Prayers for my Father-in-Law

[OBIO]

This morning we got a call from my sister-in-law....my father-in-law Jack (Deb's adopted dad) was rushed to the hospital after having what appears to be a stroke...his second. Jack was diagnosed with prostate cancer nearly 5 years ago...very advanced prostate cancer at that...and has been undergoing chemo treatments like crazy...currently starting his 5th round of high level chemo. The treatments haven't done much good unfortunately...the cancer has spread through out his body and is in nearly every bone. He was to be taken in for an MRI to see if he had had a stroke or if the cancer had spread to his brain. Haven't heard anything yet. Deb is at the hospital with her sister and her mom.

Jack has had it rough these last 5 years to say the least. Prostate cancer that has spread like wild fire, a stroke, a massive heart attack and open heart surgery...and now this. He has been a trooper through it all, has kept his spirits up, and has just recently begun to complain about being in pain....bone cancer is very painful, yet Jack only takes Tylenol for the pain....I can't imagine how high his pain tolerance is.

Any how, I ask that those of you who pray...regardless of what religion/faith you practice...say a few words for Jack in his time of need. Healing, a release from the pain, going Home...what ever the will of the Maker happens to be. Also say some words for Deb and her sisters and the rest of Jack's family that they may have the strength to cope with all this. Me personally....I'm okay....hate the thought of this man departing this world...but not as much as I hate the thought of him suffering for who knows how long....on top of all the suffering and pain he has already experienced.

Last Friday was Jack's 71st birthday...Deb, her younger sister and I took him out for dinner at Golden Coral. He ate very well and had a great time.

Tim

[Daveroo]

i wish him well Obio and the same for all of you to stay with him in his time of need,,,,,

[norab]

He and your family will be in my prayers

[Rami]

Obio,

Agreed, he and your entire extended family will be in our prayers.

[Navy Chief]

I will have him in my thoughts as well. My ex father in law also has prostate cancer, and his most recent blood work indicates it is advancing.

NC

[jmig]

You have them!

[HouseHobbit]

I shall Hold your family in my Prayers..
May Our Lord Bless and keep all you Love, Safe and Well..
:engel016:

[Dain Arns]

Seems like we all have family members that need prayers these days.
My dad just went in for his second session of chemo this weekend.
I'd like to say a prayer for OBIO's father-in-law and include any other SOH family members who are struggling with health issues that they may all be healed.

[TomSteber]

Prayers are on the way Tim for Jack and all your family.

[Roadburner440]

Sorry to hear that. Will be sure to keep him in thoughts and prayers.. Cancer is such an awful disease, but do not know if that or the chemo is worse.

[brad kaste]

OBIO,.....thoughts and prayers to be with your Father-in-Law.:salute:

[OBIO]

Deb just got home a few minutes ago. The MRI was ordered at 7:00 AM. My FIL did not get taken for the MRI until 7:00 PM. 12 hours of waiting to get a diagnostic test that is crucial in the event of a stroke...or in this case to determine if Jack had a stroke or if the cancer has spread to his brain. Jack's right side is paralyzed. When they FINALLY came to take Jack for the MRI, the nurses had to carry him from his bed to the transport gurney....he did not have strength enough to do anything. Deb said that his usual humor was gone....she said that he was quiet and that he looked really bad.

We will know more tomorrow morning when the MRI results come back.

Thanks for the prayers my friends!

Tim

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Hey All,

Obio I wish you and your family well through all of what is coming - whatever it may be. My prayers are with all of you.

When I don't know what to say I often turn to song. This video by a sister and two brothers says much of what I'm thinking and hoping for you and yours. It assumes the worst but works out at the end and even if it didn't it's OK.

7NJqUN9TClM&feature=related

I wish you well. Take care!

-Ed-

[OBIO]

Went to see my FIL today....he was much more awake and talkative today. He is fully there mentally and such....has regained some movement in his right arm and leg...Can't shrug his right shoulder. The MRI showed it to be a mild stroke and today's follow up CT scan showed no additional bleeding or pressure. Jack will begin some in-room therapy Monday.

Tim

[rayrey10]

Tim-
Happy to hear the good news. I pray that he will continue to improve.

[OBIO]

Deb and I went to visit Jack before going to Deb's yearly visit with the neurologist. Jack will be moved to the rehabilitation wing of the hospital tomorrow. When we were there, he was sitting up in a chair, watching TV and was in good spirits.

Thanks again for all the prayers!

Tim

[OBIO]

As I posted a week ago, Jack was moved to the rehab ward at the hospital and was doing great. In a couple days he was up and moving about with the use of a walker.

Unfortunately, that changed suddenly this morning. And the docs aren't sure why....but an MRI will confirm their suspicions. Jack is passing a fair bit of blood in his stool, has lost all use of his right side (the side effected by the stroke), is experiencing bouts of disorientation, and is getting weaker and weaker. The docs think that he is still having bleeding on the brain and that the cancer has spread to his bowels.

Please continue to pray for Jack and his family.

Tim

[norab]

sorry to hear this news , will definitely keep praying

[OBIO]

UPDATE: Jack had another stroke sometime late Saturday/early Sunday. This stroke happened in the front part of his brain and has severely damaged his cognition, memory and personality. He only remembers one of his 3 daughters, says that he has 3 sons (if he does, no one has known about them until today). His right side is totally paralyzed. He continues to have bleeding on the brain. He was transferred out of the rehab ward and back up to one of the primary care wards.

Tim

Oh...at one point today, Deb had 2 of her Dads in the hospital. Jack is Deb's adoptive dad. John, her biological dad, was in the ER after suffering a severe dizzy spell. He was cleared of heart attack or stroke...diagnosis was vertigo, but the cause was not immediately known. He declined to be admitted for further testing.

[txnetcop]

WOW a double whammy! Sorry to hear this Tim.

[tonybones2112]

I'll be praying for all of you Tim.

Tony Bones

[GT182]

Just got in this thread. Sorry to hear of all this Tim. My thoughts and prayers too to Jack and the whole family.

[Lionheart]

I just got in also. I cant believe I missed this.

Most sorry OBIO about your Father in law. Man, that is a hard hit. I will send prayers for him.



May cancer be wiped out soon.....





Bill

[Dain Arns]

Continuing with my prayers for your family, Obio.

[OBIO]

Well...what a nightmare the last couple of days have been. Jack was not able to return to the rehab unit at the hospital due to the after effects of the most recent stroke....his cognition, memory and such is way messed up. And in that state, the rehab folks would not be able to work with him. So, we have had to get him into a nursing home.

OBIO

[Snuffy]

Sorry to hear that Tim.

I hope things improve for him and the rest of your family if they can.

[OBIO]

And the nightmare continues...after busting their butts making arrangements for my FIL to be admitted to the nursing home....Deb and her sister Tina were informed today that Jack will not even be released from the hospital until Wednesday of next week. Doctor wants him observed for a few more days. Which now throws the nursing home arrangements up in the air and now they may have to find another nursing home for him to go to if the original one will not hold the room for him until Wednesday.

Those two gals were dead on their feet this evening....Deb came home, did her Facebook games quickly and went right to bed. She will sleep like a log well into mid-morning tomorrow.

Tim

[tonybones2112]

Tim, we in the forum, especially those of us who have been through it too, and Someone bigger than us, is there with you, though you can;t see us, we are there still. Take care man.

Tony

[OBIO]

Today...after a lengthy discussion with the three girls...meaning my wife, Deb, and her two sisters, Dee and Tina....two being licensed nurses with lengthy careers and one being an almost nurse....Jack's doc..with consent of all three of his daughters....have made the move for Jack to be a hospice patient. There is nothing medically that can be done for Jack. The bone cancer is advancing and can not be cured, only slowed down with chemo. Further chemo treatments would simply weaken Jack even more than he already is. Add in three strokes in the last couple weeks. And the fact that a blood screening done yesterday shows that Jack's red blood cell count is very very low....quite possibly due to the cancer spreading to his bone marrow. The end result of all this is that Jack is going to die. Nothing short of a Divine Miracle is going to change that. No pills, no surgery, no medical procedure is going to fix the many things that are wrong with Jack. He is going down hill even with all the medical treatments he is getting.

Basically what this means is this: no more "life saving" procedures or treatments. From here on out, Jack will be kept comfortable, free of pain, and allowed to die. His body is basically saying that it is time to go, and it is going to be allowed to do that.

I'll be back to finish...hard to type right now.

Tina, who is Jack's biological daughter, is taking this step very hard. She "knows" that this is the right step to be taking...but imagine being in her shoes...being the one whose signature is required to stop all medical treatments and to let her dad die. Poor girl!

I ask you, my forum family, to pray for Deb, Dee and Tina...and especially so for Tina. They need all the strength and comfort they can get right now. And continue to pray for Jack, that his passing be as pain free as possible.

Tim

I was up to visit him today....Jack looked very frail, very weak, very tired....and he had no clue who I was. His cousin was in the room, these two grew up together and have been family for 71 years...and Jack had no idea who she was. It was very hard seeing Jack like that.

[Allen]

I thing we're all geting handed some bad cards now...

I wish things were better for you OBIO.

[TomSteber]

I know how that feels when the reality of "it's time" comes. I've been through it several times. Once with my Dad and twice with my wife's parents. You really have to try and focus on the fact that they won't be suffering anymore. That peace is on the way and that God is there with both you and them.
Will keep praying for Jack, you and especially your family for this to be as quick and peaceful as possible. Rest in His arms.

[HouseHobbit]

I am heartbroken to hear of the problems your family is facing..
I shall keep you and your family in my Prayers..

May our Lord give all involved the strength and mercy needed during these trying days..
God Bless you all..

[Lionheart]

I am sorry OBIO. Horrible to hear.

May his days be happy and without pain.

[brad kaste]

OBIO,.....my cousin helped lessen the pain after the loss of our dad. She quietly stated it was 'his time to go.' We were thankful he lived a long and purposeful life and could share our love with one another.

[norab]

so sorry to hear this Tim. My prayers go out to you and your family. For what little it's worth, my family and I have been through the hospice experience and it helped to make a terrible time more endurable. I pray it eases things for your family also

[Dain Arns]

I know how that feels when the reality of "it's time" comes. I've been through it several times. Once with my Dad and twice with my wife's parents. You really have to try and focus on the fact that they won't be suffering anymore. That peace is on the way and that God is there with both you and them.
Will keep praying for Jack, you and especially your family for this to be as quick and peaceful as possible. Rest in His arms.

I'll agree with Tom. Amen.

Obio.
Know what you and especially Tina are going through.
Been almost a decade ago now since I lost my mother to cancer.
Dad couldn't do the paperwork either, so I stepped in.
It's hard to accept but often it's a blessing.
"No more tears, no more suffering".

[OBIO]

Jack is now home at my Sis-In-Law, Tina's house. Not that he is better, not that he will get better. But he will be taken care of better, be more comfortable being at home. The nursing home staff were far from good...too many horror stories from just a few days in that place. And Medicare will only pay for 20 days of nursing home care...after that the family would have to pay $140 a day...and Jack still would not be tended to well at all.

Hospice workers will visit Monday thru Friday for 2 to 3 hours and handle all his needs and supplies. Between Tina (almost a nurse), Deb (nurse for 20 years before her brain surgery), Dee (nurse for 20 years)..Jack's three girls will be able to take far better care of him than the nurses at the nursing home. I am just a 3 minute drive from Tina's house if they need any help from me. Helen, Jack's ex-wife/the girls' mom, is just a few minutes away from Tina's house and will help out as well.

After the medical transfer ambulance got Jack home and situated in his brand new power adjusted hospital bed, supplied by the hospice care service, Boo...Tina's 200 pound Rotty and Jack's good buddy...ran into the room to see Jack...and Jack smiled for the first time in a month. It will be much better for him to be home for as long as he has left.

Tim

[OleBoy]

OBIO, I must say I'm sorry. Sorry for not responding when I saw you first posted this. All I can muster is, I've been there with both grand parents on my moms side and both my mom and dad. It really took a lot out of me for any strengths I had. The situation is saddening for anyone to witness. Especially someone close. The flight does get better eventually. For all of us.