That morning, he had a follow up x-ray of his lungs. That x-ray showed a perforation of his
colon. They did a dye contrast CT New
Year’s Eve morning and that showed air in several areas of his colon. By that afternoon, general surgeons were in
the room discussing his options. His
platelets and WBC are too low for surgery.
They had a hunch a medication he was on for his ammonia level was the cause
of the air getting into the bowel. So,
they decided to take him off the medication, food, and water and see if the
problem could correct itself.
A couple hours later an orthopedic surgeon came in. The CT of his bowels indicated alarming
lesions on his hips. A new x-ray was
ordered for his hips and thighs. The
doctor ordered no walking or standing.
He is allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and that is all. In a matter of just 6 hours he was pulled off
food, water, and movement. Surgery is
pending. Joel stayed the night with him
at the hospital and I took Rachel to my house.
We drove back up yesterday for the follow up x-rays. No signs of improvement or worsening. They are in a holding pattern and watching
him closely. As soon as his blood counts
get to a safe place, they will be surgically stabilizing the compromised bones
areas, which also include his femur. As
far as his bowel, there isn’t much that can be done. We are hoping it’ll pass and heal. If it doesn’t, there may be emergency
surgery. However, the doctors aren’t
pushing for it. He wouldn’t do well in
surgery right now.
He has been fine through the chemo so far. No serious signs of any symptoms. They have been very successful keeping all
nausea at bay. His pain is completely
under control. They did some radiation
therapy on his broken arm to help manage some of that pain and he seems to be
improving in that area. The rest of the
tumors that had been visible are no longer.
It has been remarkable to see them recede and his figure regain
normalcy. He is very tired and has lost
a lot of weight. His last weight was 140
pounds.
These coming days are going to be full of anxiety as we wait
to see what happens. So far, his
attitude has been optimistic and positive.
He doesn’t complain at all except about being alone. He has been very accepting of things as they
come and responding as emotionally as you or I would with all of the trials
that have popped up. He is more lucid
than he’s been in weeks and it’s been wonderful talking to my dad again. He has a great sense of humor these days and
he is really a delight to spend time with.
January 1, 2014, the household good arrived from La Grande,
OR. I am in total awe of the support
we’ve received through the past months.
Tony Pedro is a member of my dad’s LDS ward in La Grande. He graciously and without expectation drove
his own vehicle and trailer to Sierra Vista on his own. There are no words for how tremendous his
service to my dad and family has been. I
call him Saint Tony. Just incredible. I don’t know a single person that would
volunteer driving a 16-foot trailer through mountains of snow just because
there is a need. I am never going to
forget his generosity.
In less than 45 minutes, the trailer was unloaded! Friends and church friends were quick to help
and continue to offer assistance as we all transition. There is a need for a blog separately devoted
to the individuals who have answered the calls for action. There is much to acknowledge when people drop
what they are doing just to help.
Joel and Rachel are slowly but surely settling back into
Arizona. There is a lot left to unpack
and sort. We’ll work through it. We are going to be travelling back and forth
to Phoenix quite a bit over the coming weeks.
Unless something emergent occurs with dad, the plan is to head back up
next weekend. School starts back up on
Monday, and I’ll take the kids over then to get them enrolled and
transferred. Hopefully there won’t be
too much of a delay getting them adjusted to Buena. This will be fun! Isaac, Jacob, Sam, and I are all Buena
graduates. Sarah graduated from Rio Rico
High. But this will make nearly all
Russell kids graduates of Buena! HA!
I’m running through all of the administrative aspects of
life right now. There’s a LOT to do to
transfer a family from one place to another!
I haven’t moved in over a decade, so I’m unfamiliar with a lot of the
little details. I’m learning fast and
making lists. One day at a time!
Thank you for all of your continued support and
prayers. There has been so many things
developing and them deconstructing and throughout all of them, I haven’t felt
burdened. That is the result of
spiritual support and knowledge that my friends and family are rallying
together to make this as easy as possible.
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