Although the rainy weather continues and the Red Sox choked last night, we're still excited about Dad leaving the hospital tomorrow.
The most exciting sight upon my arrival at the hospital this morning was seeing my father in real clothes (khaki shorts and a Red Sox sweatshirt) instead of a hospital Johnny. Janice left soon after I arrived as she had spent the night at the hospital to help make it more comfortable for Dad. Dad was able to sleep a bit better, as they took a couple of late night strolls, which helped tire him out. Before Janice left, she and Dad took a walk outside the hospital. This was Dad's first breath of fresh air in a week. It felt good to be outside and buy a Boston Globe, even if it was a bit cold and damp.
The other excitement of the day was discovering that Dad's friend and former colleague from the Rochester Times Union, Read Kingsbury probably upstate's best-known editorial page editor for decades before he retired in the 1980s, is in a room just a few doors down in the hospital. They're still figuring out what's going on with him, but it was lovely for Mom and Dad to catch up with Read and Neva although the circumstances aren't ideal.
The radiation oncologist stopped by and we learned that it looks like Dad will have chemo for a few months before getting the radiation. We are hoping that he'll be able to get the "cyber-knife" radiation, but that will have to be determined by scans after the second round of chemo. It is unclear who will be doing the chemo and where, but that should be figured out at the follow-up appointment in Boston at the end of July. The surgical oncologist said that Dad is looking good.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the last couple of days has centered around the possibility that Dad has diabetes. We're assuming that he has diabetes and so we're learning all about blood sugar, carbohydrates and sugars. Dad is not a fan of pricking himself but he'll figure it out.
Tomorrow will be full of excitement before we leave the hospital: instructions on what medicines to take when, they'll take out the 32(!) staples in Dad's abdomen and send us on our way. It's a long drive back, but well worth it.
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Jay,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about "sticking' yourself, there are now several products on the market that do the sticking " automatically. If it comes to giving insulin, which it may not, then I can walk you though learning how to inject yourself. I used to teach kids how to give insulin to themselves. It's not hard to learn.
Glad to hear you're coming home tomorrow. The weather is awful, only to be outdone by the NYS Senate. Almost did myself in trying to get to the WNYT studios tonight in the mist of a horrendous rain storm. Got to the studio with 1 minute to spare, thinking how stupid it would be have an accident over this absolute nonsense going on.
Hope the trip home is relaxed, don't forget the aquaphor for the incision. Also instead of trying to climb the stairs, try sitting down and go up backwards, one step at a time. That should get you up the stairs without too much stress on the incision. You should only have to do this for a couple of days before your strength returns.
Great to have you back, bring sunshine.
Barb