To learn of a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis is overwhelming to say the least. There are really no words to describe the pain you feel when your loved one is diagnosed with an incurable stage of cancer. For my Dad, his children are the world to him, and he worries more about us than he worries about himself. This is heartbreaking for me. It is heartbreaking that he has to worry about leaving us in this world of the unknown. We may be adults with our own families, but to him, we are still his children.
The only good that came out of his latest appointment with his oncologist is that they prescribed him morphine for the severe pain that he has been suffering from in his stomach and back. After all, the stomach pain was the reason we took him to the ER to begin with. He was discharged with no pain medication and had to wait another 6 days before finally getting a prescription for his pain.
He slept like a baby for the week leading up to chemotherapy. He said he hadn’t slept that well in 6 months or so. This was an indication for me that he was suffering more than he had let on. If anything should be taken away here, it is that when you are not feeling well, particularly as you get older, share how you are feeling with your doctor. You never know what could be wrong that you would otherwise just blame on aging.
His appetite is not great, but at least he is still eating, reading the newspaper (I subscribed to our local paper as I know that this is part of his daily routine), and watching his favorite football team (Pittsburgh Steelers). He even ran some errands a few days ago.
Tomorrow, my sister and I will take Dad in for his first chemotherapy treatment.
