Palliative care

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. (https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/)  

That is what they are calling his chemo now. The cancer has spread into his lymph nodes. No surgery is what they are saying. No cure, surgery can kill him. Just die.

So I am looking at quality of life. What can I do to make it better for him, for the time he has left. How long will it be? I don't know. I just do not know anything anymore. I am at a loss at what to do. I want him to live. I need him to live. Am I just wanting to make his life better for him or me? I don't know.

Quality of life

Oxygen is something everyone needs, we cannot live without it. We breath it in and exhale carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide level and oxygen level  in your blood tells your brain to breath in and exhale. Someone that has COPD has a higher level of carbon dioxide in their blood and they breath faster than normal. They also have decreased lung surface area where gas exchange takes place-oxygen for carbon dioxide. Now if their oxygen level is high they do not breath as fast, if they do not breath as fast they get an even  higher level of carbon dioxide. It can be a vicious cycle and the pros and cons of giving a COPD patient oxygen is weighed heavy. 

Pat has been on oxygen at night while asleep for a long time. Yesterday we went and they checked his oxygen and decided it would benefit him more to have oxygen when he is doing activities as well as when asleep. 

Quality of life is important. I need to make every bit count for him. 

reflections

Yesterday was Pat's 67th birthday. Our granddaughter Brook drove us to IHOP for his birthday breakfast. He wanted pancakes so off we went. Brook ,of course, had chocolate chip pancakes. Pat went through over half a stack of 5 pancakes smothered in syrup, 2 eggs and sausage links. Our friend Christine joined us to help celebrate his day. He enjoyed himself and ate fairly good. 

I know I am repeating myself about how he ate. Thing is, he has lost weight. That worries me. He cannot continue losing weight like he is and fight the cancer. 

I never thought I would see the day when I would watch him start to shrivel up and become a frail man. He has always been my rock and now I must be his. I am not a rock. I really don't have a clue of how to be one. It was not supposed to be this way.

Ok. The alarm has gone off. Time to get up and get ready for his doctor's appointment. Well I guess part of it I have done already. Time to put on my face for my world to see. 

This is chemo rest week. Only thing he is having done is lab work.

second treatment

Today was second treatment. They are giving him steroids. Enough said

poopy poop

*WARNING-deals with body functions*

Pat has been dealing with issues with pain. He has always been a strong man, never one to admit when he was hurting. The lymph nodes in his groin and abdomen area are pressing on his veins constricting proper flow. He has  PERIPHERAL LYMPHEDEMA  caused by bladder cancer that has metastasized to his lymph nodes. The doctors are not grading it until his cancer has been taken care of.
It hurts. Nerves run along side the veins and arteries. It hurts him. In response he is taking pain medicine. This is causing other issues. He has never been a big drinker of liquids. This is causing issues. I think he has finally realized the importance of water! 
After a couple days of extra water, grape juice, oatmeal with baby food prunes, he has had movement! 

People if you ever have blood in your urine please PLEASE get it checked out. Bladder cancer in early stages is easily CURABLE.  


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