Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Aug died this afternoon with his loving family by his side. He battled pancreatic cancer for over two years. He never once said "Why me?" He never complained. He fought his disease every day but just grew weaker and weaker.

Funeral arrangements: Clark Associates Funeral Home
4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah, NY
(914) 232 3033
Thursday, August 13, 7-9 PM
Friday, August 14, 2-4 and 7-9

Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Poland Church, 1:00 PM
35 Maple Street
Southampton, NY 11968 (631) 283 0667
Burial at Sacred Hearts Cemetery, Southampton

Sunday Update

Aug is on a respirator to help with his breathing.

Saturday Night Update

Aug was resting comfortably Saturday evening in the MICU before I left. I have to wear a gown and gloves and wash my hands with a special soap when I go into his room because of the threat of C diff (a bad germ). His night nurse got him a special "Bear Hug" blanket. It is a blanket with channels of hot air. It looks like an inflatable mattress with an old fashioned hair dryer hose attached. The air temperature can be adjusted through the hose attachment. He is comfortably warm without the weight of blankets.
He had a CAT scan in the late afternoon to see if there was a blockage in his intestines. I didn't see the doctor to get the results but it must have been good because he got a tray of food. However, he didn't have any appetite after drinking two huge containers of banana flavored prep for the scan.
His body is swollen from the continuous infusion of fluids. He is getting albumin to increase the strength of his cells walls so they won't leak fluid. I wish I had applied myself in Biology class. The medical staff is very patient explaining treatments and drugs, but a strong background in Biology would help me tremendously to understand better what is going on.
He is very tired, but he knows what is going on and asks the medical staff questions about his treatment. He is also quizzing me about my bookkeeping abilities so that's a really positive sign.

Hospital Update

Aug was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. He was transferred to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at mid-day on Thursday. He is being treated for sepsis with antibiotics. He had chills, a fever, a racing heart, and low blood pressure. He is being pumped full of fluids to rehydrate and his kidneys are trying to cope with the extra fluid intake. Thursday afternoon was very difficult. When we left last night at 9:00 pm, he had greatly improved but was still in very serious condition. He did not remember the trip from Southampton to the doctor's office/hospital, his first night in the hospital, or the afternoon that was filled with intensive treatment by the medical staff to keep him going. He was stable, alert and talking when we left last night, so we are optimistic. Thank you for your prayers, and we will try to update again soon.

August Update on Aug

Aug is extremely weak. Christopher will accompany us to the oncologist's office tomorrow, Wednesday. August will meet us there. I cannot fathom that Aug will be able to have a chemo infusion. I hope Dr. Sherman, his oncologist, has something in his "bag of tricks." He has taken such good care of Aug. He is a wonderful doctor and he answers his own phone--even when he is on vacation!
I am glad that we had the opportunity to be in Southampton for a few weeks. We enjoyed visiting with our friends and relatives. They have been wonderful support for us.

Overdue Update

Chemo has been driving Augie into the ground. He presently takes a chemo drug (Xeloda) by mouth and has a chemo infusion of one drug (Gemcitabine) for two weeks on and one week off. His blood work has not been within suggested parameters for months. He had a transfusion of two pints of whole blood a couple of weeks ago and will probably need another transfusion this week. The chemo treatments have made him so weak that he can no longer go to work. He spends about twenty hours a day sleeping and/or resting. His weight has stablized since the doctor prescribed Megace to improve his appetite. However, his taste buds have not really returned to normal. He complains that food tastes like aluminum.
We have been at the Southampton house for two weeks and plan to stay here until August 9th and then return to Bedford. We have been making a weekly trip to Bedford for an overnight stay before heading to Columbia Presbyterian for Aug's treatments.

Happy Easter!

Aug continues to recover from his adverse reaction to Taxotere, one of his chemo drugs. He monitors his blood pressure throughout the day to make sure it stays within the proper parameters. The 15lbs. of water weight as well as the swelling is mostly gone except for puffiness in his face, feet, ankles, and shins. Furosemide, a lasix, has worked wonders the past few days to rid his body of excess fluids. He is feeling so chipper, he is planning to return to work next week. The week of April 15th is an "off" week as far as his chemo regimen goes. The weeks of April 22nd and April 29th are scheduled chemo treatment weeks and then Aug will need to have a scan to measure his improvement.
We wish everyone a Happy Healthy Easter. Enjoy the spring weather. Again, thank you for all your cards, calls, e-mails, visits, thoughts and prayers.
We are looking forward to May and weekends in Southampton.