This morning my mother took my father to see the Dr. Boo and crew at the Rural Health Clinic. Turns out he has slight pneumonia so they prescribed him an antibiotic. They found his oxygen levels are low - 80% - so Airway Medical brought over an oxygen tank for him to use with his trach. Some of the inflammation in his face has gone down and the oxygen seems to be helping him have a little more energy. The pain is ever-present. This nights are tougher than the mornings...
My cousin Dion made a good point tonight - through all of this, my fathers written communications (e.g. notes, texts) have maintained an upbeat attitude. Instead of constant complaining, he often tries to be humorous.
Thanks for the positivity D.
Showing posts with label medication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medication. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
More Doctor Visits
Sorry I'm writing this about a week late (I was in the middle of a move)... The appointments actually occurred last Wednesday, August 11 at the CBCC in Bakersfield.
First was Dr. Shambaugh, who didn't have too much to say but did a quick exam. My father's main concern is coping with pain and he asked about medications. He did not care for the Duragesic patches because of the side effects so he's back to taking Percocet and Tylenol. Shambaugh suggested the time-released Percocet (although it's a huge tablet to shove through the feeding tube) but it definitely cannot be crushed or broken into parts so that will be an experiment. He said as long as there's not more than 1 "cook in the kitchen," (in terms of types of medication), everything else should be fine.
We were supposed to see Dr. Gorla next but things were backed up so we went ahead and made Trang's appointment on time. Trang was very positive overall. He said it looks much better inside the mouth than expected. He said before it looked like an "atomic bomb went off in there" and he couldn't tell the difference between what was an ulcer and what was cancer. He said during this phase of palliative care, my dad is "living a meaningful life." Of course, it's not exactly a happy stage but he said he's happy with the status - he really felt that my father chose the right path to follow rather than having Trang attempt a "heroic surgery." He said, "Just because I can remove cancer doesn't mean I should" because of the larger picture and ramifications. He was very impressed that my dad drove to Bakersfield from Bishop that day and has all his license and registration paperwork completed so that he can ride his Harley again! :-)
Finally, Dr. Gorla briefly met with us. He was positive as well - noting the significant weight gain of my father and said the tumor was a lot smaller.
In about 3 months (November), my dad is scheduled for another set of PET and CAT scans. These can prognosticate how long, perhaps... He won't meet with Gorla for another 6 months.
First was Dr. Shambaugh, who didn't have too much to say but did a quick exam. My father's main concern is coping with pain and he asked about medications. He did not care for the Duragesic patches because of the side effects so he's back to taking Percocet and Tylenol. Shambaugh suggested the time-released Percocet (although it's a huge tablet to shove through the feeding tube) but it definitely cannot be crushed or broken into parts so that will be an experiment. He said as long as there's not more than 1 "cook in the kitchen," (in terms of types of medication), everything else should be fine.
We were supposed to see Dr. Gorla next but things were backed up so we went ahead and made Trang's appointment on time. Trang was very positive overall. He said it looks much better inside the mouth than expected. He said before it looked like an "atomic bomb went off in there" and he couldn't tell the difference between what was an ulcer and what was cancer. He said during this phase of palliative care, my dad is "living a meaningful life." Of course, it's not exactly a happy stage but he said he's happy with the status - he really felt that my father chose the right path to follow rather than having Trang attempt a "heroic surgery." He said, "Just because I can remove cancer doesn't mean I should" because of the larger picture and ramifications. He was very impressed that my dad drove to Bakersfield from Bishop that day and has all his license and registration paperwork completed so that he can ride his Harley again! :-)
Finally, Dr. Gorla briefly met with us. He was positive as well - noting the significant weight gain of my father and said the tumor was a lot smaller.
In about 3 months (November), my dad is scheduled for another set of PET and CAT scans. These can prognosticate how long, perhaps... He won't meet with Gorla for another 6 months.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3-29-10 and 3-30-10
3-29-10 - Day 11 of Radiation
As I walked in the CBCC (Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center) I was greeted by receptionists who seemed resistant to connect me with a medical social worker. Many thanks to Kathleen Stout, a cancer survivor, for recommending this route because I think she will be a great advocate for my father. Unfortunately it was not so easy, no thanks to the CBCC front office staff, to get connected with her.
After the medication messup (having him crush up time-released capsules of pain medicine to put in his feeding tube to a point of dosage that could have killed him until finally he noticed the pharmacy put on a "do not crush this pill" tab) and lack of communication between the different doctors, I do not feel confident about the capabilities of some CBCC staff. So we shall proceed carefully as they seem to expect us to take the reins and make things happen.
Elle, the radiation nurse, was very kind and helpful in answering my list of questions. She was efficient about prescribing the medications my dad requested and encouraging him to try the Duragesic pads for pain instead of messing with crushing Motrin and Tylenol.
3-30-10 - Day 12 of Radiation
Staci had a breakthrough with the chemotherapy department today, thanks to her and Shannon, the social worker.
His first, and maybe only, chemotherapy appointment is scheduled for Thursday, April 1. The family orientation is at 8:00. Aunt Linda and Staci are planning/ hoping to go.
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