EMAIL TO CHILDREN

December 22, 2011 This is a recap of our day with Dad: He ate a good breakfast but vomited it up. The nurse gave him phenergan for nausea and he had a good rest. Since he’s not taking any fluids but small sips of water, he is receiving fluids intravenously. He has staph infection in his elbow. The doctor lanced the abscess last night and he’s receiving antibiotics intravenously. Dr. Wade stopped by and looked at his elbow and said it looked better today. Nurse Chloe discovered he had thrush in his mouth and throat and the doctor ordered Nistatin to be swabbed four times daily. He had a seizure at 1:35 this morning. (An EEG with camera was set up in his room.) The EEG machine registered the seizure. I talked with Dr. Myers on the phone and she said the brain wave activity was not typical for seizures. The typical pattern for seizures is spikes up and down. With Dad’s the line is flat. She’s going to leave the monitor in the room for another night. She said, “We need to know what we’re dealing with.” The oncologist, Dr. Yazan Alsayed, who is an associate of Dr. Sunnenberg, came. He said that Dad wouldn’t be a good candidate for chemo because of his age and physical condition. The dose required for lymphoma would be too much for his system. He said they can treat with steroids and a drug that fights cancer cells. He said a doctor from the radiation oncology department would see Dad this afternoon. Dr. Rod Krentel, radiation oncologist, came by and said radiation is an option. The standard for lymphoma is six weeks, five days a week for 15 minutes. Dad will have radiation to the whole brain for four weeks and to the area where the lymphoma is for two weeks. He wants to wait until the staples are out and the wound is healed – probably two to three weeks – and then make an appointment to discuss radiation. That will allow Dad to gain some strength. That’s good because he is very weak. When Dad leaves the hospital, he will go to the Haven to begin the process of rehab and physical therapy. And that was our day today. “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”