rena
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Thanks everyone for your support and wisdom! Dad is back home from the hospital and Home Hospice care is in progress. It has been a very challenging few days. Mom has come to acceptance that he may not rebound this time. He is sleeping about 90% of the day, eating vey little…etc. his blood spots his legs are from reduction in his liver function. Unfortunately there was not much the hospital could do for him at this point….which made it clear that it was truly time for Hospice.
Am struggling because I have to head home for a couple days before I can come back. I am so scared that we are going to lose him the minute I leave. I am praying that God holds him tight!
Rena
Thanks Lainy & Gavin!
Dad is not currently under hospice care. As you may recall we had a couple close calls but this time it feels different to me and I am sure that this may be the time to get it in place. Dad’s Dr’s have had the hospice team meet with him and mom a couple of times, but he was not ready.I’m bracing myself for a very tough day. I just had a long talk with mom and I can feel that she knows it is time. She is getting dressed now and then we plan to wake dad and see if we can get I’m there. If not, we agreed to call 911. He is actually sleeping peacefully right now, but I just checked his tummy, and it is even larger than it was a few hours ago and he has not moved.
I will keep you posted. Lainy if you could email the list of signs at the end that would be great. My email is renabroadnax@gmail.com.
I will touch base later today with an update. Thanks so much!
RenaI am here with dad and mom. Dad made it through Father’s Day and his birthday yesterday, however mom and I have been up all night with him. I am pretty sure that he is showing signs of liver failure ( can’t eat, vomiting, pressure in his tummy, extreme fatigue, sleeping for long hours at a time, extreme nausea, blood blotches on his lower leg, swollen stomach after just getting drained last week). He refused to go the ER an hour ago and begged mom to just let him rest for a bit. I told mom that we need to find out about his liver function so that we and his Dr’s can plan accordingly…..please tell me that I am not crazy!!! I know that we all say this…but this is such a horrible & scary roller coaster ride!
Rena
Hi Pam,
I knew I checked in tonight for a reason. God drew me here! As a mother myself and watching dad go through his struggles with the awful disease, I can not imagine the numbness you must be feeling right now. I do know that God is with you and Lauren and watching over you! Stay strong Pam! I am keeping your family in my prayers!
RenaDear Deborah, my advice would be not to give up just yet. My dad was diagnosed last Sept and he has hit some very hard speed bumps along this journey already….such that we thought we were gonna lose him three times now. He keeps rebounding and is not ready to give up the fight. He told me the other day that he is not ready to leave us! It melted my heart. Be sure to enjoy her while she is here and focus on making her days lovable and comfortable.
I’ve been off site for awhile because dad has been having the same issues as Lauren…severe swelling in his stomach, legs & feet. I did research to find out what all of the swelling meant and finally talked him into going to the ER on Saturday morning. He ended up in the hospital for a couple days. The Dr drained 5 liters of fluid from his stomach (which I knew would be the case). He is back home now but still has some swelling in the stomach. From what I understand, only 5-6 liters of fluid can be drained during a single procedure. So we are sure that if there was no max, another couple liters could have been drained. He is 18 pounds lighter from what he weighed Saturday. He had lost all ability to eat or want to eat because he would feel miserable after two bites.
I share all of this to share dad’s experience on the fluid retention. In addition a blood clot was also found in each leg. Never a dull moment…right Pam?
Well I wish Lauren all the best! She sure sounds like one tough cookie! Big Hug!
Rena
I am so sorry to hear about your father! My dad was diagnosed around the same time and your day’s journey sounds some like my dads. My dad is 68 and like yours was full of life…some say that he loves life more than anyone they know. Well that has all changed now. This disease brings so much discomfort and sadness! I am trying to prepare myself for what you are experiencing today but I an not even go there. It hurts too much!
You are so right in saying that your dad is no longer in pain! He is a peaceful place now and he can rest without the pain that had taken over his life. Stay strong and embrace your family members as you all try to work through your own pain. Sending many many prayers your way!
Rena
Kris,
Your thoughts and fears are within us all who are dealing with this ugly disease! Isn’t this a great place to share it all! In the past few days I watched my dad hit rock bottom and then decide to fight for a little more time! It was the most amazing thing to watch. I was truly amazed. Dig deep inside yourself…. You can do it! Be kind to yourself! Eat the steak, drink the wine and enjoy a nice bubble bath! You deserve it all:)
RenaClare,
I am so sorry to hear of your sister’s passing! Sending you big hugs, condolences and prayers! May her spirit live forever!!!
RenaMy dad is simply an amazing soul! Two weeks ago he crashed twice while lying on a hospital bed in the ER. The amazing Dr’s got him stabilized after draining his stomach, giving him 10 bags of blood, 9 bags of fluids, then spending 5 days in ICU and 3 days in step down. Dad decided that he was not ready to leave us yet and he fought back with a vengeance. He is back home again but still fighting several challenges…loss of appetite, severe swelling in his feet, legs and mid-section and he is sleeping tons again. I was able to spend 6 days with mom & dad during and after his hospital stay. I was so glad that I was there to support my mom and to help get dad home form the hospital. As I left for Ohio, we weren’t sure if Dad was going to pull through. I tried to prepare myself for the worst!!! With amazing grace, he jumped over another hurdle and pushes forward with hope!
Thanks for all the prayers! I made here to Ohio late yesterday and dad is still hanging in there. My brother and I ended up calling his Dr late Tuesday nite to see if there was anything else they could do or look at in regards to his internal bleeding because up to that point we didn’t have clear answers as to where it was coming from. As a result…the next morning they ended up doing an arterial scan….can you believe they found an aneurism (large) on his main artery. They determined that they could go and possibly try to repair it. After a 2nd attempt, the Dr was able to make the fix. At this point, we are waiting to see if the fix is working. The are closely monitoring his blood levels to see if the internal bleeding has stopped. However, he is still so weak, not talking or able to eat much. Seeing him lie there so helpless hurts so much! I am trying to come to peace with the fact that he very well may be at the end of his journey. We will see what the next few days bring. I am able to stay for at least a week…so glad about that! My mom and Dad’s mom really need me here right now! This is for sure the hardest thing that our family has been through! I love the quiet and peaceful moments alone with my dad! He often can share his feelings and thoughts with me that he doesn’t tell my mom in fear that she would worry.
Please keep him in your prayers and I will keep you all posted. Your hugs, prayers and encouraging words are most appreciated.Welcome Mary! It so good to hear that you have a good support team. My dad is the one with CC and just diagnosed this past September. It’s already been quite a roller coaster ride for him and he often talks about how he doesn’t think he could get through all of this without his support team around him. So with that, embrace your blessings and stay strong! You will find that this site is also a huge support!
I agree! So much talent amongst you guys! Awesome. I’m wondering if Randi has an update on her scan yet. I hope it went ok!!!
Marions…no one has mentioned a mets on his tailbone…Ummm! We did get the pain under control with pain med. he hasn’t complained much about it the past two days. I hope it stays that way. Thanks so much for your feedback! I love all the knowledge here!
RenaDad finally was released from the hospital today. On Tuesday they inserted 2 metal stents and removed his external drain tubes. After several bags of IV fluids and blood, he is back at home tonight. Of course it is hope that the stents can do the job! Poor dad has been through so much in the past few weeks. I still find it hard to believe that this disease can bring so much turmoil to lives. Dad is starting to not act like himself! It’s so sad!
I talked to my mom a bit ago and she said that dad is leaking bile out of the hole where the one drain tube used to be…can he get a break?
Hoping for some comfort for my dad in the days ahead! The holidays have always been such a joyous time for our family and we are planning to all be together to cheer up my dad. I just hope and pray that he is feeling up to it!
Rena
