sure he could handle it!
From what my Mom said, he is totally "pissed" because he feels fine, but his vitals are all over the place. They tried to get it back to a normal rhythm with an injectable and it didn't work, so he has to go back on the cardiac drip medication and the big heart monitor once he gets to the fifth floor. That means, he'll be tethered again between all the wires and a very unhappy camper.
After the good day he was having, I'm sure this was a huge let down to him, so please send good prayers up tonight for his spirit.
The good thing is he has a lot of fans on the 5th floor in the nursing staff, so he'll be well taken care of and I told Mom, don't let them take his bed from him with that extender! She said, oh, he's already told them that! I guess he unloaded on the poor doctor too, but I'm sure he could handle it!
Day 27 - New Low for WBC's
I know I keep reporting on my Dad's food habits, but it is something we can focus on and try to work with. He did really well today in that area - taking in a shake, some sprite, water, half a burger shot from Burger King and some Jello. He even has plans to bust out an ice cream or popsicle this afternoon!
He took a walk which is great, since it's been a few days.
His chemo is done, he's on fluids still, (and feeling the effects of those, too). He still has the oxygen in his nose and runs an intermittent fever here and there. He looked good, sounded good, and was good today.
One of the many chaplains (Episcopalian) came in before I left and the poor man, he was doing his best to "counsel" or ask how Dad was doing and what was going on - but oh my gosh - he overstayed by like 9 of the 10 minutes he was there. It was very nice, but a little weird. When the nurse came in to do some bloodwork, he just moved around her (that would have been the perfect time to make an exit, but no). People are interesting, aren't they?
The nurse we have right now is a soccer player, blond, tall, and really nice. Her name is Jenny. She's a keeper. I think Dad has her wrapped around his finger, of course, what nurse hasn't he managed to wrap!? He's a charmer.
One final bit - Dad's white blood cells hit a new low yesterday at .1 - he will get two units of blood this afternoon.
Keep up the prayers and good thoughts! Quinn's class made Grandpa a whole mess of Get Well cards so I have that to take up tomorrow! : )
He took a walk which is great, since it's been a few days.
His chemo is done, he's on fluids still, (and feeling the effects of those, too). He still has the oxygen in his nose and runs an intermittent fever here and there. He looked good, sounded good, and was good today.
One of the many chaplains (Episcopalian) came in before I left and the poor man, he was doing his best to "counsel" or ask how Dad was doing and what was going on - but oh my gosh - he overstayed by like 9 of the 10 minutes he was there. It was very nice, but a little weird. When the nurse came in to do some bloodwork, he just moved around her (that would have been the perfect time to make an exit, but no). People are interesting, aren't they?
The nurse we have right now is a soccer player, blond, tall, and really nice. Her name is Jenny. She's a keeper. I think Dad has her wrapped around his finger, of course, what nurse hasn't he managed to wrap!? He's a charmer.
One final bit - Dad's white blood cells hit a new low yesterday at .1 - he will get two units of blood this afternoon.
Keep up the prayers and good thoughts! Quinn's class made Grandpa a whole mess of Get Well cards so I have that to take up tomorrow! : )
Monday, March 1, 2010
Day 26 - Round 2 - Day 5 of Chemo
Tonight the fifth dose of chemo will run through my Dad. His kidneys are holding their own and his blood work looks pretty similar to a few weeks ago. His white blood cells are down to .2 still and he's getting blood and platlets every couple days to boost his redblood cells. Yesterday evening, he did get blood transfused, but no platelets. The last dose of platelets he got a couple days ago boosted him from a 7 up to a 27 - which is awesome. We want to track that donor down, thank them, and then ask for more!
I brought Dad a Steak N Shake child size shake this morning for breakfast and he did really well with it. He had already sucked down a V-8 before I got there around 9:20am. He is experiencing some eye pain over the right eye. He says it feels like a sinus headache. They are giving tylenol to help with that, but no one has said if that's a side effect or if we should be concerned.
One of the doctors on rotation today stopped in (Dr. Boyer). He just introduced himself and said he was meeting with the rest of the crew at 10:00am and they would come by later with any changes they determined should be made with his case.
After tonight's dose of chemo, we wait. The next three weeks will be long and arduous while we see if any side effects develop from this round and wait for Dad's immune system to rebuild. At the end of that three weeks, he'll have another bone marrow test - that will tell us what happens next. Until then, one day at a time! Welcome to March- I'm hoping it is much better than February!
Keep visiting, keep mailing cards, and email him too - I am bringing up the laptop so he can check emails - My Mom is also checking them at home.
I brought Dad a Steak N Shake child size shake this morning for breakfast and he did really well with it. He had already sucked down a V-8 before I got there around 9:20am. He is experiencing some eye pain over the right eye. He says it feels like a sinus headache. They are giving tylenol to help with that, but no one has said if that's a side effect or if we should be concerned.
One of the doctors on rotation today stopped in (Dr. Boyer). He just introduced himself and said he was meeting with the rest of the crew at 10:00am and they would come by later with any changes they determined should be made with his case.
After tonight's dose of chemo, we wait. The next three weeks will be long and arduous while we see if any side effects develop from this round and wait for Dad's immune system to rebuild. At the end of that three weeks, he'll have another bone marrow test - that will tell us what happens next. Until then, one day at a time! Welcome to March- I'm hoping it is much better than February!
Keep visiting, keep mailing cards, and email him too - I am bringing up the laptop so he can check emails - My Mom is also checking them at home.
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