barbaraann
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
So sorry for your loss. I am constantly amazed at the toll this horrible disease takes – we lost so many in September, including my strong father on Sept. 5.
May God’s grace and blessings be with you in this trying time.Rank,
My heart goes out to you. We as a family were there just one month ago – seems like years in some ways. Our dad also was too weak to lie in the bed properly, and had terrible right-sided pain and back pain, so could only lie on his left side across the bed. Be very watchful, as your dad gets weaker but still tries to get up and go to the bathroom, etc. We found Dad on the floor one night, he had been there for an hour and was too weak to call for help. That’s when we decided he needed someone to stay up and awake all night for him, and also a hospital bed. He hated the idea of going in that bed, but thankfully, only had to spend 24 hours in it before he passed. We did give him some morphine drops and haldol as needed, recommended by hospice for agitation. He was very restless that last 12 hours, but couldn’t get up at all because of very low blood pressure. He also stopped communicating verbally about 10 hours before he died, but at last we found a way to communicate with him and he made known his last wishes – for quiet, calm, and low light in his room. Then when the stage was set, he simply slipped away. We were all there, surrounding him with love, and he passed peacefully with all his children in the room at his side.Dear Belle,
Your sister died just 3 days after my Dad. They are now happy and at peace together in a much better place. Thanks for sharing her with us, we are all better for having ‘met’ both of you. Sincerely,
Barbara Ann
Thanks, everyone. It’s been quite an exhausting week, just preparing for the funeral. Tomorrow starts the actual formal events – visitation, then church service. Lots of family and friends will be around. Gee, it’s such a shame it takes these kind of events to bring us all together…
Well, I’ll continue to check in with you all, and wish you all the best, especially with the Oprah campaign.
Many thanks for your support, information, helpful hints, etc., these past few months.
Sincerely,
Barbara Ann
Dear Belle,
My heart too goes out to you. My father has just begun, in the last week, to vomit every day, sometimes several times a day. Mostly phlegm and stomach secretions, as he eats practically nothing – a spoonful of jello now and again, or a few sips of Gatorade. Thank you for sharing your story, it helps those of us who are a few steps behind you know what to expect. My heaven be close at hand for both of our families’ loved ones.Barbara Ann
Hi There,
My dad had therasphere treatment at Northwestern for one large right-sided tumor, and it reduced the size substantially. Unfortunately, he has too many now on the left side and in his lungs, and is in too weak a condition to have the left side treated. His docs also followed up with Xeloda, stating that the thera and this chemo show good results used in tandem. The right side is still stable, but as I said, the left is untreatable, and the Xeloda didn’t help there.Best of luck,
Barbara AnnThanks so much to all of you. Yes, we decided that listening to what Dad wants is what we are going to do. He wants to continue fighting, but in HIS way, not anyone else’s! So all treatment is stopped for now, as Xeloda was not effective against new tumors. He’s now taking Reglan to help him eat more/control nausea. Kidney function was not good, so he needs to push fluids also. He absolutely refuses to discuss hospice care (even though the doctor thinks it’s time to call them), so we go with his wishes and wait until he is ready. Hoping all of this will calm his symptoms, give him some physical peace, and strength for what comes next.
You are all so wonderful and caring. Many many thanks!
Barbara AnnThanks, Irene. Yes, he has adequate pain relief. Stent was put in place in June. Everything just seems to have accelerated so quickly. His wife (not my mother; she died of multiple myeloma 16 years ago) is 81, and he won’t permit her to send records elsewhere (isn’t that something???) As I mentioned in my original post, they did have 3 opinions, two in Chicago and one at Mayo. The update today was that he was vomiting again, and now she can’t get any liquids down him. In some ways I think the best thing would be to get him in the hospital to stabilize and get him comfortable.
Best,
BA
