sawbuck44
06-01-2007, 10:45 PM
Yesterday the doctor told me that my dad had only one week to live. You can check back on posts to see what has happened up to this point. But I will fill in the blanks since I last posted. On 5/25 my dad was supposed to have a brain tumor biopsy. His white blood cell count was 18 which was too high for the anestesiologist to do surgery because he was not at baseline and with all the other complications - copd, diabetes, high blood pressure - that he would probably had to stay on a breathing tube for a lot longer than most and possibly not have it removed.
The next morning we were called and they had brought him to ER because they were worried about his breathing. They put him on antibiotics for pnemonia and put him back in the hospital. He never complains of pain. He's only asked for 2 tylenol though he used to ask for percoset for his back pain, which he says he doesn't have anymore. This may be because he is too numb. He cannot move anything but his arms.
After a few days in the hospital they put him in ICU. They tried the bipap first and had to go to a breathing tube in the middle of the night. My dad had signed DNR papers, but verbally told the doctors he wanted them to do that as he was informed might happen going into ICU. We got there the next morning and found him to not want it - definitely to take it out. Took them 2 hours to assess his breathing and they told him they would not put one back in and that they could not tell him how long he would have. The nurse finally informed me after two times of me saying, "he looks like he's choking" that during the test period, they stop the sedation so he feels the tube in his throat. OH MY GOD! We just told him to not move.
The next day he was moved back to the hospital. The day after that is when I was told about the week. A lot of other stuff happened during that time like, his swelling of his hands and feet, his hands purplish blue, oxygen dropping from 96 to 84 at the snap of a finger when I was feeding him, his blood pressure dropping from 139/65 to 84/60 just as fast. They took him off intravenous fluids because of the swelling and drop in bp.
Today he was tested for swallowing. Before they just put their fingers on his throat and saw how he did with different textures. Drinking water is the worst for aspiration which they were afraid of. he has been on pureed foods and thickened liquids for quite some time - keeps asking for 'cookie' though. We have to lift the face mask to give him a spoonful then put it down. His oxygen is at 15 - the highest amount they can give. We tried him on nose prongs, but he got too out of breath and eating was too tiring. He wouldn't eat much. Even doing the lift of the mask, he still only eats a few bites.
The scope didn't go well. He said Ouch once and that was a big thing because we all heard it and he can't talk right now. It's just a whisper and hard to hear at that. During the test his oxygen went from 92 to 74! within only a few minutes. They stopped and put the mask on and we had to tell him to take slow deep breaths. He got it back up to 90.
His pcp told the nurse this morning who told me that he had to contact us to tell us to start comfort care. This is the first step before moving him to hospice. We haven't told our dad yet because we want to hear it from his pcp and not just the resident doctor whom the pcp told my sister to only listen to what he said. Well he better call! He still hasn't and she has put in a few calls and faxed him questions. She said, ' we were told he had a week and we need to know more.' When they told my brother he had a few months, it was only two days. He had throat cancer that metastisized to his lungs.
What is happening with the brain tumor is that the swelling keeps growing and it shifts the tumor. They are giving him steroids for the swelling.
It's just too much to comprehend and accept. I was able to take time off from work and I spent yesterday and today with him then my sister and mom were there. He is still on three antibiotics vancomycin and meropenem are two I know. The third one they just added in ICU because they found a bug in his sputum - that one starts with a G.
signing off for now. take care
The next morning we were called and they had brought him to ER because they were worried about his breathing. They put him on antibiotics for pnemonia and put him back in the hospital. He never complains of pain. He's only asked for 2 tylenol though he used to ask for percoset for his back pain, which he says he doesn't have anymore. This may be because he is too numb. He cannot move anything but his arms.
After a few days in the hospital they put him in ICU. They tried the bipap first and had to go to a breathing tube in the middle of the night. My dad had signed DNR papers, but verbally told the doctors he wanted them to do that as he was informed might happen going into ICU. We got there the next morning and found him to not want it - definitely to take it out. Took them 2 hours to assess his breathing and they told him they would not put one back in and that they could not tell him how long he would have. The nurse finally informed me after two times of me saying, "he looks like he's choking" that during the test period, they stop the sedation so he feels the tube in his throat. OH MY GOD! We just told him to not move.
The next day he was moved back to the hospital. The day after that is when I was told about the week. A lot of other stuff happened during that time like, his swelling of his hands and feet, his hands purplish blue, oxygen dropping from 96 to 84 at the snap of a finger when I was feeding him, his blood pressure dropping from 139/65 to 84/60 just as fast. They took him off intravenous fluids because of the swelling and drop in bp.
Today he was tested for swallowing. Before they just put their fingers on his throat and saw how he did with different textures. Drinking water is the worst for aspiration which they were afraid of. he has been on pureed foods and thickened liquids for quite some time - keeps asking for 'cookie' though. We have to lift the face mask to give him a spoonful then put it down. His oxygen is at 15 - the highest amount they can give. We tried him on nose prongs, but he got too out of breath and eating was too tiring. He wouldn't eat much. Even doing the lift of the mask, he still only eats a few bites.
The scope didn't go well. He said Ouch once and that was a big thing because we all heard it and he can't talk right now. It's just a whisper and hard to hear at that. During the test his oxygen went from 92 to 74! within only a few minutes. They stopped and put the mask on and we had to tell him to take slow deep breaths. He got it back up to 90.
His pcp told the nurse this morning who told me that he had to contact us to tell us to start comfort care. This is the first step before moving him to hospice. We haven't told our dad yet because we want to hear it from his pcp and not just the resident doctor whom the pcp told my sister to only listen to what he said. Well he better call! He still hasn't and she has put in a few calls and faxed him questions. She said, ' we were told he had a week and we need to know more.' When they told my brother he had a few months, it was only two days. He had throat cancer that metastisized to his lungs.
What is happening with the brain tumor is that the swelling keeps growing and it shifts the tumor. They are giving him steroids for the swelling.
It's just too much to comprehend and accept. I was able to take time off from work and I spent yesterday and today with him then my sister and mom were there. He is still on three antibiotics vancomycin and meropenem are two I know. The third one they just added in ICU because they found a bug in his sputum - that one starts with a G.
signing off for now. take care