Update for April 14, 2009

Since Dad was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, April 7, he has been feeling quite well overall. The highlight of the past week has been a visit from his sister, Emma, brother, Sonny, and nephew Rick visiting from Connecticut and Maine. He was even up for a three day trip north to Redwood National Park that included a short jaunt into Oregon.

Here is a summary of his present condition, in no particular order:

• Pain (head/neck/shoulders and the hip) still continues to be an issue. He is using Fentanyl patches (total of 150 mcg/hr), changed every two days and also taking acetaminophen and liquid morphine as needed for breakthrough pain. The headaches don't seem to have much correlation with anything (activity level, fatigue, time of day, hunger, etc.) although sleeping at night does seem to have a positive effect. Likewise, the pain medicine is sometimes very effective and other times not at all. We are continuing in our efforts to manage his pain effectively.
• Edema in his feet and lower legs has been much less pronounced. He has been wearing compression socks intermittently to help control it.
• Fatigue has been much better than prior to his most recent hospitalization, but he still gets tired at different times during the day and generally takes at least one or two naps a day. When napping, he doesn't necessarily go to sleep but the rest seems to help. As the hip pain improves, he has been able to walk quite well and he goes for walks most days. He has not needed to use his cane much when walking; he has not yet gotten a walker, although he has a prescription for one.
• His mouth sores seem to have healed almost completely, which is consistent with the timing after the first round of chemo.
• Constipation is an ongoing problem, most likely a result of the pain medications. He is taking several forms of laxative and stool softeners and also eating prunes, etc. He has complained of some external bleeding, most likely from a fissure.
• His appetite has been fair since leaving the hospital, with several smaller meals or snacks throughout the day.
• While in the hospital, he stopped taking Ambien as a sleep aid and switched to Restoril. He is currently taking 22.5 mg nightly with fairly good results. He is also taking a melatonin tablet each night (available over the counter).

Dad's next chemotherapy treatment is scheduled for this coming Friday, April 17. As I mentioned before, Dr. Weber plans to reduce the dosages by about 20% in an attempt to reduce the side effects.