Daddy seems to be getting stronger each day. He was off the CPAP machine for 10 hours on Saturday, 9 hours on Sunday and about 14 hours Monday. He is still getting oxygen while he is off the machine, but that's it. The goal is for him to be off all day and only use the machine at night. Daddy's kidneys are pretty much the same. They aren't functioning at 100%, but they weren't doing that when he came in. He is on Cipro (antibiotic) for the infection in his lungs which seems to be helping. The only down side is that the Cipro interferes with coumadin (blood thinner) so they are having a hard time getting that leveled out. He is also still having the headaches and they are now giving him Oxycodone for them. His insulin level (blood sugar) has been staying pretty level. They are talking about switching his feeding schedule to 3 times a day instead of the continuous feeding that he is getting right now. I hope that doesn't cause his sugar to go crazy like it did before.
On Sunday Dr. Chen put in orders for Daddy to start getting his pills by mouth, but about 15 min after he took them he started coughing up a lot of green mucus. Apparently his blood pressure pill went to his lungs instead of his stomach. He had a modified barium swallow test done this morning to see how food & liquids go down his throat (or where they go). The results showed that the muscles in Daddy's throat are very weak and it took swallowing 8 times for him to get the applesauce down. It also showed that the flap in his throat that covers your airway when you swallow is not closing all the way, which is allowing the aspiration into his lungs. To help with this we have to put this powder into his drinks called "Thicken-UP" that will thicken them. The Speech Pathologist will also be working with him more to strengthen the muscles in his throat & neck.
Dr. Chen was going to talk with Dr. Heath (Oncologist) about Daddy starting Radiation soon. He said that as long as he is doing well off the CPAP then they can take him over to the Cancer Center by Ambulance for his treatments.
Overall Daddy seems to be in better spirits. At this point I will not be updating the blog on a daily basis. I will still update a couple times a week or when there is significant improvements/changes in his condition.
Thank you to everyone that has sent me a video! I know it is going to cheer Daddy up seeing all of you and hearing your encouraging words. If you haven't sent your video yet, there is still plenty of time. I can add video's to the DVD as I get them, so please keep them coming.
3 comments:
Leroy's progress sounds good! We still are praying for God's continued healing. Love to all.
Mike Dowdy
Bill and Sue were delighted to hear that Roy is improving tho there are inconveniences cropping up.
A lot to figure out. We had been anxious for an update. We continue to pray for him.
It is so good to hear of the progress LeRoy is making. Dr. Heath was my doctor when I was taking radiation and I just loved him. I am sure he will be great to LeRoy. We continue to keep all in our prayers. Give our love to your Mom and Dad. Jan and Jesse Jones
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