Just a quick update:
Coreen made it back home late this afternoon. And thanks for all those who have posted comments... They are greatly appreciate. Also Coreen's strength is limited so she hasn't been responding to txt's due to the volume of them. But please know that we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to txt Ryan or the Grama's.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Thursday 17 January 2013
Coreen was admitted yesterday to hospital; the palliative home care nurse & doc feared that she had a more serious problem than she normally has with her bowels. She arrived by patient transport (no sirens ambulance) and it took a while to get her shuffled around, some degree of pain control and an X-ray done. The xray did not reveal a perforation and that much of the abdominal concerns were just more of the same except for increased pain initially.
Bony pain has also increased since admitted so they changed the type of pain medication so she is now on fentanyl and playing catch up as happens when changing types. Now since she in hospital anyway they are changing again to methadone which is often used in palliative settings and which requires hospital to set up.
She does have another complications, in that she has shingles. As a result she is in isolation and in a negative pressure room. Not a big deal at home but we need to be considerate of their rules, masks etc and maybe keeping visits not so many initially while lesions heal and rules lighten up.
Ryan
Bony pain has also increased since admitted so they changed the type of pain medication so she is now on fentanyl and playing catch up as happens when changing types. Now since she in hospital anyway they are changing again to methadone which is often used in palliative settings and which requires hospital to set up.
She does have another complications, in that she has shingles. As a result she is in isolation and in a negative pressure room. Not a big deal at home but we need to be considerate of their rules, masks etc and maybe keeping visits not so many initially while lesions heal and rules lighten up.
Ryan
Friday 11 January 2013
2013/Jan/11
No More Chemo
This techno- peasant has just realized that I can't reply directly to people who respond to my blog by sending a response privately back to their email because it is blocked. A heartfelt thanks to each response sent!
This week found us back at the oncologist on Tuesday; no more chemo is planned. It was an easy decision to stop the current regime which is clearly not working; without any further evidence required from other imaging. The evidence being numerous sub-cutaneous lesions and other tumors which have grown over time on this regime and pain which continues to grow. The next possibility was another harsher chemo, but both the doctor and I felt I would not manage it well seeing I am barely managing things currently.
My tummy has not been doing well this week, but it is still "managing". I have almost no appetite. The tumor from my back is pressing on innervation to my gut which makes it hard pressed to move food through normally. There is strong suspicion that there is tumor in my gut which also doesn't help. Use of high doses of pain killers also adds to the picture...
At the moment I think we are in a bit of a holding pattern until the "next thing" arises. The pain has actually improved in the last 2 days, but unsure why. Without chemo to help with symptom control we do have other drugs to use or radiation should the need arise.
Thanks again for ongoing support.
No More Chemo
This techno- peasant has just realized that I can't reply directly to people who respond to my blog by sending a response privately back to their email because it is blocked. A heartfelt thanks to each response sent!
This week found us back at the oncologist on Tuesday; no more chemo is planned. It was an easy decision to stop the current regime which is clearly not working; without any further evidence required from other imaging. The evidence being numerous sub-cutaneous lesions and other tumors which have grown over time on this regime and pain which continues to grow. The next possibility was another harsher chemo, but both the doctor and I felt I would not manage it well seeing I am barely managing things currently.
My tummy has not been doing well this week, but it is still "managing". I have almost no appetite. The tumor from my back is pressing on innervation to my gut which makes it hard pressed to move food through normally. There is strong suspicion that there is tumor in my gut which also doesn't help. Use of high doses of pain killers also adds to the picture...
At the moment I think we are in a bit of a holding pattern until the "next thing" arises. The pain has actually improved in the last 2 days, but unsure why. Without chemo to help with symptom control we do have other drugs to use or radiation should the need arise.
Thanks again for ongoing support.
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