Still Not Regulated...

Well, unfortunately, the two to three days that Dad was supposed to be in the hospital for has now turned into six. The doctors and nurses are having some trouble regulating his blood sugar and still don't have it at a low enough level to let him come home. It's definitely lower than when he was admitted last Wednesday night, but still not at an acceptable level for Mom to manage it at home. So far, there's no word from the doctor on how long it might be before they do get it regulated.

Dad has also developed a cold in the last couple days and was started on some antibiotics for it yesterday. We've all been taking turns visiting with him and he seems pretty comfortable so far. Mom got a phone put into his room yesterday, so we can now call in, although Dad isn't able to call out at all - probably a good thing, or he'd be racking up a pretty large phone bill, I'm sure! Jared stopped in this morning for a few minutes before heading to his practicum and as he was leaving, the physical therapist was coming in to get Dad up and walking around for a while.

Hopefully we will have more answers soon as to when Dad might be coming home. And hopefully the antibiotics kick this cold of his quickly so that it doesn't turn into anything more serious....

Until next time,
Dana

Off to the Hospital...

Well, Dad is off to the hospital tonight for a few days. They got the results of his bloodwork back earlier today and his blood sugar levels were really elevated. The normal range is around 5, and his level from yesterday when they did the blood work was 25. They expect that his levels would be slightly higher because of the dexamethazone that he is on, but tonight when the nurse came to double-check the level, it was so high that it wasn't registering on the monitor. They gave him some insulin and were able to get it down to around 30, but after speaking with the doctor on call, they were told that he needs to come in to the hospital for a few days so that they can flush his system and get the levels regulated. Mom mentioned that he'll need at least 10 litres of fluid to completely flush everything out.

Thankfully, he will not have to go through emergency at all. Mom got a call around 9 pm and a bed had opened up at Riverview, which is a palliative care facility, so once they got it cleaned up and ready to go, they were to call the non-emergency ambulance and they will come to the house and pick Dad up. We just spoke to Mom a few minutes ago (about 11:30 pm) and the ambulance still wasn't there yet. But, if any of you have been following the weather here in Winnipeg, you'll know that we've had snow all day here! Yup, that's right - it looks like December out there! Gotta love "Winter-peg" right?!?! Needless to say, the roads are icy and it's miserable outside, so it may be a while before the ambulance gets there. Hopefully it won't take too long, but you never know with the weather we've been having!

So the plan right now is for Dad to stay in for a few days, with the expectation that he'll be home once his blood sugar is regulated. Once his levels even out, then he should have a bit more energy again and won't be sleeping so much. He's also been really thirsty the last few days, and Mom said he was drinking about 4 litres of milk a day. He is now not allowed to have any dairy or fruit - those are the two main triggers for upping the blood sugar. Hopefully once his levels even out, he'll be able to have at least small amounts of both - I guess we'll find out in a few days!

Needless to say, Dad needs some definite prayer right now! He will be on diabetic pills and insulin the next few days, and will most likely continue to need insulin when he gets home to ensure that his blood sugar levels continue to stay at a more normal level. I'll continue to update as we get news from the doctors....

A Series of Ups and Downs

Well, the time has come when I no longer have only good news to report. Dad, sadly, has not been doing very well the last week or so. The nurses had increased some of his medication last week, and it seemed to help for a few days, but this last week there hasn't been much improvement at all. He's been very shaky (basically having minor seizures or tremors), is sleeping a lot more, and his balance and co-ordination are quickly dwindling. He's not at the point yet where he can't get up out of bed, although he did have a minor fall earlier today and Mom wasn't able to help him up on her own. It's at the point now where she has been contemplating getting 24/7 care from the palliative team, and finally put a call in this evening to get that put into place. I'm not sure how soon that will happen, but I'm assuming it will be this week sometime. Right now they are still coming from 8 am until 4:30 pm and then again from 11 pm until 7 am. But the time has come when Mom just can't do it on her own anymore; she needs the help round the clock.

Fortunately, there are still a few options with his medication. He had blood work done today, and depending on the results of that, the doctors may change some of his medications, or switch up the doses again. Time will only tell if it will be effective or not.

As for how Dad is taking the recent struggle, I think so far, he is still in denial. He talks of getting better and playing soccer again. And he gets very angry when someone suggests that he isn't doing well. He's been increasingly difficult to get along with, which the nurses had said would happen in December, and thankfully, we didn't experience until now. It's the hardest on Mom, since he takes most of his frustrations out on her. I'm sure sometimes it's hard to remember that it's the tumor talking, and not Dad.

So, please continue to pray for us. For strength, for courage, for patience. I'd like to thank each and every one of you that has been following this blog - your prayers and support mean so much to us! Thank you for allowing us to share our burdens with you, and for following along in this journey with us.

A Much Over-due Update

Feels like it's been forever since I updated on here, and I promise we're not trying to keep people in the dark - there just hasn't been much to tell lately, which has been a very good thing! Dad has been doing amazingly well the last month or so, and we are so very fortunate and thankful for this time that we are having with him. That being said, there are a few major things that have happened recently, so it is once again time to share the latest news.....

A few weeks ago, Dad developed a crackle in one of his lungs, which had the nurses a little bit concerned. If you remember from December, crackling in the lungs is a sign that pneumonia could be starting to settle in. Since Dad is up and more mobile now than he was in December we were hoping it wouldn't turn into anything serious, and thankfully it didn't.

Mom also had an overnight getaway with a girl friend last weekend. They travelled to Grand Forks for a night and did some shopping and a bit of sight-seeing. It was a nice relief for her, and I think both her and Dad were grateful for the opportunity for some much-needed alone time.

Something else that has been going on with the family in the last few weeks is that we have started meeting with one of the palliative social workers that is on staff at the hospital. We have now had two sessions, and it has been a great way to stay connected as a family and to really open up about how each of us is doing with the situation. It's been especially great for Jared and I, since we don't live at home and don't see all the day-to-day things that are going on. It's been a great insight for us into the struggle that this whole ordeal has been on Mom and Dad. To say that it's been a bit difficult the last few months is an understatement. Especially now that Dad is feeling a little better and is more alert, he wants to be more independent. But it's not recommended that he do all the things he'd like to do and he gets frustrated that he isn't able to. And since Mom is the one there with him all the time, it's hard for him to not take out his frustrations on her.

His memory is still not what it used to be as well, so he and Mom will have conversations about things and Dad won't remember them - and then gets mad at a later date because he feels like decisions have been made without his consent or input - when in reality, they have been and he just doesn't remember. I think they have decided to get a notebook to start writing down important conversations and decisions that have been made, so that Dad has a record of those conversations - a recommendation from a friend of ours whose family did the same thing with her Grandma when she had Alheimer's. In some ways, it is very much like Dad has a case of that! It's become apparent from these counselling sessions how much of a strain this has placed on Mom and Dad's relationship, but hopefully having a safe space to talk about their struggles each week will help them to overcome a lot of the stress that it has placed on their relationship. One thing is very clear, though, and that is how great of a job Mom is doing taking care of Dad. Between administering his medication, knowing when he needs which ones and how much of each to give, making sure that Dad is getting up and moving each day, balancing all the paperwork that is involved with Dad's care, planning all of the 'end of life' things that need to be in place for someone who is in palliative care - and still managing to get Brendan off to school each day, take care of bills that need to be paid, etc. etc. I don't know how she manages it all! Let's just say that her overnight vacation was very well deserved!

In other family news, Jesse left for BC a couple weeks ago to stay with Dad's brother John and his wife, Wendy for a few months. He's interested in starting his own landscaping business in the future, and Uncle John owns his own nursery, so Jesse is working for Uncle John while he's out there, getting more experience in the field. From what we've heard, he is enjoying his time out there so far.

And, last but not least, is the latest in Dad's condition. He's been feeling a bit tired this past week and he had a pretty bad fall last Thursday. The nurses were not happy with him, and stressed the importance of using his walker or wheelchair at all times (which he didn't do, and that's why he fell). Because of the steroids that he's on, his bones are very weak and can break quite easily, but thankfully, he did not injure himself seriously this time. We hope there won't be a next time and that he actually listens to the nurses' advice. I think so far he's been doing pretty good about using the walker and he is now wearing his transfer belt at all times as well. He has still been able to get out and about to a few outings, though, depsite not feeling quite as well this past week. Brendan had a volleyball tournament on Saturday and Dad made it out to one of his games. And last night, Jared and I had the privilege of going along with Mom and Dad to the Steve Bell concert. It was very good!

I think that's it for now. As always, we continue to ask for your prayers for Dad and the rest of the family. Thank you all for continuing to follow along, even though there hasn't been a lot to update on recently - just remember that no news is good news, so if you don't hear from me/us for a while, it means things are going well!