Staring at ceiling
My dad's condition worsened since the last appointment with PCU and oncologist: he now asked to be wheeled from his resting area to the car when we brought him to hospitals; he just stared at the ceiling whenever he was resting and he stopped watching news/videos on his phone while at the table. Weaker for sure. Almost bedridden.
There were some bright spots: he usually could sleep soundly throughout the night; he still tried his best to do whatever needed to minimise pain; and he was still interested in playing card game with Ban and I.
He was getting very clingy though and that's a problem because none of us can be with him 24/7. So unfortunately some of us had to tell him that we need to have time to do other things.
One thing hasn't changed though: his impatience. So the combination of all these conditions and behaviour are quite distressing to the everyone.
I contemplated forgoing my dad's follow-up appointment with Dr P, the orthopaedic oncologist at Adventist Hospital, mainly because he experienced sharp pain each time he moved, and probably because of the stress of pooing in diaper while at hospital. In the end, though, my sister and I believed it was better to go just in case his pain was non-cancer related but it wasn't the case though: Xray showed things were fine with his left leg and his spine; and the lack of fever indicated no infection that could cause inflammation. As expected, the next appointment was an "open appointment".
Dr P did, however, suggest consulting a physiotherapist to get a portable TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) for some pain relief. Later, my dad said not to waste money because he was going to die soon. Ban and I discovered that it cost about RM 300, which is affordable. The tricky bit would be to get an assessment by a physiotherapist and consequently adjust the setting on TENS to suit dad's condition. Hmmm....
I'm a little nervous about dad's next appointment with PCU at Penang GH: unlike at Adventist Hospital, there is no toilet cubicle in that partiular GH building that is large enough to fit three people (one to support my dad, the other to change his diaper), or to fit two people plus a walker (dad holds on to walker while someone changes his diaper). I don't want to change my dad's diaper with the door open :(
There were some bright spots: he usually could sleep soundly throughout the night; he still tried his best to do whatever needed to minimise pain; and he was still interested in playing card game with Ban and I.
He was getting very clingy though and that's a problem because none of us can be with him 24/7. So unfortunately some of us had to tell him that we need to have time to do other things.
One thing hasn't changed though: his impatience. So the combination of all these conditions and behaviour are quite distressing to the everyone.
I contemplated forgoing my dad's follow-up appointment with Dr P, the orthopaedic oncologist at Adventist Hospital, mainly because he experienced sharp pain each time he moved, and probably because of the stress of pooing in diaper while at hospital. In the end, though, my sister and I believed it was better to go just in case his pain was non-cancer related but it wasn't the case though: Xray showed things were fine with his left leg and his spine; and the lack of fever indicated no infection that could cause inflammation. As expected, the next appointment was an "open appointment".
Dr P did, however, suggest consulting a physiotherapist to get a portable TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) for some pain relief. Later, my dad said not to waste money because he was going to die soon. Ban and I discovered that it cost about RM 300, which is affordable. The tricky bit would be to get an assessment by a physiotherapist and consequently adjust the setting on TENS to suit dad's condition. Hmmm....
I'm a little nervous about dad's next appointment with PCU at Penang GH: unlike at Adventist Hospital, there is no toilet cubicle in that partiular GH building that is large enough to fit three people (one to support my dad, the other to change his diaper), or to fit two people plus a walker (dad holds on to walker while someone changes his diaper). I don't want to change my dad's diaper with the door open :(
Comments
Yes, of course he does and I understand that but it's impractical to be with him 24/7. We (and that includes my dad) should judge ourselves by what we did (or didn't do) in the entirety of our lives, not merely the tail-end. I told him this when he said he felt helpless.