An Update

Per the requests of the masses, here's an update.

Dad is doing really well! He has been climbing Camelback Mountain, and is now able to make it all the way to the top! Mom and Dad will be heading to the cabin up in Utah in about a month, a trip they always look forward to.
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Back Home

Good news, Dad came home today. They didn't give him another feeding tube or the IV. They feel that he should be getting all of his intake orally. They gave him a few ideas and suggestions for foods that he can try.

It's good that things weren't more serious, and it's always good to have Dad at home.

Back in the Hospital, Again

Well, Dad is back in the hospital, again. He finished his third round of chemo early last week, but he was also having trouble with his feeding tube. It was leaking quite a bit. The hole that the tube went into was stretching and that was causing fluid to leak out. They tried putting a bag on it so that any leakage would go into the bag, but that didn't work. Finally on Thursday they decided to remove the feeding tube entirely. We thought this would be a motivational step in the right direction. We were hoping that this would cause Dad to get on a more dedicated eating and drinking schedule. But, Dad really struggled trying to get all of his nutrition and fluids in orally.

On Sunday Dad was starting to feel pretty weak and dehydrated. He decided that he better go to the hospital. Mom and Dad went to the ER yesterday afternoon, and Dad was admitted late yesterday evening. Today he was moved to the Oncology floor because his red blood cell and white blood cell counts were down, and his Coumadin (blood thinner) level was up. They were a little concerned of internal bleeding. But, this afternoon his red cell count was back up, and the nurses felt that there wasn't any more risk of internal bleeding.

They aren't going to send Dad home until they figure out a way for him to receive nourishment, but they've said that could be as early as tomorrow. They are talking about surgically implanting his feeding tube again, but they can't do this until his Coumadin levels come back down. They are also talking about giving him an IV that he can get nourishment through.

They had Dad meet with a Gastroenterologist today. They work with the digestive system and it's disorders. The doctors are hoping that they can help Dad with his diet.

Phoenix, AZ

Dad has finished his second round of chemo. He's feeling pretty good, but he is starting to lose his hair. They are flying home to Phoenix on Saturday. He'll continue his chemo once back home. It'll be good to have Mom and Dad back home.

Deep-Vein Thrombosis & Pulmonary Embolisms

Well, dad is back in the hospital. He has deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Because of this, his chemo that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until further notice, and he will be in the hospital until his condition improves. They are planning to return to Phoenix as soon as possible after he is released.

Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. It commonly affects the leg veins. There may be no symptoms referrable to the location of the DVT, but the classical symptoms of DVT include pain, swelling and redness of the leg and dilation of the surface veins.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is blockage of the pulmonary artery (or one of its branches), usually when a venous thrombus (blood clot from a vein), becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. This process is termed thromboembolism. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain in the chest during breathing, and in more severe cases collapse, circulatory instability and sudden death. Treatment, usually, is with anticoagulant medication, such as heparin and warfarin, and rarely (in severe cases) with thrombolysis or surgery.

Obviously this is a big concern for our family, and we ask you to please include dad in your prayers. We will keep this blog updated as we know more.

Back at the Pines Ranch

Dad is doing better, and was released from the hospital yesterday. Mom and dad have returned back to the cabin at the Pines Ranch. Dad is still weak and tired, but he is in a great place to get better.

They are now bit worried about being so far away from a hospital. They are planning on coming home to Phoenix earlier than expected. They are planning to return in about four weeks.

We are just so happy that the entire family was able to spend time at the cabin together, and to be able to visit with some wonderful people. We really didn't know if dad would make it up this year.

Chemo and the Huntsman Cancer Center

Dad started chemo last Monday. There are three chemo treatments that he is on. Two of them are administered in the cancer center, and the third is administered through a portable pump that he wears for five days. He does this every three weeks, and the plan is for a total of six months.

At first dad was doing really well with the chemo, but then it started to take a toll and weaken him. He started having trouble getting up the stairs at the cabin. He was having some GI problems, and his feeding tube started backing up. In his weakened condition and with the GI problems, dad was quickly dehydrated.

This morning dad was taken to the Hunstman Cancer Center where they admitted him. We don't know much right now. Just that he is being monitored overnight, and is being given lots of fluids for his dehydration.

We don't know yet if mom and dad will stay up in Utah, or if they will be returning to Phoenix. They have mentioned that this might be more than the two of them can handle being that far from civilization. We will keep this blog updated with his condition, please check back often.