jennifers
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Dad is in the hospital now. Apparently there’s a pretty good chance the procedure won’t get done until next week some time, but at least he’s where he needs to be… hopefully this can be figured out quickly and we find that it was just the drain and nothing more serious (not that this isn’t serious on it’s own)!! Thanks for the comments Kristin and Betsy – I appreciate it!! Will keep you updated.
Jennifer
No temperature at all. Glad to hear you’ve been given anesthesia, because I really don’t understand why they would put him through that without SOMETHING! Hopefully he hears from the hospital today and gets in today or tomorrow… we all agree that this needs to be handled ASAP.
Thanks so much for the feedback… makes me feel a bit better that others have had issues with the drain and maybe I don’t automatically have to go into “worst case scenario” mode so quickly!!
Jen
Thank you so mch Kristin!!
That sounds like what’s going on – his tummy is swollen, and last night (for instance), we had lasagna for dinner and not 15 minutes later you could see lasagna remnents coming through!
They will be calling him as soon as their is a bed and keeping him as an in-patient — procedures tend to get done much quicker here if you are taking up a bed in the hospital… sad but true! Hopefully he gets a call today to go in.
Another question — are you put under or given some sort of sedation when they put in the drain? Dad has been completely awake both times, and it’s an agonizing procedure for him, so I think he’s really dreading having to get it done again. He said he thinks they need him to be awake so he can manipulate his tummy muscles a bit to help them get it in, but I’m just wondering what the norm is there… seems a bit cruel to me!Merilee – I am so very sorry for your loss. Keep his memories in your heart and know he is watching over you and your family, and always will be. I hope you can find some peace knowing he is no longer suffering. I am thinking of you and your family….
Jen
I am so sorry for your loss. Keep his memories in your heart and know that he will be with you always.
Thinking and praying for you and your family…
Jen
Ash – just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you. Dad was diagnosed in January with inoperable CC, which means we have no idea how long we have left with him. I know exactly what you mean about not being able to stop the tears, and not knowing how you really feel. It gets better… once there is a plan, even if you know that the plan won’t keep your Dad with you forever, really does make you feel better. You will have your days when if feels like the world is ending, but those days are all part of the process, I think. Please just know that you have people all over the world thinking of you and praying for you and your family.
Jen
I am so very very sorry for your loss, and can only imagine how difficult things are for you right now. Keep your memories close to your heart, and know that he is with you every second of every day. There are many people all over the world who are thinking of you and have you, your family, and your beloved father in their prayers tonight.
Jen
I just realized I never responded to your question about dad’s chemo. They planned to start with 8 rounds of treatment. It’s one week high dose, one week low dose, one week off. He’s had 3 rounds so far, and it’s not going too bad. The high dose week isn’t much fun for him – they give him steroids, so the first few days (when he’s on them), he has more energy and isn’t feeling too bad. By the third day after the treatment, he’s tired, and not feeling well at all. Sleeps almost all the time. That lasts 2-3 days. His low dose week isn’t nearly as bad… a few days of feeling “off” and then he’s fine. His week off is heavenly in comparison. Still tires easily, and isn’t always feeling 100%, but still much better. He still has his hair, but it’s thinned considerably, and will probably all be gone eventually… same goes for the eyebrows.
His blood tests have all been fine since the chemo started. We were concerned that with an external drain, there would be a greater chance for infection, but so far so good! He eats what he wants… the fat doesn’t bother him, so he gets as much of it as he’s willing to take!
On other news, it sounds like he may be willing to travel with us in June to Newfoundland (where he was born) to visit family for a week, with quick stop overs in Nova Scotia and Ontario to visit some family and friends… we’ve never all gone together, and I think it would be an amazing trip, so really hope he decides he’s up for it. He just wants to talk to the doctors and make sure it will be okay first, and then we will plan it for the end of his low dose week and week off so he’s feeling at his best for the trip. He’s not a spontaneous kind of guy at the best of times, so I don’t imagine it will be a quick decision for him to make!
I hope your goal to make it to Hungary comes true – I think it’s a great thing to focus on. Dad has also been big on goals since he was diagnosed. He really didn’t think he had long at the beginning, so his first few were cute and funny… he was diagnosed at the end of January and his first goal was “I’d like to see the opening ceremonies of the olympics”, and then “well, I’m still doing okay, so now I’d like to make it long enough to see the CLOSING ceremonies”… ha ha. Anything for them to focus on is a great thing.
Thinking of you and your Dad Dianne… I know where you are and how you are feeling – almost exactly. It’s not a fun place to be, but it’s great that you are able to be there for him. Praying you get good news from the oncologist about treatment.
Jen
Dianne – I’m in Alberta (calgary), and Dad’s only option was chemo – he’s on the same combo as most people on this site (gem/cis I believe). He is doing okay with it… a few days of feeling okay afterwords (probably due to the steroids he takes post treatment), then a few days of being pretty exhausted and feeling “off”. We have no idea if it’s helping to slow things down or not… he hasn’t been offered another CT, so unless he starts feeling more pain, I think he will continue with the treatment.
The external drain certainly isn’t ideal, since none of the bile is going through his system so he’s lost a lot of weight. He also does not eat very much at all – feels full very quickly, so tries to eat smaller amounts throughout the day.
I hope you and your father can find a treatment plan that you are comfortable with and that works for him… it’s sure not much fun watching them go through what they are, and going through what we are as grieving daughters…Dianne,
No suggestions, just want you to know that I am going through something quite similar with my Dad who was diagnosed in January (also inoperable tumour, but he unfortunately has an external drain, rather then a stent). Thinking of you and praying he can take that trip before the chemo! I also hope chemo helps slow things down so you can have what I know is very very precious – more time.Jen
I’m sorry to hear your news heather – thinking and praying for you and for your sister, and hoping you are able to make a few more beautiful memories together with whatever time she has left.
Jennifer
I am so sorry that your Mom is having such a hard time – please try to take care of yourself, as hard as that may be right now. I will be thinking and praying for you all – I hope your meeting goes well today.
Jen
