Really awful Monday but a better Tuesday

This is yet another post concerning my dad’s cancer status:

Monday was flat out bad. Lee had reached a point of utter confusion and inability to do much of anything. Kim was wiped out trying to care for him on Sunday, so when Monday rolled around (and things weren’t any better) she didn’t know what to do. Guess that’s why she has a little sister who can look at the situation and call the doctor/nurse for help. I got through to the nurse right away, explained our situation, and she scheduled another blood draw to check levels. Hemoglobin was down to 8.2 (low for normal folks is 11).  By 1:30pm, he was at Riverbend hospital waiting for another blood transfusion. It wasn’t until 5pm that the blood started flowing. At 9 pm, they were back home.

There were some glitches during the blood transfusion: Since Lee has been so dehydrated, the needle insertion was extremely painful. The nurse chose to administer the blood at a faster rate than the last go round (about 2hrs per bag, 2 bags total) and the transfusion was very painful. Kim happened to go off for a dinner break with her son for an hour and Lee managed to pull the needle OUT of his vein, spilling blood all over him, clothing, floor…. his brain was not functioning well that day. Also, after they started the second bag and administered the lasix, well, lets just say he couldn’t aim worth a damn for the toilet. So Kim took him home covered in blood and urine…. Just not a fun day.

He actually slept exceeding well Monday night.

Tuesday we all trooped off to the oncologist for a dose of chemo, Zometta, and 500 mls of saline. Kim and I both encouraged more fluids since he’s not been ingesting enough. After 1.5 hrs, we were headed to lunch then home. Lunch sucked. I thought the Indian restaurant close to his home might be a good lunch choice but never again!! Plus Lee was feeling really bad from chemo. I wish I had just encouraged us to go home.

Maybe tomorrow will be better. Kim had already noticed a big improvement in Lee’s mental ability. She said he was almost like our father. I agreed.