House calls

Doc M2 has visited a few times since taking over as Alan's primary doctor. He had given us Octreotide last week when he prescribed the Protonix, to hold in reserve if we needed more help. While the vomitting has improved, Alan is still getting some bad bouts, so we've started administering the Octreotide twice a day now to help suppress some of the secretions in his stomach. Hopefully this will lessen the severity of the vomitting.

We are also continuing to vent the G-tube. At first we thought it would be a temporary measure, but anytime we clamp it he becomes very uncomfortable. We now have a supply of Farrell bags to continue venting out of the G-tube to relieve the pressure in his abdomen. Obviously this means we can no longer give him any oral medications - no more chemo, stool softeners, or Gabapenten.

Between the swelling and lack of bowel movements, Doc M2 agrees with our assessment that the tumor is starting to create blockages. We talked about what would normally be possible treatment options, but in Alan's condition, we need to be careful in  making the choice between a treatment and the consequences. Would the time and pain spent in recovery be worth the procedure? Are there risks to the procedure that would be heightened in Alan's condition? We had to talk it through, but by now, there really isn't anything in terms of procedures that we can do to make Alan more comfortable. We're going up on the pain medication as necessary and keeping an eye on his fluid levels and keep the TPN IV nutrition for now. It looks like the New Year's Day fireworks was Alan's last excursion out of bed.


Watching Sponge Bob while examining the planets


Alan just can't sleep straight 


Alan's Beads of Courage dressed up for the New Year