From Aunt Bev - a tough day

Uncle Chuck has had a really tough couple of days. Since discharge from Swedish Hosp. last Wed., he has worsened daily, whcih was not totally unexpected, but shocking at the speed of it. Kathy called his Oncologist and made arrangements to have him admitted to the hospital this a.m. Bob and I arrived this a.m. to get him and found him on the floor of his bedroom. He had fallen during the night and could not get up. We were able to get him on his bed, dressed, and in the car with much shortest of breath. From the Dr's office, he was admitted to Swedish rm. 1243 by the nurses station. They tried all day to get blood from him to run his blood tests prior to tapping his abdomen. His ascites is so bad making it hard for him to breathe. Finally, this afternoon, they got the blood work done. The nurse will call us as soon as he can be transported for the tapping of the fluid. This will make him much more comfortable and able to breathe better. He was severly dehydrated which is why they couldn't get much blood. The Oncologist talked to both Kathy and myself about what is happening. If the chemo works to kill the tumor, and IF he has enough Liver left to repair itself, he may survive. He is so sick right now because the liver is struggling. We'll know a little more as the week progresses how he is doing. He cannot go home ever again in this condition. If he survives the week, then we will be looking for somewhere to take care of Chuck 24/7 until he can do that again. He is so confused and not able to keep track of meds, whether he is drinking etc. Thankfully, he will be taken care of this week in the hospital and only discharged if he is recovering. Keep Chuck in your prayers. It is really painful and so sas to see him so uncomfortable. Looking forward to better news tomorrow. Bev