ValD
January 26th, 2006, 06:48 AM
...who is my neighbour. (And his dad as well.)
He lives with his elderly father. For the last three years, his dad has been having kidney dialysis - when he strted, he was in such bad physical shape that doctors thought he would only last for two years.
He's still going, but has now deteriorated further. Last week, doctors dicovered a tumour in his lung. At the same examination, they also saw an aneurysm in the major aorta close to his heart. This is a weakness in the artery wall and it could burst open at any time.
The old man is so weak and in such bad shape that his doctors have decided not to do anything - surgery of any sort would almost certainly kill him. So they are just giving him palliative care - they've told Graham that it will probably be only a couple of weeks before the aneurysm bursts. The only good news is that his death will probably be quick and pretty painless.
His dad used to be pretty nimble mentally - he could talk, tell all us sorts of stories about his life (which was pretty eventful). Now his mind is going as well - he often won't sleep and sometimes doesn't recognise anyone and thinks he's somewhere else.
So Graham and a neighbour with care experience are looking after him at home. Graham is of course devastated - he idolises his dad, who basically brought him up alone. Addionally, Graham has been a long-term drinker - an alcoholic, really - and has now decided to "go dry" without any support.
He's a good man - a gardner and trained horticulturlist who loves nature and grows beautiful flowers. Can somebody please give him a little of the strength he needs to get through this crisis?
And help his dad as well?
He lives with his elderly father. For the last three years, his dad has been having kidney dialysis - when he strted, he was in such bad physical shape that doctors thought he would only last for two years.
He's still going, but has now deteriorated further. Last week, doctors dicovered a tumour in his lung. At the same examination, they also saw an aneurysm in the major aorta close to his heart. This is a weakness in the artery wall and it could burst open at any time.
The old man is so weak and in such bad shape that his doctors have decided not to do anything - surgery of any sort would almost certainly kill him. So they are just giving him palliative care - they've told Graham that it will probably be only a couple of weeks before the aneurysm bursts. The only good news is that his death will probably be quick and pretty painless.
His dad used to be pretty nimble mentally - he could talk, tell all us sorts of stories about his life (which was pretty eventful). Now his mind is going as well - he often won't sleep and sometimes doesn't recognise anyone and thinks he's somewhere else.
So Graham and a neighbour with care experience are looking after him at home. Graham is of course devastated - he idolises his dad, who basically brought him up alone. Addionally, Graham has been a long-term drinker - an alcoholic, really - and has now decided to "go dry" without any support.
He's a good man - a gardner and trained horticulturlist who loves nature and grows beautiful flowers. Can somebody please give him a little of the strength he needs to get through this crisis?
And help his dad as well?