Where We Started And Where We Are

 To some of you, this must be a big surprise.  To others, you have either heard small updates or you have been in the know for a while.  Either way you got here, welcome and here is a little info on where we started and where we are now.

On September 21, 2023, my Dad was diagnosed with Liver Cirrhosis.  This was the first time that he had symptoms bad enough to want to seek medical attention for them.  He checked himself into the ER and found out his diagnosis.

It's been a long ride for the past 2 years and 8 months.  For most of that time, he was pretty symptom-free.  Not much to complain about, and just enjoying life.

A couple of months ago, that all changed.  In March, his illness started to become more apparent.  He was having a lot of fluid build up, his skin was becoming more jaundiced, and his balance was not what it used to be.

On April 14th, I took my Dad to his doctor's appointment to discuss where we are.  We decided, due to his recent falls, to set up a Home Health Nurse, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist.  They would each come to his house 2-3 times a week.  Therefore, I would be going to his house and back home 2-3 times a day for those appointments, grocery store runs, getting his mail, and Daily Journal, as well as for other reasons.

On April 21st, I took my Dad to get blood tests and to have fluid removed from his belly.  Since his liver was not working as it should, he would get a lot of fluid building up that would need to be removed.  The procedure was done with success, and they removed......are you sitting down for this?.....7.6 liters (yes, I said liters) of fluid from him.  What relief he felt!  Thank goodness!

That was the last time I was able to take him out of the house for an appointment on my own.

On April 29th, we had another fluid draining appointment scheduled, as well as a Palliative Care initial appointment to see if he qualified for Palliative Care.  Unfortunately, the past week took its toll on him, and he was no longer able to leave the house on his own.  Stairs to the garage now became too much for him, so he was homebound for the time being.  We had to cancel his fluid draining appointment and change his Palliative Care appointment from an in-person visit to a video visit.

During the Palliative Care appointment, it was determined that my Dad did not qualify for Palliative Care, but that he did qualify for hospice care.  That was a hard one to swallow.  Conversations shifted, lists were made, and people started being notified.  I now had a lot of things to get in order that needed to be done quickly.  The Palliative Care doctor gave my Dad a timeline of "Days to Weeks" to live.

Over the next week and a half, he was able to visit with some of his family and friends.  It perked him up; he started looking better and sounding better as he looked forward to each and every one of those visits.  Saturday, he had a visitor, and for the first time, he had to visit from his bed; all of his other visits he was able to do from his recliner in the family room, which was nice.

We have had to cancel today's visits and most likely the rest, as he just doesn't have the energy.  Things have been going quickly for the past few months and have definitely ramped up over the past couple of weeks.

He has an appointment to have a drain put into his stomach on Thursday, which will allow his nurse and caregivers to drain his fluid at home, which will make him more comfortable.  I will keep you all updated on how that goes.

My plan, as I did with my Mom, is to update this blog nightly with what has happened that day.  I have received many phone calls and text messages over the past couple of weeks, and we TRULY appreciate them all!  I have done my best to reply and get back to everyone as best I could.  I know that I may have missed some messages and not been able to get back to others.   

This is another reason why I created this blog.  Now there is one place that everyone can come to, where they can "Keep up with John (Larry)".  Thank you all for your continued love, support, and understanding.  We love and appreciate you all!