Birthday Celebrations

Well, I've been meaning to post all week about Dad's birthday celebration, and unfortunately, time always seems to slip by me faster than I want it to.....however, it is better late than never, right???

On Wednesday, May 13th, Jared, myself, the kids, Mom, and Janis all gathered at Riverview for Dad's 51st birthday celebration. We had Chinese food ordered in and I made a chocolate cake for Dad. We had a few friends stop in and join us for dessert a little later in the evening, and what a great night it was. Mom got a great card for Dad, and while he didn't really appreciate the humor in the card at the time, it was so great to be able to laugh and joke with family, despite the rough year we've had.

Dad isn't exactly looking his best these days, but we still love him just the same, and what a blessing it was to enjoy one more birthday celebration with him. God has been very gracious in giving us a few more months with him, and so despite the hospital setting, it was a very joyous occasion. Here are the cream of the crop of pictures we took that evening. Hope you'll enjoy them! (if they aren't working, I'll try again at home later today...we're at the hospital right now!)

Discouraging News

We knew this day would come, and we just didn't want it to happen. But the time has finally arrived when the doctors can no longer increase Dad's steroids anymore. Mom spoke with the social worker this morning and they basically told her that once the effects of the dose he's on now start to wear off, they will slowly start decreasing the amount he is given. I know I haven't mentioned on here the exact dosage that Dad has been receiving. But right now he is on 45 mg two times a day. When it was in pill form, that translated into 14 pills at a time! They have since put the sub-cue lines back in, so it's in liquid form and they don't need to try to wake him up to give him his meds anymore.

Anyway, for those of you that are familiar with steroid use and cancer - the typical dose that a person receives is 2-5 mg twice a day. So, when I have mentioned that Dad is on a very high dose - now you know HOW high! He was at 30 for quite a while, but for the last two weeks, he's been on the 45 mg. The doctors and nurses had a planning meeting this morning, and none of them have ever seen or known of any patient on such a high dosage. Which is why they have decided they can't go any higher. They aren't sure of what kind of side effects it might create, or what other problems that it might add to Dad's condition if they increase the levels anymore. So, what we can expect to happen is that as they decrease the dex., the side effects of the cancer will start becoming more apparent.

Needless to say, we are hoping that Dad will be able to remain in Riverview throughout the course of these next few weeks/months. There hasn't been any talk of him being moved elsewhere in the last week or two, so we are hoping that is good news and it means he will be able to stay there. We (and the doctors and nurses) have no idea how much longer Dad has, but they have made it sound like it might be quick once the dexamethasone starts being decreased. So, what is quick? Only God knows the answer to that one. It could be a week, it could be four. It could be three months. We don't know. But we do know that it is going to be increasingly hard on our family from here on out. We are still hoping and praying for a miracle. God is a very powerful God and we know that He can still give us one. But if not, please pray for strength for the family. For peace about the situation. For comfort. We appreciate your prayers more than words can express!

On behalf of all of us,
Dana

New Developments

I am always surprised to come back on here and see that it's been a few weeks since I updated! I guess when life is so busy, it's hard to keep track of the time!

Anyway...there have been a few new developments since I last posted on here. Dad had a fall about a week ago in the washroom at Riverview. He wasn't able to get his hands out in time and smoked his right eye on the floor, causing it to split open. He didn't need stitches at all, just the little bandaid things that hold the skin back together. It turned a lovely shade of purple and as pleasant as it looked, Dad asked us not to post pictures on here of it, so unfortunately, you'll have to use your imaginations! It's looking much better this weekend, though.

Dad was also having some trouble going to the washroom for a few days so earlier this week he got a catheter put in. He says it is mildly uncomfortable, but otherwise doesn't seem to notice it. He has still been sleeping quite a bit, but the doctor increased his steroids again and he has been a little more aware of what's going on around him for the last few days, which we are always thankful for.

We're not quite sure what the catheter means as far as Dad possibly coming home. There hasn't been any talk of that possibility lately, and in all honesty, we would prefer that he be able to stay at Riverview. It's a lot less stressful for Mom, and we know that he is getting great care where he is. It's a beautiful facility as well, and Dad seems to enjoy it there. So we'll see what happens...

On a slightly unrelated note, I wanted to share this news with everyone on here, since I know a lot of people that read this are not on Facebook....I am hosting a "Help Whip Cancer" Fundraiser on May 6th at our home (635 Maryland Street, Wpg.) from 7-10 pm. It's through Pampered Chef, so if you purchase any of our products, then a portion of the proceeds will go the the Canadian Cancer Society. However, I am also doing a silent auction on the night of, and 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go the CCS. You can also make a donation directly to the organization (I'll be collecting the donations on their behalf and sending them all in at once). If anyone is interested in purchasing silent auction tickets or placing an order, but can't make it on Wednesday, please email or call me. I'd love to give you more information!

Thanks everyone! Hope you have a great weekend!
Dana
(204) 774-3522
jaredana15@yahoo.ca
www.pamperedchef.biz/danafolkerts

Praise and Possibilities

Once again I can't believe it's been a few weeks since I updated on here. Time seems to fly by so quickly these days! I do have good news to report though, and that is that Dad's blood sugar levels have finally been regulated! The nurses are down to checking his sugar levels twice a day, instead of four times, and he usually doesn't need any insulin anymore. Just the diabetic pills.

Which leads me to the 'possibilities' part of the title.....Dad has been declining the past few weeks that he's been at Riverview. He's been sleeping more and is showing more and more confusion. However, Mom met with the doctor and social worker this morning to talk about possible placements for Dad. Even with the decline, he is not a point where he needs to see a doctor everyday (especially since they have been able to regulate his blood sugars), so they are hesitant to keep him at Riverview. They obviously want those beds for those that need them most, which is understandable. But bringing Dad home would mean a lot of extra work and added stress for Mom. So, they talked it over today and are discussing several different options. We're not sure what this means yet, and likely won't know for a few days. Mom said that Dad will be in Riverview at least another week, and her prayer is that he can end up staying there, instead of being moved elsewhere.

It pretty much goes without saying that Mom and the family need your prayer support in this matter. We're not quite sure what will happen in the next few weeks, and we are very thankful that Dad is feeling better in relation to his blood sugar. However, we have a few big decisions ahead of us, so please pray that we would make the right one and that wherever Dad ends up, that he will still be receiving the best care that is possible for him.

Thank you all so much! Take care,
Dana

A Couple More Weeks

Well, Dad was not able to come home at all yesterday like the doctor had originally hoped. We were at Mom and Dad's for supper last night and Mom filled us in on the latest news. Dad's blood sugar levels have been going down, but they are still not quite regulated enough for him to not need the insulin shots. Until they get him down to just the diabetic pills, he has to stay at Riverview, so it will most likely be at least a week, probably closer to two before he can be released.

Thankfully his cold is gone, but the last few days he has been sleeping again a bit more. They are doing bloodwork again (I think today) to try and determine the cause, and the results of that might mean changing some of the doses of his medications again. We'll know more about that in a few days.

In the meantime, please continue to keep the family in your prayers. We appreciate it so very much!

A Possible Homecoming

Talked to Mom on the phone this afternoon and she had good news for me to update! The antibiotics are working and Dad's cold seems to be going away, so the doctor was very hopeful that Dad might be able to come home soon. There is a bit of glucose in the antibiotics, so they didn't think he would be home until at least Monday. Even with the added meds, his blood sugar levels have been below 20 for the past three days.

So, once the antibiotics are finished, which will be on Monday, as long as Dad's blood sugar stays below 20, the doctor said that Dad might be able to come home on Tuesday. If his levels do stay down that low, then he won't be required to take insulin shots at all. He'll still be on diabetic pills, and I'm sure Mom will still have to closely monitor his blood sugar levels, but at least he won't need to get shots every day.

So please keep on praying! Hopefully I'll be able to update in a few days with news that Dad has returned home!

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