Updates on the Parents

Mom is about the same. She had an MRI today, which will help the docs determine what all is going on in that foot of hers. They still plan to amputate sometime this week. Mom isn't doing as well emotionally because my dad has had setbacks yesterday and today.

In fact, the news isn't good regarding dad. He had a rough night and morning, vomiting and not keeping any food or meds down. He spiked a fever and is no non-responsive, except for a few groans here and there. This is not a drug-induced state, just something his body is doing on his own. The drs are drawing blood and taking urine samples to determine if this is the natural course the brain tumor is taking us down or if dad has contracted something viral. We are told from the hospice folks that this happens when one is near death; one begins refusing food, which he did on Saturday, and then begins detaching. So, we will wait and see, praying for God's grace along.

Thankfully, Bryan's grandmother is doing quite well, recovering from her hip surgery; well, as great as one can expect. She is still in ICU, but will likely be in a regular room tomorrow.

Mom Will Lose Her Toe

It's official--the doc is amputating mom's toe this upcoming week, probably on Wednesday. Thankfully, the rest of her toes and foot will not go under the knife, just get a good dose of antibiotics. Not sure on recovery time now. Her blood sugar levels are still near 200 with regular oral meds and insulin injections. Her blood pressure is coming down, at least.

We are leaving Arkansas tomorrow, but Tina is arriving in the afternoon. We will evaluate our return based on the happenings of the week.

Dad is doing all right. He's resting well and in no pain.

Mom Is in the Hospital, Dad Is in the Hospital (Anyone want to check me into the hospital?)

This morning, Bryan and I arrived to find my mother's foot in terrible condition--swollen, infected, and disfigured. We immediately took her to the ER, seeing that she does not have a primary care physician. And thankfully, it was the best ER experience one could hope for. We waited less than 30 minutes for registration and all. The ER took x-rays, began IV antibiotics, and administered nausea medication. The ER physician had her admitted within three hours. Here's the scoop, according to her admitting hospitalist: the x-rays reveal poor circulation to her feet, which is causing her wound not to heal, and deep infection. She has a severely infected fourth toe on her right foot--so severe it is black, twice its size, and has skin rotting off. Her entire foot is swollen and rudolph red, with infection in her pinkie toe as well. The dr believes just from the primary images that she does have infection in the bone. This weekend she will have further imaging studies done and what not. He believe surgery will come on Monday or Tuesday. There is a chance she will lose her toe. And did I mention her blood sugar levels are through the roof--365. So, they are trying to get that under control. The dr. mentioned this is going to be a long recovery. He said if her foot is well in one month, that will be a miracle. She's in 4401 at St. Edwards.

On to dad . . . given mom is hospitalized, we had to find somewhere for him to go. So, he's in the St. Edwards in-patient hospice wing, room 5119. He's doing okay. He has a really bad week, especially the last two days. Yesterday, he had extreme pain and upset stomach, even vomiting from the pain. Today, with new dosages of pain meds, he's resting better, but having a bit more confusion. I'm sure the unfamiliar surroundings coupled with higher dosages affects him this way.

We also found out last night that Bryan's grandmother fell and broke her hip. She is in the hospital in Texas, and will have surgery tomorrow morning. Given her poor heart health, there is a reasonable chance she will not make it through the surgery. Sigh.

Please pray for us.

Busy, Busy Bees

Bzzzzz . . . .

We are the busy bees! (Not to be confused with busybodies, mind you.) The last two weeks have been, by far, the busiest times for me freelance-wise. Bryan has had a busy schedule too, thanks to on-call weekends and partners being on vacation. Of course, the added issue of my father's health had occupied some of our mental energies as well. But alas, we are happy to report, the stress is manageable and we are not insane . . . yet! Ha!

My dad has somewhat stabilized . . . not progressing or digressing for the last few days. He did attend church on Sunday, but found that was a bit too much for him. He is getting bored at home, so he attempted the church trip. So if you're in the area, stop by for a visit! We are going back north to see my parents and Bryan's family this weekend.

The weather still proves to be very much summer and not so much fall. I was thinking on Saturday, "It's almost September. I should whip out my autumn decorations." But it's hard to think fall when it's 102 outside. Ah, good ol' Texas! I'm truly not complaining. God knew where to put me. I hate cold weather!

If you haven't checked out my latest gig--Fort Worth Evangelical Examiner, then click here. You can even subscribe for an e-mail update each time I submit a new story.

That's all for now, folks! Keep us posted on what's new with you!

Rylan

Rylan is so cute, and so special at great-nephew status, that he gets his own blog entry. I present, the Rylan photo shoot . . .

Roll Call

Finally--the pics from the visit to my parents' house a few weekends back. Who's pictured? Roll call, please: Aunt Barbara, Uncle Bernstein, Aunt Charlotte, Kullen, Kristen, Casey, Chase, Corey, Mom, Dad, Baylee, Tony, Rylan, Chris, and that's all for now!

Rainy Rangers

Although it may seem like my father's illness is consuming my days (which it almost is!), Bryan and I have taken some time to relax and enjoy our life!

A couple weekends ago we attended a Texas Rangers game. It was very fun and entertaining . . . the ball game, that is, until about the sixth inning. Then, the entertainment proved to be a nasty thunderstorm rolling into Arlington. Bryan captured the pic above before the proverbial "bottom fell out."

We also still work in our garden and yard. Hopefully, the beneficial nematodes we "planted" in our garden will truly be beneficial and kill all the grubs and cut worms terrorizing our garden! I'll keep you posted on that! (I'm sure the eco-status of our garden is of utmost concern to you, dear reader.)

On Sunday, we ventured to the movie theater, which said to say, we only find ourselves at two or three times a year! We like movies. We like the theater. We just never make time to go! Julie & Julia was great--just the thing I needed to check-out for a bit.

Alas, this concludes the recent "days of our lives." Tune in next time for more sensational reading. (Teehee)

Just When You Think . . .

It can't get any worse . . .

Dad has quickly digressed since he has been taken off steroids. Within the last 24-hours, his headaches have returned and he has lost control of his left side again. Mom called minutes ago letting me know of the quick downturn. He has been crying with pain, asking for morphine and unable to move. Hospice will arrive today and will hopefully provide him with a hospital bed and other tools to aid him, as well as medications to make him more comfortable.

Fort Worth Evangelical Examiner--That's Me!

Yes, I am excited to announce I am the Fort Worth Evangelical Examiner, meaning I will be writing pieces for the online news source, Examiner.com regarding news and events impacting and of interest to evangelicals in the Fort Worth area.

One--I'd appreciate your patronage to my site: http://www.examiner.com/x-19787-Fort-Worth-Evangelical-Examiner. The more traffic I generate, the more successful my relationship with Examiner.com. You can even sign up for a subscription, which will simply alert you when I have posted a new story.

Two--I need your ideas. If you know of a great outreach event, upcoming conference, community charity, person to spotlight, ministry making a difference and on and on in the North Texas area, let me know! They may end up being a feature for my postings!

Thanks for your help!

Dad Is at Home

Dad came home yesterday. As far as I understand, hospice will be visiting today, evaluating needs and what not.

Please keep both my dad and mom in your thoughts and prayers. They are dealing with this reality in different ways; my mom is especially having a hard time.

For now, that is all to report. Hopefully, we will get a break from bad news!

A Case of the Weirds

Just last night, I returned from Arkansas where I had traveled to spend time with my family. Here's what I learned:

Dad decided against the brain biopsy and any invasive treatment. His decision is understandable given the doctor could only promise a poor quality of life and maybe an extra six months of life if he pursued biopsy, radiation, and what not. Because of swelling in the brain, dad was given high dosages of steroids to reduce edema. However, the steroids threw his insulin production out of whack; so his blood sugar levels are high. This is the sole reason he remains in the hospital. The doctor is trying to find a dosing regimen of diabetic medicine to stabilize his blood sugar levels . . . without dad having to receive insulin shots at home. Hopefully, this will be resolved within two or three days. When he is released, he will be on hospice. His case manager has been by at least a couple of times to start the process.

While I was there, two of my dad's sisters, my grandmother, and a cousin came for a visit. And my sister was there as well. We had a nice time with them, given the circumstances!

It is true, no one can prepare you for this--the terminal illness of a parent. And in my situation, the emotions are complicated by a painful relationship with my dad. When people ask how I feel, I usually say: "fine," "okay," "hanging in there," but what I really want to say is: "Weird. I feel weird." Here's what I mean . . . A good friend of mine just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. I was thinking about the pregnancy. You find out the due date; you know approximately when the event will take place. Then for the next several months, you prepare . . . plan . . . watch the body for signs "the day" is nearing. Each day you think about the baby's arrival. You are waiting for birth. I feel the same way, except I'm waiting for death. Planning, preparing, always thinking about it, straining for signs to see if the body is close. And that is just a weird feeling. That's what I mean by weird.

Yet even in the weirdness of uncharted waters, I know I am not alone and certainly do not feel alone. God has grown kinder, bigger, and more gracious than I ever imagined. I always knew He was good, but this good is blowing my mind. And that is a great "problem" to have.

Tough Day for Me

Not to sound too pathetic, but today is a tough day . . . for me, at least.

As of right now, dad has decided to forego the biopsy, which means any treatment will be forfeited as well. Thus, if he sticks with this decision, I anticipate hospice being the next step.

The day is tough in the sense of preparing for the road ahead. My mom is firmly grasping onto denial, finding it hard to swallow the terminal reality of the situation. This, of course, makes it hard for us kids to get much accomplished in the way of preparation. But hey--this isn't easy for anyone. One day at a time, right?

Tina is already in Arkansas, and I leave shortly to join her. Please keep me in your prayers as I navigate a difficult week.

The Evening Update

The neurologist, who was consulted by the oncologist, said the biopsy was possible, but waved some caution flags. The procedure does pose a few risk (but what procedure doesn't!) such as potential damage to the brain, etc. The oncologist, who Bryan says are always a bit more aggressive, is mildly leaning towards having the biopsy done. If successful, then the docs will know what kind of cancer exactly we are dealing with. The tumor is 4.2 centimeters, which means either the most recent MRI took better images or the tumor has grown a bit in the last week. The neurologist also painted a picture of prognosis, saying with aggressive treatment, dad has up to one year to live, albeit with a poor quality of life. If nothing is done, he has up to six months to live.

If the biopsy happens, it will occur on Monday.

More Bad News

Dad's oncologist has run many tests on dad yesterday and today. He has consulted a neurosurgeon to determine if the tumor can be biopsied.

The neurosurgeon came in today to say the jury is still out on the biopsy. However, he did shed some light on the situation, giving dad six months to live with no treatment and a 5% chance of living a year with treatment.

So, we are digesting that information, and waiting to see what they say about a biopsy.