Nothing like spending the afternoon waiting at the doctors office with my dad.
His health has not been improving, basically remaining stagnant. He’s still fatigued, more and more back pain, and the struggle continues with getting fluids & food down his system. We learned that the last xray on the 18th continues to show fluid (or something) in the lower right lung. His temp is good, blood pressure good, weight at 150.5 lbs. I think he’s lost about 8lbs in the past three weeks. Hemoglobin level at 7.9. Not good.
So what happened today: He ended up getting a CT scan at 5pm to get a better look into his lungs and vertebrae. Tomorrow, Tuesday, I’ll take him to Riverbend for his third blood transfusion (third times a charm??? Right???). Once the results return on the scan, the doctor will be able to better direct how best to tackle whats going on. It could mean more antibiotics for a week then back to chemo or something I don’t even want to think about. I can see that I’ll be spending a lot more time in Eugene this week.
Funny things brought up in conversations: My sister called before the appointment and told our father that he “sounded more chipper”. He thought she said “are you licking a flicker?” Oh dear! Flickers are a type of wild bird in our area. That comment kept popping up until I left at 8pm. We also had a conversation about an older TV commercial by “Crooked River Bob”. Some of you Oregonians might know who I’m talking about. He used to flip around his cowboy hat and say something about” giving you a good deal or he’ll eat his hat”. How that conversation came about, I have no idea.
How’s my brain handling all this? Well, as I sat in the parking lot at the grocery store after the appointment, I somehow managed to set off the panic button on the car key. I’ve never done that before! I think my brain is in a touch of panic, but I just have to keep moving forward (after turning the alarm off). One day at a time. Tomorrow we’ll deal with the 5hr blood transfusion and getting more fluids into his system.
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 
So sorry to hear of your dad’s health problems. Do make sure to take care of yourself x
Rosie, I’m trying! 🙂
Thanks!!
One day at a time is the perfect strategy Gale. If it becomes to much then you just break it down to smaller increments. Remember that we’re always here for you too.
🙂
Thanks Tracie!
My Dad went through a similar phase of decreased appetite and back pain during his cancer treatment. Looking back on it, I can see that he tried to eat to make all of us feel better even when it may have made him feel physically uncomfortable.
He also brought up a lot of unique conversations and after awhile I had the realization that he was doing a lot of life processing. It came in decades. He spent a lot of time in the 1940’s healing the trauma of WWII and then suddenly it was on to the 1950’s and things that he wanted to discuss about his parenting style. Not the generation of therapists so it was never a direct conversation about any of those things but something like a commercial would be a tie in to an incident that happened when we were kids. It is a wild ride and hard to decipher in the midst of care giving but it also made for some utterly cherished moments and belly laughing that I still treasure!
I hope this sun is lifting everyone’s spirits! xo
My dad still doesn’t talk much about WWII but some stories surface. Hmmm, no parenting style discussions, but we do talk about my mom and her quirky stuff. We’re planning a journey to eastern Oregon in mid August. That should bring out some interesting things. Can’t wait!
🙂
So glad you have an upcoming trip to look forward to! Your yarn projects look fab! I met the woman who owns Stash a few weeks ago. Great personality and know-how! I bet she could recommend some additional felting instructors in town!
I do realize the gals at Stash could easily direct me to other local felters…. but who I REALLY want to learn from is Laura Berman!
🙂