One Step Back

Well, Dad likes to keep everyone on their toes. He managed to get himself put back in progressive care. Yesterday morning when he took his chemo, he started to get really sick. He was given a shot to deal with the nausea. (he takes his chemo orally, so they did not want him to throw it all back up) The shot made him very sleepy and he slept most of the day. Throughout the day, his blood pressure was steadily going down. By yesterday evening, the doctors had decided that he needed to be moved to progressive care where they could more closely monitor his blood pressure. We really appreciate the hospital doctors at Lakeland. They have been very "on the ball" with Dad's care. They address issues quickly without allowing them to progress to the point where they become critical. Dad will likely be moved back to a regular room when his blood pressure is stable.

The doctors have also decided that Dad will not be allowed to eat any food for now. He will get his nutrition from TPN. They think that amyloid presence in his GI tract is interfering with absorption and causing an increase in the output in his bag. The increased output is what causes the dehydration and blood pressure drop. Keeping Dad's fluids in balance was very difficult because his output would vary so much from day to day. So, they are giving his GI tract a rest and will likely not allow him to eat food until the amyloidosis is more controlled. He will be able to get TPN when he goes home.

Dad is pretty tired today and his color is not as good as it has been. He will need a lot of rest today. On Wednesday, Dad has an appointment with his hematologist to discuss the treatment for his amyloidosis. Please pray for this appointment that the doctor will have wisdom as to what is the best way to treat this disease. Because the disease is so rare, the treatment is a little bit of trial and error. Controlling the amyloidosis is key to addressing these other issues.