A good but challenging day.

From Daniel:

Today has been a great day because I got to spend time with Evelyn and our kids. 

Getting my new PICC line is now happening on Sunday at 2:30pm. Please pray that it is not put off another day. I need it for chemo on Monday. Pray that the PICC line goes in without complications. Pray I get a good night's sleep. 

Lyrics from a popular campfire song:
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!
The mountains are his, the rivers are his, the stars are his handiwork too.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!

Update from Evelyn: 

It was so good to spend time together as a family. My sister-in-law visited from out of town, and took the kids for a walk so Daniel and I could have some time just the two of us. Thank you! 

That was the only quiet time we had, it turns out. Not because of the kids, mind you (though they were a handful at times), but because of seeing hospital staff. 

During lunch, one of the staff "tipped" us off about concerns about a med that the doctor who is in charge of Daniel's case (whom I had never even heard of and Daniel had only ever talked to very briefly) had ordered. The drug is an appetite stimulant but is also used for depression. This staff person didn't agree with the safety of using this drug considering what he was already taking and the presumed purpose of the drug -- to "fatten" Daniel up. 

I in turn wasn't impressed that this doctor was ordering non-pain related drugs without so much as talking to us about it first, especially if there were some contraindications involved. We are very thankful that this staff person alerted us to this. That is why I am not mentioning who it is. 

A little while later, a doctor who was filling in over the weekend for Dr. Uhlman came in to check on Daniel's pain med level. I also mentioned to him about our concerns based on this new drug order. This doctor wasn't very informed about Daniel's specifics as he was just filling in. So I had to insist that the overseeing doctor I had just learned about be told to consult with me before he starts Daniel on anything new. (Daniel isn't able to communicate without a lot of pain, (and even then he isn't clear because his tongue isn't working) and the pain and meds can make him feel out of it.) 

The fill-in doctor wasn't too sure about getting the overseeing doctor to cooperate, but I said if the other doctor wouldn't properly discuss things with me and Daniel then that isn't care, and I don't want him anywhere near my husband! He said he would see what could be done. 

Twenty minutes later, the overseeing doctor came in! Let's just say we had a lively chat. His personality is a steamroller, thinking he knows what's best for the patient, whether he has taken all the information into account or not. I had to actually politely insist that he stop interrupting me. 

I informed him of our major concerns about this new med. We were told it was for appetite stimulation. So I said it was pain, not a lack of appetite, that made eating difficult for Daniel. He said, no no no, it's for depression! He said he wanted Daniel to see the psychiatrist because, of course, Daniel would be heartbroken about what is happening to him! He said that one time he stopped by while Daniel was talking with his mom and seemed "weepy", so he apparently surmised that Daniel must be depressed!

The doctor insisted that he is consulting with several other doctors, dropping the names of doctors I've never heard of. He wants to help Daniel from every possible angle, he said. Personally, the way I hear that is overmedication because they think there is no hope. 

Well, our hope is in the Lord!

I told the doctor that we have a wonderful support network of family and friends, and that I know my husband and he is certainly not depressed! I had to emphatically refuse the drug before he would listen. 

We talked about other things, and he seemed to keep changing his story and seemed so insincere. Needless to say, I'll need to find a way to be keeping closer tabs on this doctor's orders. 

So yes, a very exhausting day having to be an advocate for my husband and prevent him from getting dangerous and completely unnecessary drugs!

Please pray that Daniel would receive the best care while in the hospital for another week or so, and that I could play a bigger part in making *informed* decisions.