Dialysis Day!

02:39PM -- Larry made it to dialysis, although it took a bit of effort on his part. I woke him around 9:30ish this morning to get his day going. He was weak and pale, but ate a small helping of his fruit salad and 2 boiled eggs for breakfast although he was nauseated. I'm sure Rudy managed to get most of the eggs. Did his eyedrops and morning pills, cleaned him up, got him dressed and by 11:35AM we were out the door. I told him on the way over to the dialysis center that I was going to request they do a hemoglobin check STAT and he agreed. I talked to his tech - Andrea - and told her what had happened Sunday and what the on-call oncologist had said. Anyway, I got a call from Dialysis and his hemoglobin count was down to 7.9. They do transfusions at 8.5. Last I heard, he would be given 2 pints of blood. Andrea will call if anything changes.

His regular hospice nurse - Missy - called this morning and I told her what had happened. She is going to get some other pain meds to help with the constant pain he has in his lower abdomen. She gave me her home number to call if anything should happen with Larry whenever she is off duty. Missy is scheduled to be here on Friday. She said she wished more family members and patients had the attitude that Larry and I both have concerning his prognosis. I told her I can't imagine denying the obvious or hiding from it. How can you possibly make informed decisions? Yes, they are hard decisions to make...but, you will have to make them at some point. And, personally, I'd like to know everything about what's happening or could possibly happen, so that I'm not "surprised" or "shocked" when or if it occurs. Missy told me the same thing the oncologist said Sunday....Larry still has a little time left.

Well, I made up some of Larry's special roll-ups. Ham, cream cheese, and slivers of green onion. Nice little surprise for him when he gets home if he is up to it. I'm sure he'll be taking a nap once he gets here from dialysis. I'll try to post again later tonight and give an update.

05:19PM -- Well, it seems - after several changes - that Larry is not getting the transfusions today. It seems his doctors have decided that because his blood pressure is okay, there is no need to transfuse him. But wait! They put a band on him just as he was leaving so that they would do the transfusion on Thursday. Ummm? Excuse me? Did I miss something here? His ending B/P was 151/51, not great but not bad either. So, if they didn't transfuse him today because his blood pressure is okay...then, explain to me why they would transfuse him on Thursday? If he doesn't need it today - and unless he hemorrhages again before Thursday - why would he need it on Thursday? Anyway, that's how it is set up for now. Later...