Moving along

This morning, we visited Derek again at the hospital, and we went down to the internet room where Derek put in a post on his own blog (http://www.penmachine.com/). You can see his comments there.

We spent a good part of the day with Derek. The thing that delights us is that Derek ate some really substantial food today. He had chocolate pudding, a real hamburger, a few slices of canned pears, and tea, as well as a tall Coffee "Americano" from the Starbucks I mentioned in one of my previous posts, along with a cheese sandwich. He is also reading quite a bit, and taking some naps to combat the fatigue which unfortunately still overcomes him after some physical activity. I think that, with the more substantial food, he'll overcome this situation soon.

In the early evening, we went to the cafeteria balcony, where Airdrie and their daughters Marina and Lauren dropped in a little later. This perked Derek up. Hilkka and I left soon after, to pick up some glucose strips for Dereks blood sugar tester.

Derek intends to watch the fireworks with Simon tonight.

The target for Derek's return home is still Monday. We'll see...

Another step forward

Derek is now off intravenous food and is eating more normally. Today Airdrie brought his Matzoball soup again; in addition had a cheese sandwich, some tea and a decaf tall cappucino from Starbucks. He weighed himself, too. With the lack of food at the beginning of his hospital stay, he is now down to 67 kg (148 pounds). This means that he's lost about 23 kg (50 pounds), a quarter of his normal weight. He also had a shower - at long last, he said.

The hospital food tray contained some fish, which, Derek was astounded to say, tasted very good. You'll notice that he's very interested in food.

He still tires quickly and his homecoming is now tentatively set for Monday (perhaps even part-time, meaning for some hours during the day). We want to make sure that Derek does not come home too early - we don't want to put him back into the hospital yet again.

During our visit, we all went down to see Derek's friend Simon, who is in hospital recovering from a heart valve replacement.

The loss of weight has made sitting in a chair really uncomfortable for Derek. so my wife Hilkka will buy him a "whoopy cushion" tomorrow, to see whether that'll help. His butt has no fat, so it's understandable. The recliner chairs at his house are what Derek is really looking forward to.

Derek is off all pain medication now (except the occasional Tylenol).

He'll have another chance to see the fireworks tomorrow, and he may also be using the "internet room". This means that you may see an new entry in his blog; watch for it...

More food

Last night, Derek watched the fireworks (it was Spain's turn); he said they were very good.

Derek is having more food today. Before we went to visit him, he asked us to bring him a special kind of soup of which Airdrie had brought him a little yesterday. He told us where we could get it, and we drove by and picked some up for him. This is one of those special, hardy Jewish soups, with motzeballs (meatballs). We brought him a large portion, and he ate it all (except for the carrots, which are too fibrous at this time). He also asked for, and we brought him some no-sugar-added pudding and he had one of those (the package contains six). He also had some tea. His doctor is saying that they're aiming for a Saturday release from the hospital. We'll see how things are progressing, but it's something to aim for.

After all that food, he had a rest while we were at his bedside. He still gets tired quite easily, but makes an effort to move around. He's been down to the cafeteria on his own for some tea (six floors down and some distance to walk). Since he's is still tied to his intravenous rack, this is a slow process, but things are looking up some more.

Up a little more

Derek had a good, if tiring day. Many visitors, among them a couple of his band's members. He's getting more food by mouth, some broth, bouillon, decaf coffee, tea, Jell-O, etc. He's enjoying it all; we kept talking about the food he's going to eat once he is back to normal. In addition, he's still getting his intravenous sustenance. Derek's spirits are up; he also intends to watch the fireworks tonight. The view from his hospital floor will be excellent. So he's come up a little more; we're all happy about that.

Progress

Derek finally got off the nose tube. He also tried, and tolerated, some basic food. We went to the hospital cafeteria balcony, sat in the sun, and Derek had a little of the scone Hilkka had picked up. He said it tasted heavenly, he was ready to cry. Somewhat later, he also had a little bit of ice cream, and later still a cup of vegetable broth. He is still on the intravenous feeding. He felt best about having the nose tube removed, and it also cheered him up to be able to go for some oral food. Another thing he felt good about was that the removal of the nose tube allowed him to wash his face properly, and he "bathed" his nose for about ten minutes. He called that another "heavenly" experience. Oh, the little things in life.... Tomorrow, he expects to "eat" some more "easy" food (clear liquids). Hilkka intends to make him some chicken broth - without the chicken and the noodles.

Airdrie, Marina and Lauren visited at suppertime. They had been to Playland, and had a lot of stories to tell. It's funny how sunny weather cheers everybody up.

The tube man

Today, when we visited Derek, he was just having his first calories (food hooked up and fed intravenously) since he re-entered the hospital last week. The food is liquid, looks like milk, and will provide him with about 1700 calories per day. The rate at which it is dispensed is like drinking about 1/2 cup of this per hour. Derek is extremely glad to be getting some real food, finally. He also had a visit from Airdrie (we had Marina and Lauren at our place during that time), and also had a visit from his good friend Tod Maffin. Derek is hooked up to a number of tubes, all of which add something or other necessary for his well-being.

You can see some pictures of Derek here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimiandpapa/sets/72157600975748237/

Again, I want to re-iterate, as does Derek, that the nurses and doctors at St Paul's hospital are doing an excellent job. He is getting attention all the time. Derek says that the nurses told him that he is a very good patient (he never complains), and that's one of the reasons for his wonderful treatment.

A dull day

We've all been a little down because of the weather (6 days of rain and drizzle), including Derek. His regimen continues as before (no food yet, only intravenous). Later during our visit we all perked up a bit because Derek is discharging less fluid from his stomach (mostly bile). It looks as though things are finally stabilizing. He'll get his food by feeding tube first, and then eventually start with liquid and the more solid food, as progress dictates. We had a good conversation about technical things, and he also watched a favourite show (mythbusters). His cousin Tarya also paid a visit, and Airdrie and Derek's daughters Marina and Lauren will also visit this evening. Derek is off morphine, with just a trace of side effects, which probably also contributed to his "down" feeling earlier in the day. Progress is being made.

A quiet day

Derek spent a quiet day today. He is having intravenous sugar and electrolytes, but no other food. Tomorrow he'll try some liquid food (he can sip water now and sucks on ice cubes). Derek also had the TV set connected. This is wonderful, he's taking an interest in normal things again. Airdrie has also brought him the Harry Potter book, and he's got a book by Steven Wozniak (of Apple fame) as well. At the time we visited, he had the room all to himself, the other patient (a man from England on a visit) has left. Derek says that he hardly needs the morphine any more; only small doses are being administered. We are hoping that he'll be able to tolerate the food, so that he can finally start to "fatten up".

Some good news

Airdrie phoned us last night to let us know that Derek's oncologist had phoned her. The pathology report says that Derek's removed cancerous colon tissue showed that all of the diseased tissue had been taken out, and nothing had been left behind. This is a good piece of news, and a big step forward in Derek's fight against the cancer. Of course, there is still a long way to go - more chemotherapy is yet to come, and there will also be another operation to "reconnect" his plumbing. We haven't talked to Derek today yet, but this is a great relief to him, no doubt, as it is for all of us.

Up again

We just returned from a visit with Derek at the hospital and are gratified to see him in good spirits. For the first time in months, he has no abdominal pains, and as a result, had a very good sleep last night. He's got a tube threaded through his nose to clear out his stomach, and he'll have NPO (no food by mouth). He'll be "fed" intravenously, in order to give his intestines a rest, and promote healing. His surgeon visited him while we were there, and asked about certain symptoms - as doctors are supposed to. He is the surgeon who removed the cancerous section of Derek's colon. The surgeon seemed satisfied with the answers Derek gave, and told him that he'd be in hospital over the weekend, at least. We are glad about that, because we could certainly not care for him as well as the staff at the hospital does. The consensus seems to be that there is some intestinal swelling, and that caused the problems with the inability to take food properly, and the pains that Derek has experienced post-operation. After all, this was serious surgery. You may have read the comments which Laurence in Paris (France) has left on the blog; her husband is going through very much the same problems, and Derek wishes him well (as we all do). When you are this closely involved with this insidious disease, you begin to understand what other people are going through.

It certainly is a rollercoaster.

A bit of a downer again

Derek phoned a little while ago to say that he hasn't been able to keep his food down, and that the nurses inserted a tube through his nose to empty his stomach. He says that he's feeling a lot better. His team of nutritionists and doctors will assess the situation in the morning. There is a possibility of a partial blockage somewhere - only partial apparently, because the ileostomy bag is receiving some output from Derek's intestine. We'll know more in the morning.

Continuing on the path

We just came back from a visit with Derek - he is on a controlled IV drip and his blood sugar is back to normal. He is tired from the medicines, but is eating some food and having tea. The meals that arrive are supplied by contract with outside caterers, and it shows. They send food which is a no-no for Derek (after all, he is diabetic and should also not have fibrous food), so Derek has to check the menu before he touches anything. The nurses then have to hunt around to find something suitable for him. This needs some work. The doctors and nurses are doing a first-class job. Derek is constantly monitored. It is gratifying to see that every effort is being made to keep him on the road to recovery.

Upward again

Derek phoned this morning from the hospital; he sounds like his old self. He's asking for his deoderant, some fresh pyjamas, a couple of the books he's reading, and a couple of other things. It's obvious to us that the withdrawal routine is responsible for his down periods. Derek said that he will try and eat this morning, including some "power food". I think that means some of the fortified liquid foods usually used by athletes. In any case, he sounds and feels a lot better this morning. More after we've visited him.