Today has been a very long day for both parents. Chemo started at 2:15 this afternoon and will apparently continue until around midnight. We had originally been told it would last around four hours, but that is definitely not the case. Dad is sitting in a chair, hooked up to quite a few monitors. Mom says there have been nurses in and out for most of the day, watching all of Dad's vital signs and his urine pH (which Dad says checks for "sweetness")!  He cannot control his bladder because his tumor is pressing in an area of the brain that regulates that function. They finally catheterized him - and the pain from this has been really difficult for him to deal with. He ripped his catheter out right after his biopsy and apparently all has not healed. He is insisting to Mom that he must go to the bathroom. She tries to explain that he now has a catheter and things will take care of themselves, but they have been arguing about this nonstop all afternoon and evening. Dad has always been stubborn, and his arguing skills rival a five year old child right now.  If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying to wear her down.  He thinks the pain is due to the fact that he has "to go" and is doing everything in his power to get around Mom and the catheter.  I think Mom is almost at her cracking point, and this is only day 1 of the chemo.  Dad finally told her to go sit in her chair and "be still". She had a good cry and then it began all over again. The nurse told Mom that she will not be able to handle this by herself. I will be there all day Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  I hope Mom will leave his side for just a few hours to give herself a break. My whole family is going to have to pitch in so Mom can maintain some semblance of sanity.  I think Erma Bombeck would have had a field day describing the chaos going on in their room today.

I was talking to Dad a few minutes ago, and he told me that he would have to let me go - a neighbor girl (translated: nurse) had just come into his room.  Mom is hoping that Dad will be able to go to sleep soon, even though his chemo will continue for hours to come.  Unfortunately, they can't give Dad any medicine to calm him down because of his confusion. They have to be able to tell if his confusion is the same as usual or getting worse due to the chemo.

I don't know whose desperation sounded worse: Dad trying to convince Mom that he really MUST go to the bathroom, RIGHT NOW, or Mom trying to convince Dad that everything is taken care of. Try to imagine that conversation going for HOURS, and you will have summed up their day.

One last note: the nurses told Mom that it was very likely that Dad would be in the hospital all week. We originally were told he would be there until Wednesday or Thursday.  His vital signs aren't where they need to be, and they plan on making sure Dad has no problems - at all - before they release him. I am so very thankful for the exemplary care they have shown Dad.  He is definitely right where he needs to be.

I do believe that tomorrow Dad will get up and repeat all this chemo again.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Love,

Renee