Bob has been getting peg tube feedings since Saturday night. He has had his ups and downs. The ups are consisting of obvious improvements of his mental state, staying awake more, responding to me and reading the message board that we write notes on for him to read. ( he doesn’t want to wear his hearing aid) Today he is insisting on getting up but he is still too weak to do that. He will reach out to me and chant” Get me up”. When he has something on his mind he will repeat it in a chant like phrase. I have read so much about brain surgery that I don’t remember where I read it but the chant is a side effect from the surgery or from one of the medication that he is taking. He is resting now but he was continually putting his legs over the side of the bed. That is an encouraging sign because last week before the tube placement he didn’t have the strength to lift his arms or move his legs without help. One of the downs is that the rate of the formula flow was greater than he could digest. Early yesterday morning the nurse had to stop the feeding and add Reglan to help in the digesting. Reglan is a drug that can have some severe side effects. After the oncologist talked with me I reluctantly agreed for him to take it. I am still watching him closely. When Mother was given that medication she had a reaction that caused he to shake and twitch violently for a week. The rate of formula has been cut in half and he seems to be doing all right. I hope Bob will gain more and more strength so we can go home. The fact that he has finished the radiation treatments for the Glioblastoma Brain tumor may also be a factor for his increase in mental and physical improvements.
Nancy Shoemaker 1/18/ 2012
