Searching for Dr. in Greece

Hi Marion,
Thank you for your quick reply. My mom, my cousins, aunts and uncles are taking care of my dad. Also there is a woman who has been hired to physically assist with him. He cannot walk to the bathroom anymore so she makes sure that he is changed and clean and also sponge bathes him. She is great and handles him with lots of care and dignity. My brother who lives in North Carolina and I are very lucky to have all these wonderful people in our lives. I get daily updates from my mom and from my Aunt Eleni (Vinny’s brother’s wife) who is assisting my mom and who lives in Greece. She has moved in with my mom, they are very close like sisters. On Monday, that is tomorrow, his doctor will come by the house to assess whether or not he is strong enough to get stents and whether or not they will benefit him. Vinny is very thin and weak and this disease seems to be progressing very rapidly. I thought that the stents would help with the pain but perhaps I was wrong on this one. At this point like you said Marion it is about Vinny’s comfort. I realize that he probably won’t last very long now, weeks maybe given my Aunt Eleni’s assessment. My family has said that his skin is starting to yellow and he is very thin. He also doesn’t have any appetite. I am a Christian and I find a lot of strength in faith and prayer. I am praying for him now and know he will soon be in a better place. Thank you so much for your continuing support and prayers. The one question my family members in Greece wanted to ask is given that Vinny is in his 80s, that he’s jaundiced and very weak, how long would he have to live roughly if he did the stents? Any feedback on this question would be greatly appreciated and thanks again!

Hi Everyone,
I hope my email finds all of you very well. I haven’t written for awhile because Vinny’s situation has gotten rapidly worse unfortunately over the last month. I am back in the States but my family which is caring for him now have been updating me on his daily status. The good news is he is definitely surrounded by people who love him, family friends, neighbors are all visiting and trying to keep his spirits up. I have a question regarding the placement of stents. He hasn’t placed them yet and yesterday my family noticed that his skin started to appear more yellowish. The doctor had said about 3 weeks ago that when he starts exhibiting signs of jaundice, that is when the stents should be placed. His billirubin level now measures at 6.95 MG-DL. Do the stents help with his pain management or can the pain be controlled with oral pain meds alone? Also if we assume that he is in the final stages of this will the pain be to much to be controlled with pain meds? is that why the doctor had said we should place the stents? At this point his pain is being controlled pretty well with the meds and he is also on Xanax to help control his anxiety. The one very good thing is that he is in his home surrounded by people who love him. At this point I think it is about trying as best as we can to keep his spirits up and to keep him as comfortable as possible. My fear about bringing him to hospital now to place the stents is that he is so weak and I don’t know if the whole process and procedure may be to much for him. My family fears that he may pass because of the physical strain on him. Also the hospitals in Greece unfortunately are not the most optimal and Vinny is in his 80s and has always been someone who is very comfortable and happy in his home. I wish I had a more positive email to share with all of you. Your support throughout this process has been tremendous and I thank all of you for your love and advice and prayers.