Celebration of life

We will be holding a service to celebrate the life of Ian, beloved husband of Jill and a very dear father and grandfather.

Thursday November 26th
Pinelands Methodist Church
2.30pm

My mom has asked that donations be made to St Lukes in lieu of flowers as this organisation did such a sterling job in helping and supporting both mom and dad in their time of need.

It will be lovely if you able to join us in Pinelands on Thursday.

At Peace

Our wonderful father passed away peacefully just before 5am this morning.
Sue-Ann & Janet xx

Dad has had a very restless day. He has been experiencing alot of new pain, possibly spasms. As our aim remains to make him as comfortable as possible, we have now set up a 'driver' that will deliver increased doses of morphine on an ongoing basis. As we now need someone to be at his side all of the time, we have enlisted the help of a night nurse who will be arriving shortly. We are admintering a sedative via the 'driver' and this should also help in keeping dad comfortable and peaceful.

The hospice nurse has just seen dad again today. She has given us some great tips on turning him and using pillows around his body to prevent bed sores. We are now using a syringe to give dad water and this is working nicely. It is very hard for him to swallow, so we turn him on his side beforehand and this helps. The nurse hopes to visit each day now and is talking with the GP to ensure we are providing dad with everything possible to continue to keep him comfortable and free of pain.
Many thanks again for all the love and support from everyone!

Sunday update

Dad has slept most of the day and appears more comfortable than he was yesterday. That said, he is not eating very much and taking just a minimum of water, leaving him weaker. Many thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Dad was discharged from hospital today. He was happy to be at home again, although he has been agitated and is feeling uncomfortable. Due to having been in bed for the last 2 weeks he does have some bed sores, although both at hospital and at home he has been having back rubs. Janet arrived from the UK today and this will be a great help to Mom.

Dad hasn't slept well for the past few nights and we are hoping with the aid of some relaxation music he will get a good nights rest. For those who want to visit, it is important to note that Dad cannot have lengthy conversations and any visit should be quick. His mind is still alert, but he tires very easily and has trouble speaking.

Any messages sent via this blog, email or telephonically are passed onto both Mom and Dad and we appreciate the good wishes and prayers from all family and friends. He is very terminal and we just want to make him as comfortable and pain free as possible.

Dad was admitted to the Kingsbury hospital this afternoon. He is likely to be there for just a few days whilst they investigate some bleeding. He has been made very comfortable and was able to make known that he was feeling hungry, so I believe there is some soup on it's way to him.

Dad remains comfortable today though he is missing Barbara's wonderful massages which he enjoyed so much. Jean, the hospice nurse was popping in later to check on him (and mom).

Dad has spent a fairly comfortable day in bed. He ate his pronutro with relish this morning and managed a whole bowl of soup which he managed to eat by himself. Unfortunately he pulled his catherter out in the night and so he is being closely monitored by the doctor.

David and Barbara Price have come down from George to visit Mom and Dad, which has made Dad happy. He enjoyed some milk tart at teatime. Although very sleepy during the day, Dad perked up at supper time tonight and allowed me to feed him some chicken soup with watermelon afterwards. The doctor visited again this afternoon and has decided to put a catharter in, which should last 5 days. This means Dad doesn't need to get out of bed and so can avoid falling. Although it is difficult to understand his speech, he still has an active mind and was able to remind mom that he had told her previously where the batteries are kept (Nicholas was looking for a particular battery and we asked him where the batteries are kept). It's now 19H30 and he is comfortable and settled for the night.

Dad is currently having two warm baths a day to help him. This does appear to be helping, however they do leave him exhausted. He continues to sleep alot and once again, slept all of this morning. Given that he is feeling so weak, he has remained in bed the past couple of days.

Update on Thursday

My dad slept until 12 noon today (presumably due to the strong sleeping pill he took last night). He tires very quickly and spent most of the day dozing. The doctor visited this evening due to his complaints of severe pain in the groin area. The doctor cathetirised my dad and was able to drain the bladder, leaving Dad feeling a lot more comfortable.

Mom would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and thanks to Liesl, Justin and the girls for their prayers.

Midweek

GP popped in to see dad last night. Pleased to say that he didn't find anything additional that was of major concern. This has been very reassuring for both mom and dad. Although he tires very easily, dad managed to find the energy to spend sometime in the kitchen (arguably his favourite room in the house) and help prepare his breakfast.

Tuesday

The nurse from the hospice visited yesterday and is due to pop in again later this week. She has been hugely supportive and also provided very practical advice to my mum to help make dad more comfortable. She is also in telephone contact with mom almost daily.

Today, dad managed to come through to the lounge and sit for a very short while.

The GP is expected to visit later this afternoon. The GP and the hospice nurse are now working together to provide dad with all of his ongoing medical care.

A comfortable Sunday

Dad has now been made alot more comfortable with the use of durogestic pain patches. These last a couple of days at a time and seem to be helping to keep the pain under control. He is sleeping alot, but in between mom is pleased to find that his appetite has improved. Interestingly, he has found that by drinking coca cola before each meal, this helps with his swallowing and therefore he can enjoy his food a little more. That said, he still remains very partial to custard!

Welcome

This blog has been created as a way of keeping all family and friends updated on my dad's condition. We would love you to also use it to leave your messages for Ian and Jill