For those of you who read this and knew that he had an appointment yesterday and may have mentioned it to him and he didn't know a thing about it, well, that was my doing. I know it sounds sneaky but I didn't tell Dad about his appointment until yesterday morning. We've been noticing this pattern of Dad having a really rough night the night before appointments. Other times he sleeps well, sleeps in, has an easy morning. But on appointment days, he is up a lot at night, confused, anxious and wakes up at the crack of dawn and can't go back to sleep. So, as sneaky as it was, it worked. He got up, had breakfast and then I told him, and the morning was so much easier.
The procedure was super easy. They were able to use the port for the IV instead of veins, which in Dad's case is good news. I remembered to put the numbing lotion on an hour ahead of time so he didn't feel a thing. They scanned his chest, abdomen and pelvis.
His doctor called me last night to tell me that a blood clot showed up in Dad's lungs. This is not good and could be potentially lethal. It is likely a result of cancer, chemo and inactivity. So we sent Jay out on icy roads to pick up a prescription for a blood thinner, which Dad started last night. Of course the medicine has side effects but the doctor felt it was important for him to take them. Sigh.
The tumor is "stable." That means it hasn't shrunk and it hasn't grown. His gallbladder is definitely smaller and thinner so that's good.
We have decided to stop chemo and let Dad regain some strength and vitality. Although he is a chemo superstar, the most profound affects on him are more confusion ("chemo brain") and extreme fatigue and lethargy. I hope once he has a chance to get it out of his system he will feel stronger and have more energy. And then March will be here and maybe we will all thaw out.
Dad is bummed. He took this as very bad news. He doesn't fully understand it but does know that the blood clot is one more thing going wrong in his body. That stinks. So, calls, Skypes, visits and expressions of love are greatly appreciated. And of course prayers.