[stanford_status] How it currently stands

[John R Larsen]

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for the delay in updating all of you on what is going 
on.  I wonder where to start.  We've been getting things in order.  
It seems like everything in the house was in the wrong place and 
needed attention when we got home.  We were all exhausted as well 
and have slept until 9 or 10 AM the past two days.

Stanford is very weak, but he has improved somewhat from Wednesday 
when we came home.  We don't know if the internal bleeding has 
stopped or not, but his pain levels haven't increased.  He is on 20 
mg of oxicontin every 8 hours.  Oxicontin is a time release pain 
reliever and keeps a constant level of pain management going.  Today 
he didn't use much of the oxycodone for the break through pain.  He 
finally had a nice long shower today and that felt really good to 
him.

A wheelchair was brought to the house Thursday morning.  We've done 
our best to adjust furniture to make it possible for him to navigate 
through the house.  Today a hospital adjustable bed was delivered 
and installed in his bedroom.  To make space for the bed we turned 
the bunk beds into a single loft bed for Phillip and put most of the  
other stuff in the room under the loft.  The bed has been very 
helpful.  Stanford can now get in and out of the bed by himself.  He 
needs a wheelchair to get around the house.  We have an intercom 
system setup so that he can call me in the night if he needs help.

Thursday we were able to have Thanksgiving with our good friends the 
Wilsons.  We figured out how to get Stanford in and out of the 
minivan and in and out of the houses.  He slept a fair amount of 
time on the couch while there, but he was glad to be with family and 
not be in the hospital on Thanksgiving.

We have decided to not pursue any further chemo therapy.  Stanford 
is so weak now that chemo would just make him extreemly sick and 
very uncomfortable.  We're trying to keep him as comfortable as 
possible.  

Today had its ups and downs emotionally.  Lots of visitors came 
over, which cheered him up, but after awhile it almost became too 
much.  For awhile there he didn't have a place where he could go lie 
down because the hospital bed hadn't arrived.  Once it came he was 
able to take a rest and that helped him perk up again.

We're taking it a day at a time right now.  We're using the home 
hospice agency here in Nashua for his care.  They have been very 
helpful.

We wish to thank all of you for your thoughtfulness, concern, 
prayers, and encouragement in this very difficult time.  Our family 
has had to do and discuss very difficult things these past few days 
and it appears that there are more difficult things still to do.  
We're thankful for our faith in God that sees us through.  He is in 
charge.  Everything is in His hands and His will will be done.

John

_______________________________________________________
John R Larsen <john at larsen-family.us>
http://larsen-family.us