Sometimes In-laws just don't listen.

In our very first post I failed to mention a major part of our lives at this moment, the in-laws are in. Jonathan's parents, who typically live in South Carolina, are here to visit under unfortunate circumstances. Jonathan's dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer a little over six years ago. He was in remission for many years and they broke the news to us that the cancer was back after we returned from our honeymoon. We both believe they knew before we left to get married but did not want to put a burden on our special time.

A week after we returned home his parents drove up to see a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. The prognosis was what we expected. He was to have major surgery to have his bladder, prostate, lymph nodes, left ureter and left kidney removed all due to cancer. They set the date and then headed back home to make all arrangements for their next trip up, we all knew it would be a long one.

His parents returned 2 weeks later where his dad went in for some pre-optive tests and then that Friday was the surgery. The surgery alone was supposed to be 6 - 8 hours long. We headed up to the C.C. at 4:45am, he had to be there by 6. He was immediately admitted to pre-op and by 6:45 we said our I love yous and parted ways. This began a long grueling day of waiting. Hours passed as we all tried to kill time and hope for the best. We knew the surgery was serious, blood transfusions would have to be made and being under sedation for any length of time is always dangerous. Around 9:45 am the main frame update board stated that the surgery had began.

9:45?!? What have they been doing with him for the last 3 hours? If it was a 6 - 8 hour surgery the earliest he would be finished would now be 3:45 pm. So much for being first on the schedule, an emergency must have come up.

Time ticked away as we read magazines, searched the internet, played games and reminisced. Around 1:00 pm Jonathan went and checked with the front desk for any updates. He was rung into the operating room and spoke with the doctor, all was going well. We all breathed a sigh of relief. At 2:00 pm an overhead page rang out "Jonathan Ward to the front desk for the doctor's call." Panic set in. We knew his surgery was not supposed to be over for at least another hour and a half. What could have happened. We held our breaths as we waited for him to return with the news. Our necks strained to see him appear into the crowded waiting room. Finally he appeared and gave two thumbs up from a distance to let us know everything was ok. Once he made it back to us within speaking range he told us the surgery was over and all had gone well. He confirmed that the left kidney had to be taken but that dad was on his way to the recovery room.

The wait for him to be cleared for visitors in the recovery room was just as long. It was 5:30 pm before Jonathan was called to the desk again, only two visitors were allowed in at a time. Jonathan and his mom went to see him while his sister and I waited. Their visit was short. They went in and said hello, shared their I love yous, ensured that everything was ok and then they were ushered from the room. The visit lasting less then 10 minutes.

Upon their return to the waiting area they shared the news that dad was doing great. Another 2 visitors could go in to see him in two more hours... 8 pm. I figured this was a no brainer. We had been there for 12 hours already, we were all exhausted and we knew he was doing well. We should head home grab some dinner and return in the morning. Not so likely. Julie, Jonathan's sister, really wanted to see him. Now I understand where she was coming from and if it were me I would have felt the same, but at the time I was tired and being selfish. I wanted to go home. I kept this thought to myself and let the family make this choice. Of course we stayed. Another long two hours needed pass.

As time ticked away the 8 o'clock hour was approaching. We checked with the front desk and we were told that they were preparing to move him into the critical care unit. We needed to wait some more. By 8:45 pm he was assigned a room and we met him at the door. They wheeled him in as we stood in the hall while they changed his dressings and transferred him to his new bed, another half an hour passed. The nurses and their aides finally cleared the room and we were allowed in. He was doing well, he was sleepy but his sense of humor was there. We made our final visit brief as dad shooed us out the door claiming we were there too long already. We headed home and hit our beds at 11:00 pm, it was a long 18 hour day but all was well, it couldn't have ended any better.

As the days passed on exhaustion crept as we drove endlessly to and from Cleveland while still working and dealing with small complications that dad had. He went a little loopy from the drugs and called all frantic Sunday morning not remembering ever seeing us and he thought he was in Holland and there was a war. Once his system cleared from the drugs he returned to his normal cognitive state but he then had issues with atrial fibrillation and his pulse sped to 150. They moved him to the cardiac unit. Once that was under control they found a blood clot in his leg it stayed dormant for days and then moved to his upper thigh he was placed on blood thinners.

Two weeks after his surgery he was finally released. We brought him home right before the fourth of July, he was doing great. A couple of days later his blood sugar began to give him trouble, he was after all a diabetic. He had multiple episodes of hypoglycemia where he broke into cold sweats and his sugar levels dropped to 40. After just a few hours his levels would just plummet and he again would reach hypoglycemia. We tried for a couple of days to manage his levels with food but it seemed to no avail, we could not get them regulated. Finally as we were out to dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house Jonathan's parents called again to say his blood sugar was dropping.

We headed home and I finally called the Cleveland clinic to speak with the resident doctor on call to see if we could get some advice or answers to this unending situation. The doctor said to stop all diabetes medicine, eat often like every hour and a half and to call the doctor's office in the morning and get referred to a endocrinologist.

When we hit home we relayed the message and the instructions but dad well he seemed confused and just didn't want to listen. He asked how was he supposed to eat every hour and a half and what was he supposed to eat. Well let me think you put food in your hand and bring it to your mouth and you can eat anything in the kitchen. He was confused about calling the doctor. I could hear the frustration in Jonathan's voice rising. "What do you mean how do you eat every hour and a half?" he exclaimed. "Fine just do what you want." he said with despair to his dad. Sometimes in-laws just don't listen.

I told him I would call the doctor in the morning and get things figured out. As for now Jonathan is fixing dad some food every hour and a half and then monitoring his sugar levels in between. We are documenting it all down to give the doctor a good idea of what has been going on. I have a feeling that it is going to be a long night in the Ward household.

Wish me luck.