Thu, Feb 4, 2016
6:05 a.m.
Mom and I left the hospital last night at about 10:45 pm. And we are headed back now at 6:05 am.
7:08 a.m.
Dad had a good night's sleep, according to the nurses and him. He is resting now at 7:05 a.m. Mom got some rest last night too. A doctor should stop by early this morning.
9:03 a.m.
I'll break up the info from this morning into two messages.
Doctor Shinn will be Dad's doctor, during Dad's stay at Wheeling Park Hospital. Doctor Shinn spoke with us from approximately 7:20 to 7:40 a.m. We like him. He was patient, friendly, and caring. He will be at the hospital this weekend, Super Bowl weekend, because he does not watch football.
First, about the blood clots. I think that I have this right, but Catherine can correct. The body will naturally break down blood clots over time. The blood thinner medicine helps to prevent new clots from forming. The installed filter will prevent clots in the leg from traveling upward.
Apparently, Dad visited a lot of the hospital yesterday for tests. The Wheeling hospital wanted to run its own tests. No more tests though. The doctor has a good map of the issues.
Scans yesterday showed a blood clot in the left leg and small clots in a lung. Old info, but it's now Wheeling's info too. Dad takes some pain medicine. It hurts to breathe at times. The clots in the lung feel like a broken rib.
Main issue for today is managing the blood clots. Today should be a rest day for Dad. He will get moved to another room. And he will most likely have his sock color upgraded, which is good. He might be allowed to walk around on the floor.
It's possible that the blood clots were the cause for Dad's occasional pain in his side and leg last summer or early fall.
I'm unsure if the clots were caused by the cancer. A symptom. Naturally, "what-if" scenarios get played.
More about the cancer in the next message.
Late morning
Additional scans yesterday showed a tumor in the pancreas that is half the size of a hand palm. It's decently-sized, unfortunately.
The tumor is located at the tail end of the pancreas, which is unusual, according to the doctor. Most tumors in the pancreas occur at the head end.
Even a very small tumor that's located at the head end of the pancreas can produce symptoms, such as jaundice and urinary issues. But a tumor that's growing at the tail end of the pancreas, like with Dad's, does not produce similar early symptoms.
The doctor said that the tumor has probably existed for one to two years, growing very slowly.
Yesterday's scans also showed unusual activity or spots on the liver, the right lung, and on multiple bones.
After the scans were completed, the hospital did a biopsy on the iliac bone.
It's difficult to biopsy the pancreas because of its proximity to the stomach and spine. A biopsy on the pancreas requires surgery, and the patient must recover for four to six weeks before cancer treatment can begin.
A biopsy on the bone is safer, but it takes longer to receive the results.
We are in a pending state, regarding the cancer. The assumption is pancreatic cancer because of the location of the tumor, but we are waiting for final word.
Doctor Shinn will visit Dad late on Friday afternoon or early Friday evening. We may know the test results and the course of treatment at that time, or we may not know the results until Monday.
After we hear the diagnosis and treatment plan, the doctor said that the hospital supports seeking a second opinion from hospitals in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Columbus. The Columbus hospital is known for treating pancreatic cancer if that's what Dad has.
That's it for now. Dad sat up and ate a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. Mom got a second coffee for Dad.
I did not type this text in the little message window, using the phone's keyboard.
I took notes in my notebook. I brought a wireless keyboard to use with my phone. While sitting in the hospital's cafe, I transcribed and edited my notes, using my own web app. The info is saved elsewhere. And then I copied the text into the message.
Afternoon
This morning, Dr. Shinn gave us his hand-drawn image of his mapping, based upon yesterday's tests.
8:20 p.m.
I'll double-check with the doctor on Friday about the meaning of the green dots on his diagram.
Dad rested well today. I think that he was catching up on the lost sleep due to the restlessness from earlier this week. He ate well today too. He has an appetite. He ate more than I did. The hospital has good food. I need to lay off the Coleman's fish sandwiches.
Late this afternoon and now this evening, Dad has experienced more discomfort due to the small blood clots in the lung. His stats are fine. He said it hurts to breathe at times. It's like the doctor said. The discomfort is similar to having broken ribs. It will take time for the clots to dissolve, and then he will feel a lot better.
A step-down room is being prepared. He should be moved this evening. He stayed longer in the large CCU room because no vacancies existed on the step-down floor.
I think that he will have a restful night, although he may need to take a pain pill.
Dad can stand on his own and move about within the room. Hopefully on Friday, occupational therapy helps Dad walk around on the floor.
We still expect to see the doctor around dinner time on Friday.
Mid-evening
We are fine. We watch TV and read. I crochet too.
Pastor Ted from the Barnesville First United Methodist Church visited Dad early this afternoon while Mom and I ate a late lunch in the cafeteria. He came down and sat with us for a while too.
Mom had heard or read that a large blood clot in the leg is a symptom of cancer. I don't know. A friend of mine had a significant blood clot issue in a leg, but he never had cancer.
A wheelchair is coming to move Dad to another room. He is going to take a Vicodin.
9:00 p.m.
At 9:00 pm, Dad was moved into his new room, which is a nice, private room with a door, a bathroom, and a couch that can fold out into a bed. The large CCU room had a toilet behind the curtain and a large curtain by the hallway.
He is well enough to be in this more comfortable setting. The nurse moved Dad in the new room's recliner. He is still sitting in the recliner, which is good. He looks good.
11:16 p.m.
Mom and I left at 11:05 pm. Dad was sleeping comfortably. He slept most of the previous hour. He said that he had no pain.
This evening at the hospital, we watched a show called Forged by Fire or something like that. It was a competitive, reality show, using the same silly template that's used by a zillion other shows with varying topics. But I liked this show because it was about blacksmithing.