Today was a big day. We worked with some of the wonderful case workers at Grossmont, and my Dad was discharged to a skilled nursing facility late this afternoon. He is sharing a room with a guy who's TV is a little loud, and to top it all off, he doesn't get a TV until tomorrow, when the maintenance guy comes in...It is going to be a long night.
Once again, all day long, he told me that he was going to give the Dr. hell when he came in...And when Dr. Hardy came by, he was calm, asked appropriate questions, and was very positive about the fight ahead.
We spoke with Dr. Zu, the medial oncologist, and Dr. Uhl, the radiation oncologist. My Dad is scheduled for a PET scan on Friday, and then will see Dr. Hardy in a week to remove the 40 staples in his head, then Dr.'s Zu and Uhl in a few weeks to begin radiation and chemo. The chemo is in pill form that he will take every night. The Dr.'s tell us it is not as bad as chemo used to be. It may make him tired and maybe a little nauseous, but some people have little to no effect. He will have to take it for up to 6 months.
The radiation will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks, and should start in 2-3 weeks.
He is very emotional today. He is really beginning to understand what is going on, and he is feeling bad about laying all of this on everyone...That is more like my Dad...It is almost harder this way, because it is more him, and it breaks my heart for him to feel bad about us. He reassures me he is going to fight like hell, no matter what.
Thank you for the cards, they are very nice. Please don't send any flowers now, as there is no place to put them in his room right now. And, probably no visitors until he is settled. I will keep you posted.
If you feel you must do something, give blood. I don't know if everyone knows how much my Dad has always done to help others. He has always lived his life being thankful for what he had, and he wanted to help others in any way possible. One way he knew he could make a difference is by giving blood. All my life, he gave blood every 8 weeks like clockwork. And then when he discovered that you could give plasma and packed cells every 3 weeks, he started doing that. Every third Tuesday, he would go to the blood bank, and sit there for 3 hours while they filtered the blood from his body and put it back in. My Dad has donated over 200 pints of blood in his lifetime.
He was very upset he would not be able to do that anymore. The night before his surgery, he told me how much he loved to give blood because "it helped all the kids that needed it." He also said he was "proud to have been able to do it, not boastful proud, but proud to help...More people should do it."
So you know how the San Diego Blood Bank is always looking for everyone to donate "one more time?" We are all going to have to donate "one more time" (or "one time" for most of us) to help make up for the hole that is being left by my Dad. So, if you can, give blood. If you can't for whatever reason, encourage someone else to do it.
Much love.
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2 comments:
Aimee, thanks for creating this blog. It is keeping me in the loop. Please give my love and thoughts to your dad and Dorth. Keep Faith!
I'm glad you made this post. I was wondering if there was something we could do that would be meaningful for you and your family... I've never given blood before (to be honest, I kind of scares me a bit!), but to honor and support your father, I'll be donating when we return from vacation.
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