We’re still waiting to hear back from John’s Kitchener oncologist about the other pills he had wanted to try. Meanwhile, over the past 3 weeks we’ve been visited often by nurses, a nurse practitioner and a doctor from the Cambridge palliative care team. They’re doing everything they can to treat his symptoms in the comfort of our home.
One worrisome symptom was a rash that flared up last weekend, but 5 days on steroids made it fade away. It was probably a delayed reaction to the immunotherapy, the doctor said.
John has had a build-up of fluid in his abdomen and feet ever since he got home from the hospital. The palliative care doctor who came to our house Thursday said that they could do a paracentesis, a procedure where they use a needle to remove excess fluid from his peritoneal cavity, which she described as basically the inner bucket that holds all your guts. The fluid build-up is likely due to all the IV fluids he got in the hospital, combined with his impaired liver function from the cancer.
The hospital here in Cambridge could do the paracentesis next week, but the palliative care doctor told John that if it gets unbearable over the weekend they could do it in the emergency department instead. By the end of the day Friday, it was definitely getting unbearable, so shortly after 6:30pm we arrived at Cambridge Memorial Hospital and presented to the ER. He got moved to a room with a stretcher and a warm blanket after about an hour, and they did some blood work and hooked him up to some monitors. As of 10:45pm we are still waiting to see a doctor.
While I’m just sitting here I thought I would take this opportunity to update you all and to thank you for all the encouragement and help we have received over the past few weeks. It truly means a lot to know you are praying for us.
I know you’ll continue to pray for us as we wait.
—
“O my soul, put your hope in God,
My help, my Rock, I will praise Him.
Sing, O sing through the raging storm,
You’re still my God, my salvation.”
— chorus from Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42) by Matt Papa & Matt Boswell