Update on Dad

Philip Ray Brown (8/7/08)

I posted earlier about my Dad being diagnosed with stage 4 Multiple Myeloma (plasma cell cancer). There have been a lot of changes since then so I thought I would update his situation. The doctors were relieved in the beginning that he had this type of cancer because it typically responds well to radiation. The radiation makes it go into remission and MM cancer patients can live years with this disease. We took that as good news. And I was excited that we were talking years instead of days. But as with all types of cancer, you never know what to expect.

My Dad finished radiation treatments a few weeks ago. One of his tumors was almost completely gone, so we knew it was working. When the radiation was over, he was supposed to return to himself (meaning less pain, more energy, more mobility, and more Phil-like), but that was not the case. His body started deteriorating after the radiation treatments. He got a yeast infection on his throat (didn't know that was possible, but Dad's body found a way for it to happen) and couldn't eat for a week. His body has become frail and weak. (The doctor explained to us that his bones were like swiss cheese with holes inside of them because of the MM.) One night he got up in the middle of the night without his walker and fell over which resulted in four broken ribs. Those broken ribs, along with many other pains, make it hard for him to breathe and to walk.

At the beginning of this week, the doctor thought that he had a blood clot in his lungs. And I just found out today that my Dad has pneumonia and is being admitted to the hospital as I write this. This scares me for two reasons in particular. One is that I'm not there and that is killing me. The second reason is that with his weakened condition, he has a small chance of fighting the pneumonia. Especially in a hospital rampant with disease. And he's old. So today I write this post in hopes that whoever reads this will say a small prayer for my Father, Philip Ray Brown. A prayer of hope that he will not be in pain any longer whether that means he is with us longer or he joins my Mom in Heaven.

Thank you.

Lexi, Casey, & Dad (8/7/08)