September 30, 2020

-

 September 30, 2020


' My life is nothing but pain, torture, and suffering!'. Marlon's outburst for the day which included several variations of the line above and tears and that pleading look in his eyes.  I am sorry to say that today was another bad day.  

In yesterday's 'wail' report I hinted at something I had done or not done (aka dropped the ball).  Marlon is bunged up.  So today he was in constant discomfort with abdominal and stomach pain.  He didn't want to eat or drink or move.  Sat there, crying ever so often and plugged into his audiobook.  So down, so hard to witness.  And of course I feel like I should have gotten something in him sooner to get his bowels moving again and I was slow to move.  I was warned this could happen but at first he was very regular.  I could have prevented this.

The pills have been more of a struggle and today was particularly bad, having to take a break after every pill or two.

Speaking of pills, today was his last day of taking Prednisone, for now, but they will come back.  Seven pills in the morning and seven at night.  And though they were fairly small pills the flavour made him gag or throw up if it wasn't properly hidden in the ice cream.

At the end of the day today Marlon was saying maybe he does want a feeding tube.   He wouldn't have to eat or drink or take his pills by mouth.  I did let him know it would be quite uncomfortable.  Is it giving up?  I really don't know.  Is it the right choice for him?  It is his decision. It wouldn't be my choice but his weight is a concern.    

Tomorrow at the hospital he will have lumbar puncture (chemo injected into back) and bone marrow taken to be tested.  And we will see if anything can be done to help his bowels along.  And we will find out more about the tube.  Yikes!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

July 7, 2022

-
Image
On May 23rd, the week before the chemo that weakened Marlon enough to put him in the hospital, the dog, the boy, and I drove to Montreal. (I am aware of the use of the word 'go' when writing. In German, the verb 'to go' means walking. You don't 'go' in a car.) Before we left, as I was packing up the car, I noticed a fair sized spider web between the driver's side view mirror and the car. I left it alone, figuring the wind would blow it off. It was so nice to see Linsy and Moira and spend time with them. I have missed having Linsy around. It was neat that, when we got there, Olivia, Jamey, and Roka, their dog, were there. They live 15 minutes away from us but were there visiting their son. Mina was definitely happy to see Roka (and all the others too).   Mina got used to walking on sidewalks and being in the city. Other people and dogs, not so much. Moira has given me a belt with a dog lead on it for hands-free walking. It worked but was even bett...
Read more

November 10, 2022 (2)

-
Image
Today, I dropped Marlon off at outdoor school and met up with a friend I have only seen a handful of times in the last 20+ years.  She was in the area for the passing of a family member. i then went for a walk with Mina.  I watched and she poised herself in hunting position and pounced.  I saw a squirrel run up a tiny little tree but also heard this pitiful whining.  At first, confused, I wondered if she had pounced on a nest in the ground.  But the dog ran to me, crying and whining, holding up her paw.  We were a ways from home and she hobbled carefully home after we sat for a while and she calmed down.  She will often run the perimeter of fields, running this way and that.  I saw her longing to run the field as we made our way back but she was uncomfortable and limping. A short while later, I went to pick up Marlon and watched in amazement as he hobbled to the car.  Yes, he had hurt his foot within an hour of the dog hurting herself.  ...
Read more

July 5, 2022

-
Image
Decision was made that Marlon was to go check blood counts on Monday.  We drove down to Hamilton together, quick finger poke, and then leave again.  A couple of times, we drove around the parking garage for almost a half-hour looking for a spot, but Monday was smooth.  Busy place. Blood counts are good so dental work begins.  Marlon's doctor was impressed with the dentist when she spoke with him last week.  In support, I sit next to him in the dentist's room and hope my own anxiety, discomfort, and fear don't affect him. Halfway through the drilling of four teeth which was quite intense, they took a little break to check in with Marlon and see if he was up to continue.  He agreed to do more but said he was most concerned about the tastes of the filling material.  With the pain and discomfort of the first part, one would think that would be the least of his worries but he is very sensitive to taste and flavour.  As it turned out he didn't gag or re...
Read more