We’re at the end of our weekend off and here’s a quick update.  Dad still has the problems and spasms in his lower back.  They have gotten only slightly better than they were Friday night when they hit him full force.  I’ve never seen him in that much pain.  The pain could be caused by a regular back strain or possibly by inflammation from the lumbar tumor or the radiation.  The trick is now to keep his spirits up through the pain and his disappointment that he’s not getting better fast enough.

On top of that it looks like we are going to be relocating to other temporary lodging this week.  Nothing like living out of hotel rooms for the next couple months but at least we are the place that was rated the best cancer hospital in America this year and for six of the past eight years.

We are currently on day two of Dad being an outpatient and things are getting better. Spirits are up a bit as we had a follow up with his primary oncologist Dr. Karp as well as yet another radiation treatment today. Dr. Karp said the plan looks to be moving forward and was happy to see Dad as an outpatient. There is one more week of radiation treatments on his spine, pelvis, and upper leg starting Monday before the situation is reevaluated and the two week wait before chemo can possibly start.

Here is a pic of Dad sitting outside at Kenneth’s trying to explain something to someone on the phone with his ever-present bottle of Boost nutritional drink next to him. He his sitting in his brand new wheel chair and if you look closely you can see one of his oxygen tanks on the back of the chair. He’s mainly using the oxygen to keep his shortness of breath at bay while he regains some stamina.

He also has a machine that extracts oxygen from room air and that is what he uses when not mobile.  It also recharges his smaller mobile tanks that fit in his backpack to wear around.  You can see I’m charging one of his mobile tanks here.

We have two days off and am looking forward to a couple days of rest and maybe letting Dad’s lower back heal as his spasms and pain is still present.  Anyway, to wrap-up… Dad’s currently on-track.

Dad will be discharged and become an outpatient in a few hours.  We have oxygen tanks and a brand new wheelchair coming “home” with us too.  Thankfully his brother Harold is here to be with him while I’m with Mother today during all her test.   I’ll post more when we are at Kenneth’s and settled in.

Well today was one of those “one step back” days.  Dad was doing great yesterday sitting in chairs all day and walking down the hall but today is a different story all together.  He seems to have strained his lower back this morning and has had back spasms and pain ever since.  I personally think it’s just a bad back or muscle problem but since it’s near spots that are being treated with radiation Dad assumes that it’s the cancer or the treatment causing the pain.  He has had the exact same pains before when he over used his lower back during yard work etc.  Aside from that he was also put back on oxygen as his oxygenated blood concentration was dipping below 90% too often during simple actions such as just standing up.  His shortness of breath during activity concerns him but the physical therapist explained he has basically been horizontal for weeks and it takes a while to return to even the slightest form of fitness.   He has been prescribed oxygen and we will be bringing oxygen tanks home when he gets discharged tomorrow evening.  He sees the idea of having to have oxygen at home as a huge setback and is anxious about what this means for his recovery.

He was sent for extra imaging of his lower back late this evening to try and determine the cause of his pain and we will have results shortly.  He still has the strength but the pain might hinder his physical therapy a bit.   …stay tuned

Today Dad made great strides in his recovery from hypercalcemia and the cancer in his bones causing compression on his spinal cord.  He sat up in chairs all day and walked as much as he could.  He also had other “things” removed to verify he will be able to function as an outpatient.   Here you see him sitting in the chair by the window and enjoying his view for the first time since he was admitted.   If you look hard you’ll notice a sudoku book next to him to prove his mind is back as well.  He now understands what his part will be in his recovery and future treatments and is looking to be embracing that role!

His physical improvement has also possibly changed the recommendation that he enter a rehabilitation/nursing home facility upon discharge.  Mom and I are hoping this is the case as we viewed one of the facilities and were extremely disappointed by what we saw.   I helped him walk a couple of times today and was surprised not to have to apply any force to keep him upright, he was supporting all his weight and walking all on his own.  His expression in this pic was him telling me no to my request for him to smile. lol

I arrived at the hospital this morning to find Dad in good spirits and sitting in the chair by his bed and having him inform me he just walked 40ft on his first attempt.  He was out of breath as he hasn’t really used any muscles in weeks but this is a good sign that maybe the physical therapy will not take as long as expected.  He is currently at his daily radiation treatment for the spots in the bone.

Mom has her friends from home visiting now for a much needed pick-me-up for her and came bearing gifts. They are currently engaging in some quality  retail therapy.

Stay tuned for updates on the discharge date and where Dad will be staying for nursing care and physical therapy.

I have been asked to make available the medical reports handed to us up to this point.  The three PDFs I am including were handed to us on the 3rd of July.  Most of this will be jargon for the majority out there so only download if needed.

Download:  reports.zip

A lot of developments today.  Besides all the family visiting we learned that he will likely be discharged in the next couple days as his immediate health problems have passed.  Normally this would be cause for celebration but he still needs physical therapy and will need to be placed in a nursing facility with rehab capabilities while he is an outpatient for the continued radiation on the various spots of bone cancer.   He’s not happy about this, who would be – we’d all want to just go home, but he is realizing that this is what he needs to get strong enough for the needed chemotherapy for the actual lung cancer.  Doctors still seem optimistic about the current plan his cancer team has purposed.   We will let you know which nursing/rehab center he will be staying at and what his radiation schedule will be for the next couple weeks once those plans are finalized.   Stay tuned…

Today looks to be family visit day as nieces and nephews continue to arrive.  You can see below we are asking everyone to sign the “Don’t EVER Give Up” shirt.   He’s doing well and is currently resting between visits.

We also had a physician rotation today as we won’t be seeing Dr. Karp again until Dad is ready for chemotherapy.  He is still Dad’s primary doctor but one of his partners is taking over day-to-day duties.  We also learned that he will be discharged when his radiation on his lower back is finished, possibly later this week.

Dad’s primary oncologist is Dr. Daniel Karp.  He is extremely qualified as a graduate of Harvard and Duke Medical.  He is a Thoracic professor and medical director of the Clinical Translational Research Center at M.D. Anderson (He develops and trials new drugs).  As if his work as the number one lung cancer doctor in the nation (Women’s Magazine) and the leading overall cancer doctor in Texas wasn’t enough, he is also a professional jazz pianist.  I’ll let you read his credentials for yourself in the links below.

M.D. Anderson faculty page

Rexanna’s Foundation

Divas Board of Directors – Music

Standard Fare – One of his released albums

Medical Record Database and Information Technology