When we took my father to the emergency two weeks ago, they had to do an MRI. When my father got back from the radiology room he started to cry and said, "they broke my arm... Oh My, they broke my arm!!!" Ever since he has been complaining about his arm hurting so much. Doctors kept saying that it is the disease and perhaps the positioning he was on while getting the MRI....
They have to turn him in bed so his skin can breath and his wounds heal. not too mention he needs to get cleaned.... turn here, turn there.... screams of pain... more painkillers... more crying, more pain...gggrrrr,... frustration...
Infections later, he had to be transferred to the ICU, as I spoke about in my last blog. We had asked many times if the doctors could do something about his arms, if perhaps it was broken? Finally last night an angel nurse said," this pain in the arm doesn't sound right, I am going to order an X-say of his arm"... What did they see?
A broken arm!!! Thanks Docs for neglecting my fathers pain and his word expressing a broken arm.
Can you imagine the pain? The pain of having a broken arm and people touching it and turn your whole body against it for almost two weeks? Unforgivable in my opinion...
A specialist came in and said that surgery would be too risky for him, and that his arm should heal with time. They cannot cast it because it is near the shoulder.... so they are trying to keep his arm stable, so that his bones can heal!
Aside from all this... dad sat on a recliner today. he suffered from pain as always, and he had to get a blood transfusion. He is off of the blood pressure meds and his blood pressure has been stable all day long! Good sign, hopefully he is fighting the infections well. (He's got two: staff infection, and e-coli).
The priest came to anoint him today and we had the entire family gathered around him, and we all called him OUR HERO... as he cried he look at my mom and said... No, She is MY HERO!!! Unforgettable moment and words!
My grandparents from mom's side got in town from Brazil today- so happy they are here!!
WE are sooo blessed for all our friends, i cannot even express how thankful we are for each and every single one of you. Thank you Loreci for your kind words and for bringing us dinner twice. Thank you to Sarah's family for making us delicious brownies, cookies and meat pies...Thank you for The Andueza family for bringing us dinner... And thank you for all of you have been showing support thru e-mails, messages, calls, hugs, prayers, thoughts, etc... You are all equally AMAZING! God bless you all!
We will take one day at a time and we will continue to pray for that sooo wanted miracle.
MUCH LOVE- XXXXXOXOXOXO
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
ICU.... (UTI)
Hi everyone. Just a few updates on dad. We have had very tough last three days.
Tuesday evening dad was transferred to the ICU. (Intensive care unit.) He has gotten an infection that has spread to his blood. It was causing his blood pressure to be dangerously low. We made the decision to take him to the ICU and try to treat this infection with a lot more monitoring.
Tuesday was a tough day... a day of sorrow, a day of fear... achey hearts. Luckily his sister was here as well, my Aunt Sandy and Nick. He was happy to see them. he was suffering a lot on tuesday.
Weds was a rough day as well in the ICU, we love his team here, they are very caring and very nice. Dad is on medication to control his blood pressure (to raise it) and is responding well to the minimum dosage. He has not had a fever again and is taking 4 different types of antibiotics. Yesterday he was a bit "offline" as i say it, but Doctor Barrett his oncologist came in and pretty much said there is nothing they can do for his cancer anymore... He said he wasn't closing all the doors, but in order for him to be able to even treat him with chemotherapy he would have to be very well and out of the hospital.... which he made it sound like it would be extremely unlikely. None of the less our faith still remains strong. Today me and my mom prayed the rosary twice.
Thursday- dad is feeling better today and for most of the morning he was off of the blood pressure medicine. Unfortunately he had to be on it again in the afternoon. He has eaten very little... a bit more each day. He feels better today, and he seems more peaceful. he is also with less pain, they have been able to control his pain a bit better... He is still on antibiotics and pain meds, along with fluids and all other kinds of stuff that...too much to write. But he is stable and today he told me he wanted to keep fighting... but he is tired... tired of pain, tired of suffering... he did say he wants to go home.
None of us want to see him suffer anymore... it is too painful to see....
he is resting a bit now... I will write on the blog again as I get more updates... for now our faith remains strong... and I will not mourn something that has not happened. We are focusing on the present, which is a gift from God- hence why it is called present. He allowed me to be with my dad today and we laughed together, cried together and prayed together... thank you God for all your gifts and may my Dad find peace and strength to keep fighting, if that is his will and Your will.
Tuesday evening dad was transferred to the ICU. (Intensive care unit.) He has gotten an infection that has spread to his blood. It was causing his blood pressure to be dangerously low. We made the decision to take him to the ICU and try to treat this infection with a lot more monitoring.
Tuesday was a tough day... a day of sorrow, a day of fear... achey hearts. Luckily his sister was here as well, my Aunt Sandy and Nick. He was happy to see them. he was suffering a lot on tuesday.
Weds was a rough day as well in the ICU, we love his team here, they are very caring and very nice. Dad is on medication to control his blood pressure (to raise it) and is responding well to the minimum dosage. He has not had a fever again and is taking 4 different types of antibiotics. Yesterday he was a bit "offline" as i say it, but Doctor Barrett his oncologist came in and pretty much said there is nothing they can do for his cancer anymore... He said he wasn't closing all the doors, but in order for him to be able to even treat him with chemotherapy he would have to be very well and out of the hospital.... which he made it sound like it would be extremely unlikely. None of the less our faith still remains strong. Today me and my mom prayed the rosary twice.
Thursday- dad is feeling better today and for most of the morning he was off of the blood pressure medicine. Unfortunately he had to be on it again in the afternoon. He has eaten very little... a bit more each day. He feels better today, and he seems more peaceful. he is also with less pain, they have been able to control his pain a bit better... He is still on antibiotics and pain meds, along with fluids and all other kinds of stuff that...too much to write. But he is stable and today he told me he wanted to keep fighting... but he is tired... tired of pain, tired of suffering... he did say he wants to go home.
None of us want to see him suffer anymore... it is too painful to see....
he is resting a bit now... I will write on the blog again as I get more updates... for now our faith remains strong... and I will not mourn something that has not happened. We are focusing on the present, which is a gift from God- hence why it is called present. He allowed me to be with my dad today and we laughed together, cried together and prayed together... thank you God for all your gifts and may my Dad find peace and strength to keep fighting, if that is his will and Your will.
Friday, October 15, 2010
miss information....
....is UNNECESSARY right now.
yesterday a doctor intern came in the room early in the morning when only my mom and dad were in the room and said she needed to speak to the family. My mom said 'there is no one here, just me and Philipp'. So she proceeded by asking questions such as 'you know the prognosis of his myeloma right? You are familiar with his situation right? I don't want to give you false hope...we are just doing radiation to make him comfortable." My dad looked at her crying and said "You are taking all my hopes away..." she said I'm sorry that is not what i want, i just want to keep you updated with your condition.... She left the room.... THANK God. I was at work and so was Jonathan. Vanessa was at the house with the grandparents. She calls me crying, you are not gonna believe what this doctor told mom and dad etc.... So i panic i leave work and head to the hospital. When at the hospital i walk in to find the whole family there. :) what a great family i have. I asked for them to call Doctor Perkins we would like to speak to his treating physician (oncologist). after an hour or so he came in and we explained what had happened in the morning and he sincerely apologize for that and said that what the Intern said is INCORRECT. They are giving him radiation to shrink tumor size and help control disease as well as to make him comfortable. They will still continue with chemotherapy next week and he said it seems dad's pain is less each day and that the movement of his feet had improved in one day. He told dad to keep up the good work. Dad was talking, had a big lunch and we were all so relieved to see him come in and show us that he is very hopeful and positive about all the treatment. He rested the remainder of the day and evening, and he an an "ensure" shake for dinner. (This is a protein shake)
We have had priest and pastors come in and pray with us. Our priest Father Dan prior to leaving said that he felt a wonderful connection with Philipp. :) The pastor came in later and before he left after saying his prayers he said I usually don't say this, but since the first time i came in this room I felt the presence of God. We know from others that there is a big chain of prayer from Nuns from all over North America, South America, and Europe praying for dad. We are so so so blessed...
I know today he is the same as yesterday, a little bit "out of it", with some pain. But one day at a time. I am confident he will be healed!
God bless all!
yesterday a doctor intern came in the room early in the morning when only my mom and dad were in the room and said she needed to speak to the family. My mom said 'there is no one here, just me and Philipp'. So she proceeded by asking questions such as 'you know the prognosis of his myeloma right? You are familiar with his situation right? I don't want to give you false hope...we are just doing radiation to make him comfortable." My dad looked at her crying and said "You are taking all my hopes away..." she said I'm sorry that is not what i want, i just want to keep you updated with your condition.... She left the room.... THANK God. I was at work and so was Jonathan. Vanessa was at the house with the grandparents. She calls me crying, you are not gonna believe what this doctor told mom and dad etc.... So i panic i leave work and head to the hospital. When at the hospital i walk in to find the whole family there. :) what a great family i have. I asked for them to call Doctor Perkins we would like to speak to his treating physician (oncologist). after an hour or so he came in and we explained what had happened in the morning and he sincerely apologize for that and said that what the Intern said is INCORRECT. They are giving him radiation to shrink tumor size and help control disease as well as to make him comfortable. They will still continue with chemotherapy next week and he said it seems dad's pain is less each day and that the movement of his feet had improved in one day. He told dad to keep up the good work. Dad was talking, had a big lunch and we were all so relieved to see him come in and show us that he is very hopeful and positive about all the treatment. He rested the remainder of the day and evening, and he an an "ensure" shake for dinner. (This is a protein shake)
We have had priest and pastors come in and pray with us. Our priest Father Dan prior to leaving said that he felt a wonderful connection with Philipp. :) The pastor came in later and before he left after saying his prayers he said I usually don't say this, but since the first time i came in this room I felt the presence of God. We know from others that there is a big chain of prayer from Nuns from all over North America, South America, and Europe praying for dad. We are so so so blessed...
I know today he is the same as yesterday, a little bit "out of it", with some pain. But one day at a time. I am confident he will be healed!
God bless all!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Latest news....
It's been a good while since i have written on the Blog...
We went to the Mayo Clinic and are back home... the visit was informative, yet painful... it was awful for dad to travel so many miles and back... But would like to thank Mike(my fiance) and his parents for having us over at their home in Arizona.
We got a new treatment proposal and have started the new cycle of Dexa, Velcade and Cytoxan.
Dad had to increase intake of morphine and methadone...
This past weekend on the 9th of October we had to call 911 and take dad to the emergency because he could not walk or feel his right leg, as a suggestion by the oncologist on call. And so we did.... 14 hour ordeal at the emergency and he was finally admitted to the Critical Care Oncology dept at MCV.
They have found massive tumors on his spine and ribs. One of which is compressing the spinal cord, causing him to be unable to feel or move his legs... right now it is unknown rather he will regain movement of his legs or not... They are treating him with intensive radiation therapy,, steroids and a lot of pain medication.
Because of all the heavy medication he is taking he is confused, tired, anxious, and weak. he has not been eating for the past 3 days. They are giving him alot of fluids, but so far he has not shown interest in eating. He cannot sit down and obviously not walk...
He had a couple rashes and bed sores on his back from laying in bed for so many days... Of course with that he also got muscle atrophy. Its been very hard to try to feed him and we are afraid to have to use feeding tube... :*****(
My grandfather and grandmother, his dad and wife are in town from Brazil. My grandad is 91 years old and I am so happy to see him again... Dad's sister comes in town Monday evening 18Th of October along with her husband uncle Nick.
We have been receiving support from all parts of the globe and we are soooooooooooo THANKFUL for all of our friends and family.... I cannot express how wonderful it is to have such amazing people in our lives.
We have received lots of love, calls, letters, cards, flowers,skype convos, hugs, food, cookies, fruits, friends giving rides, friends visiting at the hospital, friends that lend a shoulder for us to cry on, friends that cheer us on, friends that pray for us and with us, friends that bring communion to Dad.... we are so blessed and please know that every one of you holds a special place in our hearts....
KEEP PRAYING.... God will make a way....
We went to the Mayo Clinic and are back home... the visit was informative, yet painful... it was awful for dad to travel so many miles and back... But would like to thank Mike(my fiance) and his parents for having us over at their home in Arizona.
We got a new treatment proposal and have started the new cycle of Dexa, Velcade and Cytoxan.
Dad had to increase intake of morphine and methadone...
This past weekend on the 9th of October we had to call 911 and take dad to the emergency because he could not walk or feel his right leg, as a suggestion by the oncologist on call. And so we did.... 14 hour ordeal at the emergency and he was finally admitted to the Critical Care Oncology dept at MCV.
They have found massive tumors on his spine and ribs. One of which is compressing the spinal cord, causing him to be unable to feel or move his legs... right now it is unknown rather he will regain movement of his legs or not... They are treating him with intensive radiation therapy,, steroids and a lot of pain medication.
Because of all the heavy medication he is taking he is confused, tired, anxious, and weak. he has not been eating for the past 3 days. They are giving him alot of fluids, but so far he has not shown interest in eating. He cannot sit down and obviously not walk...
He had a couple rashes and bed sores on his back from laying in bed for so many days... Of course with that he also got muscle atrophy. Its been very hard to try to feed him and we are afraid to have to use feeding tube... :*****(
My grandfather and grandmother, his dad and wife are in town from Brazil. My grandad is 91 years old and I am so happy to see him again... Dad's sister comes in town Monday evening 18Th of October along with her husband uncle Nick.
We have been receiving support from all parts of the globe and we are soooooooooooo THANKFUL for all of our friends and family.... I cannot express how wonderful it is to have such amazing people in our lives.
We have received lots of love, calls, letters, cards, flowers,skype convos, hugs, food, cookies, fruits, friends giving rides, friends visiting at the hospital, friends that lend a shoulder for us to cry on, friends that cheer us on, friends that pray for us and with us, friends that bring communion to Dad.... we are so blessed and please know that every one of you holds a special place in our hearts....
KEEP PRAYING.... God will make a way....
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Back... a little happier...
So yesterday I was angry and had a moment of weakeness... but nothing like the day after...
We had a good time with dad last night, we had a lovely dinner with family and a beautiful strawberry cake for him. I will be posting some pictures hopefully tonight.
Yesterday dad started out bad... but I think he was happy to have had so much love from friends and family on his birthday. Thank you all for the calls, cards, prayers, thoughts, posts, e-mails, etc... He really felt touched and loved!
God bless all, and let's keep up the prayers, soon we will be flying to Arizona. We leave Richmond Sept. 29th. Crossing fingers for a great outcome from this visit!!! :)
We had a good time with dad last night, we had a lovely dinner with family and a beautiful strawberry cake for him. I will be posting some pictures hopefully tonight.
Yesterday dad started out bad... but I think he was happy to have had so much love from friends and family on his birthday. Thank you all for the calls, cards, prayers, thoughts, posts, e-mails, etc... He really felt touched and loved!
God bless all, and let's keep up the prayers, soon we will be flying to Arizona. We leave Richmond Sept. 29th. Crossing fingers for a great outcome from this visit!!! :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
Pain...
Today is a special day. It's Dad's BDAY! He is turning 57 today. All I wish was that he was feeling better... I wish he wasn't in so much pain. Dad woke up this morning and he is in extreme amounts of pain. Mom helped him shower so he could get ready... You would think most of us on our birthdays would be getting ready for a day full of life and surprises. Well dad is getting ready to go to the hospital to get chemo... :(
Please my God help him!! Give him strength and give him peace... We hate to see him suffer!!
I wish I had good news... but I dont... and I'm sorry I'm to hurt to write on this blog today.
Please my God help him!! Give him strength and give him peace... We hate to see him suffer!!
I wish I had good news... but I dont... and I'm sorry I'm to hurt to write on this blog today.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Goodness...
Hello everyone!! Sorry for slacking on my posts, been busy and was on vacation for some time.
Dad got blood taken out last Tuesday to check on the progression (hopefully) of the treatment. He had a good week last week, eating healthy and eating lots, which is excellent- :)
Thursday we had an appointment with Doc and I went with dad. Mom was anxious and decided to stay home. No need to be anxious though, because God is hearing our prayers!! YAYAY!!! According to the doctor dad is responding well to this chemotherapy, his protein levels are going back down, just the way they should. Being on the right path of treatment is so crucial right now. We want to kill as much of those naughty cells as we can, so he can proceed to have a bone marrow transplant! Which is our hope for a remission, and a long one, because God is good!
Dilemma- We will continue with this chemotherapy, even though it is a bit harsh on dad, but we are also going to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale Arizona for a second medical opinion. The Mayo Clinic has many excellent doctors who focus on multiple myeloma and we hope that by their research and experience in the field they will be able to guide us towards that so wanted remission. On that note, dad has started the chemotherapy last Thursday more velcade and doxil. Monday he received Doxil and has been very tired and feeling pain, but we were expecting this to happen. We just hope he continues to eat and feel strong.
Jonathan called the Mayo Clinic yesterday (Tuesday) and spoke to a receptionists who gathered basic information about my dad and his situation. This information will be forward to the Hematology/Oncology department of the Mayo Clinic. They will assign dad with a doctor who will be contacting us and the current Doc within the next week or two to get more information and set up the appointment. We are anxious but glad we have decided to get that second opinion- I think in more serious illnesses one should always seek the most amount of knowledge as possible to receive the best outcome from treatment.
(Happy late B-day to Jonathan: He turned 28 on Sept 8th!!! :) )
The whole family is hopeful and we continue to pray and cheer for dad!
Florida was great, me and Mike had lots of fun with friends and enjoyed the nice weather and the beach. We now look forward to seeing Vo Montague & Maura, and Nick & Sandy to come visit in October. I haven't seen grandad in almost two years, he is 91 and I am so glad he is still healthy to make these long trips. Can't wait to spend some quality time with the family!!!
Daniel- went to see Daniel this past Monday, Sept 13th at the V.A. Hospital (Veterans Hospital)here in Richmond. He looks great and I was sooo happy to see him. At first I was hesitant to go, maybe anxiety? But he looks wonderful and he is even standing up during physical therapy. One thing I was really disappointed with was the actual Hospital. I have been in many types of hospitals before, but this one was extra depressing. I thought it was kind of dirty and not the best area of town, if you know what I mean. My question is why can't Daniel choose which hospital he wants to stay in? Why not stay in a private hospital where they have more assistance and better technology? Is it because the Government doesn't want to pay for it? Strange because this proud American has put his life at risk for the benefits of the country he loves and after all that he can't pick a hospital to get treatment? It just baffles me... Sorry for judging, but I just can't help to wonder and feel this way...(this is solely my opinion, not anyone else's- to make it clear.) I'M CHEERING FOR YOU DANIEL!!! You are a HERO- thanks!!
This is all for now- I will be back with more information in a couple days- maybe even tomorrow! God Bless Everyone!
FYI- Dad's birthday is coming up on September 20th!!! :D
Dad got blood taken out last Tuesday to check on the progression (hopefully) of the treatment. He had a good week last week, eating healthy and eating lots, which is excellent- :)
Thursday we had an appointment with Doc and I went with dad. Mom was anxious and decided to stay home. No need to be anxious though, because God is hearing our prayers!! YAYAY!!! According to the doctor dad is responding well to this chemotherapy, his protein levels are going back down, just the way they should. Being on the right path of treatment is so crucial right now. We want to kill as much of those naughty cells as we can, so he can proceed to have a bone marrow transplant! Which is our hope for a remission, and a long one, because God is good!
Dilemma- We will continue with this chemotherapy, even though it is a bit harsh on dad, but we are also going to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale Arizona for a second medical opinion. The Mayo Clinic has many excellent doctors who focus on multiple myeloma and we hope that by their research and experience in the field they will be able to guide us towards that so wanted remission. On that note, dad has started the chemotherapy last Thursday more velcade and doxil. Monday he received Doxil and has been very tired and feeling pain, but we were expecting this to happen. We just hope he continues to eat and feel strong.
Jonathan called the Mayo Clinic yesterday (Tuesday) and spoke to a receptionists who gathered basic information about my dad and his situation. This information will be forward to the Hematology/Oncology department of the Mayo Clinic. They will assign dad with a doctor who will be contacting us and the current Doc within the next week or two to get more information and set up the appointment. We are anxious but glad we have decided to get that second opinion- I think in more serious illnesses one should always seek the most amount of knowledge as possible to receive the best outcome from treatment.
(Happy late B-day to Jonathan: He turned 28 on Sept 8th!!! :) )
The whole family is hopeful and we continue to pray and cheer for dad!
Florida was great, me and Mike had lots of fun with friends and enjoyed the nice weather and the beach. We now look forward to seeing Vo Montague & Maura, and Nick & Sandy to come visit in October. I haven't seen grandad in almost two years, he is 91 and I am so glad he is still healthy to make these long trips. Can't wait to spend some quality time with the family!!!
Daniel- went to see Daniel this past Monday, Sept 13th at the V.A. Hospital (Veterans Hospital)here in Richmond. He looks great and I was sooo happy to see him. At first I was hesitant to go, maybe anxiety? But he looks wonderful and he is even standing up during physical therapy. One thing I was really disappointed with was the actual Hospital. I have been in many types of hospitals before, but this one was extra depressing. I thought it was kind of dirty and not the best area of town, if you know what I mean. My question is why can't Daniel choose which hospital he wants to stay in? Why not stay in a private hospital where they have more assistance and better technology? Is it because the Government doesn't want to pay for it? Strange because this proud American has put his life at risk for the benefits of the country he loves and after all that he can't pick a hospital to get treatment? It just baffles me... Sorry for judging, but I just can't help to wonder and feel this way...(this is solely my opinion, not anyone else's- to make it clear.) I'M CHEERING FOR YOU DANIEL!!! You are a HERO- thanks!!
This is all for now- I will be back with more information in a couple days- maybe even tomorrow! God Bless Everyone!
FYI- Dad's birthday is coming up on September 20th!!! :D
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