ER twice in the span of 2 days. That's got to be some sort of record for dad.
Tuesday: MRI and neuro-oncologist
Wednesday: Fall and trip to Baylor ER
Friday: Dinner with Darcy and trip to Presby Rockwall ER later that night
[And yes, my first concern was ruling out that it was my dinner that caused this latest trip to the hospital. It was not the turkey bratwurst alfredo. I promise. (I hope.)]
As of this morning, he still in the hospital. It started with severe abdominal pain that took several rounds of pain killers to subside, so he was basically totally knocked out for 24 hours. They haven't been able to determine the cause of the pain yet, but he had an ultrasound early this morning that, in our estimation, will show some gall stones or something easily manageable, yet quite devious to the system. In other words, the Drs. say that this appears to be nothing serious. Hopefully he'll be able to come home early today.
What do you want to bet he'll be taking those treaded hospital socks home with him. I dare not venture to guess how many pairs are stuck in the back of his sock drawer.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Handsome little devil
I found these photos when I was going through boxes the other day. He was so adorable! Such a beautifully tanned little farmer boy. And the mole still lives on...This picture was from 1st grade.
I think this photo was from about 7th grade.
Growin' up on the farm...
Maybe he was about 5 or 6 years old here? Perhaps one of my aunties might be able to better identify this photo.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The good, the bad and the bloody
The Good:
Yesterday was dad's MRI and neuro-oncology appointment. The quick and dirty analysis is that there is no change....and that's good news. The enhanced area on the MRI still looks the same, now whether that's tumor that's remaining stable and not growing due to the success of the chemo, or if it's something else like scar tissue, is still debatable. But for now, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. He's tolerating the chemo well, they can afford it, and he seems to be well, then that will continue to be the protocol. The Dr. also agreed that his better balance and alertness lately can be attributed to the change in seizure meds back to Dilatin. (So that turned out to be a pretty good suggestion, Dr. Darcy!) He left the Dr.'s office feeling very strong and confident.
Then....
The Bad:
Dad had a pretty nasty fall this morning....alone....outside....walking the dog. "What the &#$#! was he doing walking the dog alone?" you say? That's another conversation. I'm ashamed to say he's fallen several times now outside alone and been "rescued" by neighbors. He gets a bug in him and feels like he's strong enough to go out alone... and he seems to feel this way when he's home alone, which are only brief moments between mom leaving and the caregiver arriving. This time there was a pretty bad blow to the head and lots of blood involved, and it was witnessed by the neighborhood security guard who called 911. The paramedics felt that there was "possible head trauma" so they made the call to transport him ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN to Baylor Medical Center... instead of our new community hospital 3 miles from their house. When we finally got there, he was still immobilized and a little bloody, but no fractures. Amazing. His left hand is pretty badly swollen and bruised, he's got scrapes and cuts all over his face and hands, and his head and shoulders are painful; he may only have a slight concussion but no further injuries. This feels like a narrow escape.
(Obviously if was a while before we were notified of what happened [mom was in a job interview] so by the time we got there they had already done a CT, without talking to us first and getting his full history [I know, it's kind of physically obvious... head scar and all...]. I imagined the radiologist looking at the CT and thinking, "Oh my god! He's got a gaping hole in is head! Call the neuro team stat!")
The Bloody:
Notice the white garb. The EMS cut ALL of his clothes off of him - coat, socks and all. The only thing left intact was his hat. So they sent him home in this jumpsuit, that looks like a paper Hazmat suit. He's saving it.... because Dad DOESN'T GET RID OF ANYTHING!
Yesterday was dad's MRI and neuro-oncology appointment. The quick and dirty analysis is that there is no change....and that's good news. The enhanced area on the MRI still looks the same, now whether that's tumor that's remaining stable and not growing due to the success of the chemo, or if it's something else like scar tissue, is still debatable. But for now, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. He's tolerating the chemo well, they can afford it, and he seems to be well, then that will continue to be the protocol. The Dr. also agreed that his better balance and alertness lately can be attributed to the change in seizure meds back to Dilatin. (So that turned out to be a pretty good suggestion, Dr. Darcy!) He left the Dr.'s office feeling very strong and confident.
Then....
The Bad:
Dad had a pretty nasty fall this morning....alone....outside....walking the dog. "What the &#$#! was he doing walking the dog alone?" you say? That's another conversation. I'm ashamed to say he's fallen several times now outside alone and been "rescued" by neighbors. He gets a bug in him and feels like he's strong enough to go out alone... and he seems to feel this way when he's home alone, which are only brief moments between mom leaving and the caregiver arriving. This time there was a pretty bad blow to the head and lots of blood involved, and it was witnessed by the neighborhood security guard who called 911. The paramedics felt that there was "possible head trauma" so they made the call to transport him ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN to Baylor Medical Center... instead of our new community hospital 3 miles from their house. When we finally got there, he was still immobilized and a little bloody, but no fractures. Amazing. His left hand is pretty badly swollen and bruised, he's got scrapes and cuts all over his face and hands, and his head and shoulders are painful; he may only have a slight concussion but no further injuries. This feels like a narrow escape.
(Obviously if was a while before we were notified of what happened [mom was in a job interview] so by the time we got there they had already done a CT, without talking to us first and getting his full history [I know, it's kind of physically obvious... head scar and all...]. I imagined the radiologist looking at the CT and thinking, "Oh my god! He's got a gaping hole in is head! Call the neuro team stat!")
The Bloody:
Notice the white garb. The EMS cut ALL of his clothes off of him - coat, socks and all. The only thing left intact was his hat. So they sent him home in this jumpsuit, that looks like a paper Hazmat suit. He's saving it.... because Dad DOESN'T GET RID OF ANYTHING!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Grandpa....x 3!
If you haven't heard yet, my sister Jennifer is expecting a baby(!!!). At the end of May, the DeBok clan will grow again. She is having a little girl, Ella Shivani Syamala. Beautiful. I can HARDLY wait to meet her. Ava is excited (we ALL are excited) to be welcoming a new baby girl into our family. Happiness continues to exude from mom and dad.
Dad's next MRI and visit with the neuro-oncologist is Tuesday the 20th. This is an important visit as this will be the first look at the new tumor area since he started the chemo a few months ago. Most people that interact with him have mentioned that he continues to seem better lately - more alert, easier to talk to, better balance and movement. My theory is that this can be attributed to a) a slight decrease yet again in seizure meds (dilatin) and b) that the chemo is working and the tumor area has shrunk, alleviating pressure that had been building near the motor strip of the brain, which was possible causing his weakness and falling.
I like my theory.
Here is dad with Ava at our weekly Friday family night. Their affinity for one another is regularly apparent and makes my heart swoon.
Jenny at about 17 weeks
Dad's next MRI and visit with the neuro-oncologist is Tuesday the 20th. This is an important visit as this will be the first look at the new tumor area since he started the chemo a few months ago. Most people that interact with him have mentioned that he continues to seem better lately - more alert, easier to talk to, better balance and movement. My theory is that this can be attributed to a) a slight decrease yet again in seizure meds (dilatin) and b) that the chemo is working and the tumor area has shrunk, alleviating pressure that had been building near the motor strip of the brain, which was possible causing his weakness and falling.
I like my theory.
Here is dad with Ava at our weekly Friday family night. Their affinity for one another is regularly apparent and makes my heart swoon.
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