Dad's Situation for Today

A few people have asked me to update things here, not everybody likes facebook.

Just a brief run through for those who missed some of the information.

1. December 10, Dad went to the Emergency Room.  He had awakened with difficulty breathing and pain in one shoulder.  Diagnosis: 3 pulmonary embolism…  Embolisms…  Emboli.  Whatever the plural of embolism is.  He went home after a few days and we thought that that was that. 
2. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, he felt like his chest was a little tight.  His should have probably gone in to see somebody.
3. He went into one of those freestanding clinic/ER things.  They thought it was probably a bad case of pneumonia, started an IV, and got him into the hospital.
4. You don't really want the day by day and blow by blow, I think.  Cutting to the chase: cancer.  It is cancer of the prostate that has involved the lungs, spine, lymphatic system, and abdomen.
5. While he probably had symptoms earlier and wrote them off as "minor issues of getting older," I cannot convey how quickly things have moved since Christmas.  When we saw him yesterday, a few words send him into heartbreaking cough that lasts way too long.  If you know him and care about him, now would be a good time to tell him.
6. His pain is under control.  The face mask delivery for oxygen is turned up as high as it can go, and it really isn't enough.
7. Friday night and Saturday morning were rough enough that they suggested that any family probably wanted to be there this weekend.  His wife's children and grandchildren have been spending time.  Mom, I, and the Johnston crew spent about three HRS with him, drifting in an out of the room in small groups.  (After we all tried to fit in at once!)
8. He really rallied.  Don't get me wrong, this is serious.  We are not talking years or months…  Maybe not even weeks.  He just perked up for the visit.
9. Meanwhile, Lori was hard to get Ahold of until yesterday.  She has been teaching on an Air Force base in South Korea.  For Christmas break, she was on a tour of New Zealand.  She should be getting into town tomorrow evening.