George started the day uncomfortable again, and so the rate of his continues Dilaudid drip was increased. His Red Blood Cell count has also dropped, and so he received another unit of blood. He is feeling a little better now getting settled in for the night. We don't have the exact time for the nerve block procedure yet, however I'll tweet when we know.
George was encouraged by the support he received today, but tired. Thanks to Chris for taking the early shift, and helping me out today.
~Donna
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday Update
George was unable to get the nerve block today. The GI doctor was available however, the unavailability of the Anesthesiologist was the issue. The GI Doctor will attempt to get it coordinated for Sunday however, we were told it may not happen until Monday. Until the block is done, George will continue on the PCA to control his pain.
The Ultrasound was done, and they did find a clot in Georges lower left leg. He was started on a Heparin drip for now, and will be changed to a drug that us given by injection when he goes home.
Our prayer is for good pain control and that the block can be done Sunday.
~Donna
The Ultrasound was done, and they did find a clot in Georges lower left leg. He was started on a Heparin drip for now, and will be changed to a drug that us given by injection when he goes home.
Our prayer is for good pain control and that the block can be done Sunday.
~Donna
Pain......
George has had a dramatic increase in pain this last week. He has been unable to find a position that is comfortable to sleep. On Thurday night he was up all night, and by morning not only was he still in pain (even with medication) his feet were swollen. After informing Dr. W it was decided he would be admitted for pain control, and to rule out any clots in the lower legs.
Last night after the first dose of IV pain medication he was feeling much more comfortable. I came home late and her was feeling very loopy and tried form the meds. His night was not pain free, and were still working on adjustments of the dose to achieve comfort.
The plan is for him to be transported over to UCLA's main Hospital in Westwood to undergo a
procedure done that blocks the nerves surrounding the Pancreases. The block is done via endoscopic scope so he will be out for the procedure. As of a few minutes ago we are still waiting for a time, as he is being added on to the schedule. He is also having an ultrasound on the legs to check for any clots.
I will update later today after the procedure. George appreciates all the messages, but please understand that he is so out of it from the pain medications that responding to text or
messages is just not possible. I'm sure Sunday or Monday will be better.
~Donna
Last night after the first dose of IV pain medication he was feeling much more comfortable. I came home late and her was feeling very loopy and tried form the meds. His night was not pain free, and were still working on adjustments of the dose to achieve comfort.
The plan is for him to be transported over to UCLA's main Hospital in Westwood to undergo a
procedure done that blocks the nerves surrounding the Pancreases. The block is done via endoscopic scope so he will be out for the procedure. As of a few minutes ago we are still waiting for a time, as he is being added on to the schedule. He is also having an ultrasound on the legs to check for any clots.
I will update later today after the procedure. George appreciates all the messages, but please understand that he is so out of it from the pain medications that responding to text or
messages is just not possible. I'm sure Sunday or Monday will be better.
~Donna
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
TPN
George has now been receiving the TPN for almost a week, and we are starting to get into a routine. He is never ready to be hooked up in the evening, and looks forward to being disconnected every morning.
For the most part I have been handling most of the process everyday, and we are grateful to have a few nurse friends who have offered to help out. Thanks to Diane V. (friend and fellow CHLA RN), who came to prepare the TPN and connect him the other night while I was at work. It is very comforting knowing we have such great support close by.
We continue with the goal of weight gain for George, and more energy.
For the most part I have been handling most of the process everyday, and we are grateful to have a few nurse friends who have offered to help out. Thanks to Diane V. (friend and fellow CHLA RN), who came to prepare the TPN and connect him the other night while I was at work. It is very comforting knowing we have such great support close by.
We continue with the goal of weight gain for George, and more energy.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Resting and Waiting
On Monday afternoon we met with George's oncologist. It was decided that George needed to get more rest and nutritional support before considering additional chemo options. The stent is working, however, but George is limited to a soft diet for now. His weight loss in the hospital was significant, and we will be adding TPN to his regiment to help add calories. The process will take another day or so to set up, but he should start by the end of the week. We will meet with Dr.Wainberg again in two weeks to further discuss if the clinical trail in an option.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Stent Placement
We were thrilled that the Stent placement went well. Yesterday was a long day as George was the last case to be done, but once we were given the word that the stent was placed it was worth the wait for endoscopic Doctor. George was back in his room by 9:00 PM, and felt encouraged for the first time in days. Dr. T was not the one doing the procedure, but he came to observe and give me the good news. We are so fortunate to have him on our case. Thanks to Suzanne and Kim for waiting with me, it helps to have a distraction.
George is doing good today, just tired. We are so thankful to be here at UCLA, however when you are at a teaching hospital the Doctors arrive very early for rounds. Today the first Doctor knocked at the door at 4:45 AM, and then Dr. Tomlinson's surgical team arrived at 6:00 AM. George only received about 3 hours sleep, so he's napping now as I write this. I stayed last night here with him, and found it so odd to be the patients family member, and not the nurse. It gives me new insight into how my patients families feel when the Doctors arrive so early and just flip on the lights. We are Glad to have such good care, but I know George will get more sleep when he's back home.
The plan will be to advance from the clear liquid diet he is on now to soft solids later today. If he is able to handle his meals well he will be discharged Thursday morning.
Thank you for all the prayers, and encouraging emails. We feel so grateful for the support.
~Donna
George is doing good today, just tired. We are so thankful to be here at UCLA, however when you are at a teaching hospital the Doctors arrive very early for rounds. Today the first Doctor knocked at the door at 4:45 AM, and then Dr. Tomlinson's surgical team arrived at 6:00 AM. George only received about 3 hours sleep, so he's napping now as I write this. I stayed last night here with him, and found it so odd to be the patients family member, and not the nurse. It gives me new insight into how my patients families feel when the Doctors arrive so early and just flip on the lights. We are Glad to have such good care, but I know George will get more sleep when he's back home.
The plan will be to advance from the clear liquid diet he is on now to soft solids later today. If he is able to handle his meals well he will be discharged Thursday morning.
Thank you for all the prayers, and encouraging emails. We feel so grateful for the support.
~Donna
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Quick Update
Sorry it took me so long to get more details posted. Thursday we ended up in the ER at UCLA, not a great way to spend your Birthday (George turned 51 Thursday). He was having increased abdominal discomfort, and we needed him to be assessed. The ER attending had a CT done so they could see what was causing the distention. George had been scheduled to have an outpatient CT done on Friday to check the progress of the Chemo treatment and re-staging. The CT showed that the primary tumor in the Pancreas was pushing on the part of the small bowel that is directly below the stomach. The stomach was unable to empty, and allow food passage. The blockage in not complete so some liquids were slowly passing, but not much. The obstruction needs to be resolved, so the surgical team was consulted. George spent the next several hours having his
stomach drained (I'll spare you the details) but not a fun night. The surgical team contacted Dr. T our surgical oncologist, and George was admitted in the middle of the night. I will not go into details, but between 12 and 4 AM I was on the phone with the ER attending as our primary medical group was giving UCLA a difficult time with approving the admission. They wanted us transferred out of UCLA. Clearly our Medical group has system issues with documentation, and can't see that we were granted treatment with the UCLA oncology department. Friday I spent another full day of phone calls, dealing with the medical group as they had a hard time understanding the obstruction was related to the cancer, I was in no mood to be messed with after only getting 2 hours of sleep. The end result is that after they spoke with
Dr. T it was clear that they are unable to provide the car, and procedure needed so they approved for George to stay at UCLA.
The plan is as follows; George will be limited to small amounts of liquids to taken by mouth for the next few days, he will need have a procedure in which a Stent is placed in the upper small intestine to open the obstruction. Dr. T is not sure the stent will work, but this will
be the least invasive way to open the obstruction. UCLA has a GI doctor that specializes is this type of procedure, it is done with the scope. If the procedue in not successful Dr. T will need to do a surgical procedure to bypass the obstruction. The stent placement will be done on Tuesday, and George will stay in the hospital until then to allow his bowel to rest, and receive IV hydration.
Yesterday was not an easy day as Dr. T also shared that the CT showed the cancer cells have spread to several areas in the Liver. We will meet with our primary oncologist on Monday to
talked more about this, and what our treatment plan will be.
Please pray for that the stent placement is successful on Tuesday, and recovery goes well. George will most likely be in the hospital until next Thursday. You may send him a message at his email gmvanca@aol.com if you wish. He may not be up to responding to all his messages and text, but he reads them all :)
~Donna
stomach drained (I'll spare you the details) but not a fun night. The surgical team contacted Dr. T our surgical oncologist, and George was admitted in the middle of the night. I will not go into details, but between 12 and 4 AM I was on the phone with the ER attending as our primary medical group was giving UCLA a difficult time with approving the admission. They wanted us transferred out of UCLA. Clearly our Medical group has system issues with documentation, and can't see that we were granted treatment with the UCLA oncology department. Friday I spent another full day of phone calls, dealing with the medical group as they had a hard time understanding the obstruction was related to the cancer, I was in no mood to be messed with after only getting 2 hours of sleep. The end result is that after they spoke with
Dr. T it was clear that they are unable to provide the car, and procedure needed so they approved for George to stay at UCLA.
The plan is as follows; George will be limited to small amounts of liquids to taken by mouth for the next few days, he will need have a procedure in which a Stent is placed in the upper small intestine to open the obstruction. Dr. T is not sure the stent will work, but this will
be the least invasive way to open the obstruction. UCLA has a GI doctor that specializes is this type of procedure, it is done with the scope. If the procedue in not successful Dr. T will need to do a surgical procedure to bypass the obstruction. The stent placement will be done on Tuesday, and George will stay in the hospital until then to allow his bowel to rest, and receive IV hydration.
Yesterday was not an easy day as Dr. T also shared that the CT showed the cancer cells have spread to several areas in the Liver. We will meet with our primary oncologist on Monday to
talked more about this, and what our treatment plan will be.
Please pray for that the stent placement is successful on Tuesday, and recovery goes well. George will most likely be in the hospital until next Thursday. You may send him a message at his email gmvanca@aol.com if you wish. He may not be up to responding to all his messages and text, but he reads them all :)
~Donna
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