We all went to grandma's 80th birthday party in Kinston. I remember I hadn't seen any of dad's side of the family in years, and dad had called me earlier that week and I didn't want to go. Dad had such a hard time that week and a bad day on Friday that he decided he wasn't going to go himself. I got up early that Saturday morning and called dad and asked him how he was and he said he was feeling a little better. I told him I wanted to go, and he perked up and we all went. Thank God we went... That was the last time he got to see his family and interact with them without being bedridden... None of use knew that he would be leaving us just a short 6-7 months later...
Dad started having serious problems with his digestive system back in February. He would feel fine for a few weeks and then suddenly, about an hour or so after eating, he'd be in pain. He's told me many times what it was like, but I still can't describe it completely. He'd be in this condition for approximately three days. In that three day period, he'd eat nothing but white rice or something very bland, or nothing at all. Then the episode would be over. He'd have at least two good weeks, then it would hit him again. Dad thought that it was food causing the problem. I can see how he'd think that, especially since it was the lack thereof that seemed to bring each episode to an end. His family doctor was apparently convinced of that as well. He was prescribed Prilosec. The doctor thought it was something simple. So for a brief time dad had started adding items of food to a list of things he couldn't eat anymore. He kept taking the Prilosec. The list grew exponentially as the weeks dragged on. His ability to taste things had changed. Salty foods were saltier, and sugary foods didn't taste as sweet. He went from being someone who absolutely enjoyed food, to someone who was begrudgingly intimidated by it. He put up with this until this vicious cycle of pain became a weekly occurrence.
In early September a new dynamic was added to his routine of weekly pain cycles. Dad had started throwing up at the beginning of these three, to now, four day bouts of pain. His family doctor had stopped treating him with Prilosec and was now sending him to different specialists. He had many tests run, but no one could find anything conclusive as to what was happening to him. He had a colonoscopy which showed things as looking normal. He had a endoscopy which did show that he had a peculiar fold in his stomach, which led to him having an ultrasound done. It was at this point that his family doctor discovered that his liver was badly diseased, which led to a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver. I was dumbfounded, dad had never had a drink of alcohol a day in his life. Apparently you don't have to drink to have cirrhosis of the liver.
I started driving dad up to Raleigh to a gastroentologist in early October. He was referred by his family doctor. Toward the middle of October we took him to Wake med. for a liver biopsy. The doctor there told us that the top half of his liver had a large "ballooned" pocket of old blood in it. I'm assuming that was what caused the fold in his stomach. We were also told that there were a few cancer cells found, but it was made to sound like it wasn't that big of a concern. We made one last trip to the gastroentologist. It was to discuss in further detail what had been found during the liver biopsy. I waited out in the car, I just didn't have it in me to wait alone in the waiting room. When I saw mom and dad walking out of the office I drove up to the curb to help dad into the car. At this point my dad was a very frail and emaciated man. After we were all safely in and ready to go I took a moment to look in the rear view mirror at mom, she was crying. Dad was very stoic and very quiet. As we pulled out of the parking lot and entered onto the highway I finally asked dad what was found. He didn't want to tell me. The cancer they had found in his liver was further along than they had originally thought. We all folded inward with grief.
In early September a new dynamic was added to his routine of weekly pain cycles. Dad had started throwing up at the beginning of these three, to now, four day bouts of pain. His family doctor had stopped treating him with Prilosec and was now sending him to different specialists. He had many tests run, but no one could find anything conclusive as to what was happening to him. He had a colonoscopy which showed things as looking normal. He had a endoscopy which did show that he had a peculiar fold in his stomach, which led to him having an ultrasound done. It was at this point that his family doctor discovered that his liver was badly diseased, which led to a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver. I was dumbfounded, dad had never had a drink of alcohol a day in his life. Apparently you don't have to drink to have cirrhosis of the liver.
I started driving dad up to Raleigh to a gastroentologist in early October. He was referred by his family doctor. Toward the middle of October we took him to Wake med. for a liver biopsy. The doctor there told us that the top half of his liver had a large "ballooned" pocket of old blood in it. I'm assuming that was what caused the fold in his stomach. We were also told that there were a few cancer cells found, but it was made to sound like it wasn't that big of a concern. We made one last trip to the gastroentologist. It was to discuss in further detail what had been found during the liver biopsy. I waited out in the car, I just didn't have it in me to wait alone in the waiting room. When I saw mom and dad walking out of the office I drove up to the curb to help dad into the car. At this point my dad was a very frail and emaciated man. After we were all safely in and ready to go I took a moment to look in the rear view mirror at mom, she was crying. Dad was very stoic and very quiet. As we pulled out of the parking lot and entered onto the highway I finally asked dad what was found. He didn't want to tell me. The cancer they had found in his liver was further along than they had originally thought. We all folded inward with grief.
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