[JustJo]

Soooo....everything changed, yet again, yesterday...

My mother is being released from the hospital today, which I completely and totally disagree with, but the hospital and insurance company refuse to listen. She will be going to a friend until she can come down here, or be readmitted to the hospital for another procedure....depending on some test results.

Meanwhile, she cannot eat any solid food whatsoever....up to and including broth or jello. She is on IVs around the clock....12 hours of fluids, 12 hours of TPN....so technically she doesn't need to eat or drink....but it still freaks me out.

Luckily, she is going to a retired couple, good friends (and thank goodness she actually made some friends in the last few years, because they've saved her life....literally). The husband has experience with the TPN because the wife is a severe anorexic, and has been on and off of it periodically. So, mom is being released to him....with him as her caretaker for the time being. A visiting nurse will also come to the house each day to check on her.

Here's their reasoning:
They had put her on Avastin. Evidently, this is a chemo drug for metastatic colon cancer, but has some pretty scary side effects.....one of which is an increased risk of GI perforations and bleed outs. So....they can't do ANY kind of a procedure until it clears her system in at least 28 days. They can't do a biopsy, a surgery, not even a tube inside to see what's going on. We are literally just waiting....and they "don't see a need" for her to wait in the hospital for a month.

I'm furious. Why in the hell would they give that drug, with those side effects , to a 50 year Crohn's patient....when GI perforations and bleed outs is what KILLS most Crohn's patients. That's exactly what killed my grandmother at the age of 72....her colon perforated and she bled out on her own kitchen floor.

Holy shit. I know they need strong drugs. I know her cancer is being tough. But THAT one? Christ.

Meanwhile, my paranoia about digestive tract health and fear of processed crap and the importance of fruit and veggies is going through the roof as a result. My poor son.....luckily he likes fruit and veggies...cuz he's up to about 9 servings a day.