July 3rd

Just got off the phone with Tom and he reported that Dad’s appetite is almost non-existent and he is somewhat lethargic.  This started, I believe Tom said, last night at dinner and this morning at breakfast.  The lethargy isn’t so unusual but from my time with Dad and watching him eat, it always amazed me how good his appetite was, so this does concern us a bit.  Dad has an appt with Dr. Nichols this afternoon. 

We think there could be one of two causes for the loss of appetite.  One, it could be the new med.  Jim, you read through the lit on that, any thoughts? 

The other could be a fluid buildup in his abdomen similar to what occurred in his lungs.  The fluid could be putting pressure on his stomach making him feel full all the time.

We’ll let you know what the doctor says.  My advice to Tom was to ask Dr. Nichols what would happen if we stopped the new med, but I think Dr. Nichols will go deeper than that.

Tom, I have a meeting from 5:30 until 10 tonight and will not be available.  If you need to contact me before or after that, I will have my cell phone handy.

Doctors report:

Dr. Nichols said Dad was looking better.  His lungs were in good shape.  He did take him off of one medicine and put him on another, Megestrol (Megace 40 mg) for his appetite.  His demeanor was better and once Tom and Dad started working on a project, Dad seemed okay.  He did pack his bag and plans on staying at his house tonight.  The Life Alert came late today and we are going to install it in the morning.  Dr. Nichol said Dad has about 5 liters of fluid in his abdomen and he advised against removing it.  He said it would likely just fill back up and Dad runs the risk of having some of the cells in his abdomen die (I guess as a byproduct of the fluid removal).  I think I got most of the important points.  Tom and Dad are headed to the Olive Garden where I’m sure they’ll eat like family.