Mr. P is seeing a pain management specialist in Destin, today. Hopefully there can be some relief. Last week he picked up the surgeons notes from the back surgery in February of 2013. I read them over the weekend. Scary stuff. I remember that the surgery took longer than they told me it would take. They tried to remove the original fusion (Manufacturer A) and replace with all new (Strycker) parts. They didn’t have the proper equipment in the hospital to do so. When they realized they couldn’t remove it, they forced screws through it to hold it in place. The screws went through his spine and into soft tissue. No wonder the poor man is in pain all the time. My back hurts just typing those words.
From Ligonier Ministries this morning: Last Saturday, Dr. Sproul checked himself into the hospital. The doctors suspect he had a mild stroke. He remains in the hospital for further testing and observation. The Sproul family requests your prayers.
Prayers for Norma, I’m not really sure how to pray other than for as much comfort and peace of mind as possible. Pray mostly for an awareness of God during this really hard time.
Part of me fears this disease will take her very fast — but then I think that would probably (overall) be a good thing.
It looks like she’ll be able to stay at home through it all, though — and I’m amazed by the comprehensiveness of Hospice, that’s something that certainly wasn’t available when my dad was going through cancer in the late 1960s (though it was being talked about as a model to replicate, it was just being introduced, I believe, in some European countries at the time).
A doctor will be coming by to see her twice this week through Hospice. Meals on Wheels service begins also today. She looked so scarily thin, frail and weak to me yesterday (although I have to say she still was in top “backseat driving” form on the way to and from church 🙂 and fretting about the kids who were out climbing trees & running too close to the street and the man on a bicycle whom we passed — because don’t they know that’s all so “dangerous” 🙂 ).
So far no pain or other symptoms (other than just a deep tiredness and a bit of unsteadiness; she was having a little trouble standing up for the songs in church yesterday). Hospice dropped off pain meds for her to keep in her refrigerator for now.
A friend (our associate pastor’s wife) who also drives Norma a lot (to doctor’s appointments, etc., she lives in the same neighborhood as Norma) was apparently driving a bit too fast for Norma’s taste (not hard to do, believe me) and after several unheeded hints, Norma finally just blurted out “Oh, I want to just close my eyes!”
One of the gentlemen in our church, Wilmer, is quite upset that he was told he was too old to have chemo. His wife was even more upset. He is 91, but very healthy, except for a tumor. He feels he has more work to do in this life, so was willing to undergo the unpleasantness of chemo. Apparently, he cannot make that choice. I’m not sure how old is too old.
That is sad Kathaleena, about your friend. I don’t know how old is too old, but it seems to me if the patient wants it they should be able to make that determination. What was that about the “death panels” we heard about Obamacare? Of course I haven’t even been accepted into medical school yet, so there may possibly be more to the story.
I talked to Mr. P a bit ago. This doctor is changing up his medication. They are taking him off some and putting him on others. There is an anti-depressant they are going to try because it intercepts the neuro-receptors that complete the signal to feel nerve pain. There will be another surgery, very likely this summer, but if he can at least get some relief from the constant pain it will help.
We had talked about trying to go to New Orleans for a weekend but the truth is that the drive would be too painful for him to walk around and enjoy anything. It is hard on him and therefore on me too.
Kim – Is Cymbalta the anti-depressant you referred to? I was on that for several years, & I know that it is also used to treat fibromyalgia & diabetic neuropathy.
The side effect that I experienced was that in the beginning it helped me fall asleep very easily, which was wonderful, as I often have a problem falling asleep as quickly as I’d like. But the flip side of that was that waking up in the morning took an act of my will to force my eyes to stay open, & to make myself get out of bed. I would feel like sleep was trying to pull me back into itself, & I had to fight the feeling.
(That brings to mind some song lyrics. “…I can’t fight this feeling anymore. I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for…” 🙂 )
That was fine by me for a while, but towards the end of my time on it, it was more difficult to deal with.
Also, going off Cymbalta is very difficult. When/if the time comes, google “Cymbalta withdrawal”. There will be hints at how to more easily withdraw from it (definitely not cold turkey).
And if it’s not Cymbalta Mr. P was prescribed, well, maybe this info I’ve shared will be helpful to someone else reading. 🙂
K, decisions to withhold chemo due to age vary widely, seemingly according to physician and hospital. My grandmother is taking cancer treatment, paid for by public health, and she is 95; however, her treatment is very conservative. If the patient is otherwise healthy, chemo can be given. It is important to remember that chemo is given to extend life or reduce discomfort. It is not an actual cure, especially if the cancer is at an advanced stage – a stage four cancer can only be slowed. Many chemo drugs are potent poisons which kill off rapidly growing body cells – my aunt who died of cancer had to get the antidote shot to the poison the day after she received the chemo drug. The chemo can be toxic to the heart and kidneys, so those with pre-existing heart conditions or a chronic disease like diabetes are not good risks. I remember an elderly man who attended our church, who was told he was too old for treatment. He too was upset, but then he wrote a letter to the church in which he recalled the story of Hezekiah pleading for more years and how those years of Hezekiah’s life were not the best; he concluded that it was time for him to accept that God was calling him home.
I believe in Norma’s case they said she simply wasn’t strong enough, which was really not a surprise. She’s almost 82 but according to doctors following the surgery is actually “malnourished.” I suspect the weight loss, which I began noticing a few years ago now, is related to the cancer which wasn’t diagnosed until last summer. But knowing how tough chemo is to endure, I don’t think I’d want her one it at this stage, it would probably be worse than the disease in her case. But there is a woman who’s older than her in our church who’s done well with chemo treatments for pancreatic cancer. I think it probably depends more on the individual’s overall health rather than a specific chronological age (although age definitely becomes a factor).
And she also has a pre-existing heart problem, so I’m sure that also came into play — they were hoping the surgery she had last fall would provide a few more years, but, unfortunately, the cancer returned very quickly.
She told me if she knew then what she knows now she would not have had the surgery (it was a dicey call for her to begin with) — I told her if the doctors new then what they know now, they probably wouldn’t recommend it. But at the time, it seemed to be a reasonable chance to take …
The doctors said without the surgery, she would have been gone within weeks or a couple of months. But it was a lot to go through, considering what we know now, in retrospect.
Wandering Views 
Mr. P is seeing a pain management specialist in Destin, today. Hopefully there can be some relief. Last week he picked up the surgeons notes from the back surgery in February of 2013. I read them over the weekend. Scary stuff. I remember that the surgery took longer than they told me it would take. They tried to remove the original fusion (Manufacturer A) and replace with all new (Strycker) parts. They didn’t have the proper equipment in the hospital to do so. When they realized they couldn’t remove it, they forced screws through it to hold it in place. The screws went through his spine and into soft tissue. No wonder the poor man is in pain all the time. My back hurts just typing those words.
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From Ligonier Ministries this morning: Last Saturday, Dr. Sproul checked himself into the hospital. The doctors suspect he had a mild stroke. He remains in the hospital for further testing and observation. The Sproul family requests your prayers.
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Ow, Kim. My sympathies to Mr. P.
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Prayers for Norma, I’m not really sure how to pray other than for as much comfort and peace of mind as possible. Pray mostly for an awareness of God during this really hard time.
Part of me fears this disease will take her very fast — but then I think that would probably (overall) be a good thing.
It looks like she’ll be able to stay at home through it all, though — and I’m amazed by the comprehensiveness of Hospice, that’s something that certainly wasn’t available when my dad was going through cancer in the late 1960s (though it was being talked about as a model to replicate, it was just being introduced, I believe, in some European countries at the time).
A doctor will be coming by to see her twice this week through Hospice. Meals on Wheels service begins also today. She looked so scarily thin, frail and weak to me yesterday (although I have to say she still was in top “backseat driving” form on the way to and from church 🙂 and fretting about the kids who were out climbing trees & running too close to the street and the man on a bicycle whom we passed — because don’t they know that’s all so “dangerous” 🙂 ).
So far no pain or other symptoms (other than just a deep tiredness and a bit of unsteadiness; she was having a little trouble standing up for the songs in church yesterday). Hospice dropped off pain meds for her to keep in her refrigerator for now.
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Prayers for Norma, too, Donna. And also for you. (I did have to laugh, though, at your “top ‘backseat driving’ form” reference.) 😉
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A friend (our associate pastor’s wife) who also drives Norma a lot (to doctor’s appointments, etc., she lives in the same neighborhood as Norma) was apparently driving a bit too fast for Norma’s taste (not hard to do, believe me) and after several unheeded hints, Norma finally just blurted out “Oh, I want to just close my eyes!”
The driver said, “Please do.”
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One of the gentlemen in our church, Wilmer, is quite upset that he was told he was too old to have chemo. His wife was even more upset. He is 91, but very healthy, except for a tumor. He feels he has more work to do in this life, so was willing to undergo the unpleasantness of chemo. Apparently, he cannot make that choice. I’m not sure how old is too old.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is sad Kathaleena, about your friend. I don’t know how old is too old, but it seems to me if the patient wants it they should be able to make that determination. What was that about the “death panels” we heard about Obamacare? Of course I haven’t even been accepted into medical school yet, so there may possibly be more to the story.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I talked to Mr. P a bit ago. This doctor is changing up his medication. They are taking him off some and putting him on others. There is an anti-depressant they are going to try because it intercepts the neuro-receptors that complete the signal to feel nerve pain. There will be another surgery, very likely this summer, but if he can at least get some relief from the constant pain it will help.
We had talked about trying to go to New Orleans for a weekend but the truth is that the drive would be too painful for him to walk around and enjoy anything. It is hard on him and therefore on me too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kim – Is Cymbalta the anti-depressant you referred to? I was on that for several years, & I know that it is also used to treat fibromyalgia & diabetic neuropathy.
The side effect that I experienced was that in the beginning it helped me fall asleep very easily, which was wonderful, as I often have a problem falling asleep as quickly as I’d like. But the flip side of that was that waking up in the morning took an act of my will to force my eyes to stay open, & to make myself get out of bed. I would feel like sleep was trying to pull me back into itself, & I had to fight the feeling.
(That brings to mind some song lyrics. “…I can’t fight this feeling anymore. I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for…” 🙂 )
That was fine by me for a while, but towards the end of my time on it, it was more difficult to deal with.
Also, going off Cymbalta is very difficult. When/if the time comes, google “Cymbalta withdrawal”. There will be hints at how to more easily withdraw from it (definitely not cold turkey).
And if it’s not Cymbalta Mr. P was prescribed, well, maybe this info I’ve shared will be helpful to someone else reading. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
K, decisions to withhold chemo due to age vary widely, seemingly according to physician and hospital. My grandmother is taking cancer treatment, paid for by public health, and she is 95; however, her treatment is very conservative. If the patient is otherwise healthy, chemo can be given. It is important to remember that chemo is given to extend life or reduce discomfort. It is not an actual cure, especially if the cancer is at an advanced stage – a stage four cancer can only be slowed. Many chemo drugs are potent poisons which kill off rapidly growing body cells – my aunt who died of cancer had to get the antidote shot to the poison the day after she received the chemo drug. The chemo can be toxic to the heart and kidneys, so those with pre-existing heart conditions or a chronic disease like diabetes are not good risks. I remember an elderly man who attended our church, who was told he was too old for treatment. He too was upset, but then he wrote a letter to the church in which he recalled the story of Hezekiah pleading for more years and how those years of Hezekiah’s life were not the best; he concluded that it was time for him to accept that God was calling him home.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I believe in Norma’s case they said she simply wasn’t strong enough, which was really not a surprise. She’s almost 82 but according to doctors following the surgery is actually “malnourished.” I suspect the weight loss, which I began noticing a few years ago now, is related to the cancer which wasn’t diagnosed until last summer. But knowing how tough chemo is to endure, I don’t think I’d want her one it at this stage, it would probably be worse than the disease in her case. But there is a woman who’s older than her in our church who’s done well with chemo treatments for pancreatic cancer. I think it probably depends more on the individual’s overall health rather than a specific chronological age (although age definitely becomes a factor).
LikeLiked by 2 people
And she also has a pre-existing heart problem, so I’m sure that also came into play — they were hoping the surgery she had last fall would provide a few more years, but, unfortunately, the cancer returned very quickly.
She told me if she knew then what she knows now she would not have had the surgery (it was a dicey call for her to begin with) — I told her if the doctors new then what they know now, they probably wouldn’t recommend it. But at the time, it seemed to be a reasonable chance to take …
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The doctors said without the surgery, she would have been gone within weeks or a couple of months. But it was a lot to go through, considering what we know now, in retrospect.
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