The Reed Report - Phil's Medical Journey

As I was gently placed into the ambulance, it was then that I was struck by the extreme difference between my ambulance ride in Krivoy Rog early the morning of my birthday (see this  post  for that story).  I did not have to climb up into the ambulance, just slid right in on the stretcher.  And I thanked God for the comfort of this experience. While we were riding to the hospital, I shared some of my story with the paramedic. When the ambulance arrived at the University of Iowa Hospitals, I was wheeled immediately into an ER room, where it was not long before I had medical staff attending to me. I told them about my experience the week before when I could not breathe, and that they had pumped fluid off my right lung (see this post  for that story). Rather than doing other testing, they listened to what I told them. They demonstrated this by doing a chest x-ray to verify that I was telling them. (I thanked them later for listening to what I was telling them about...

Once we finally got out of the hospital, how nice it was to be "home" with Denise's parents. It took so long to get discharged from the hospital, that I should have ordered lunch while we waited. The main problem at the hospital with meals is that it takes about 45 minutes to get the food you ordered. However, not eating until mid-afternoon got my system messed up. Only I did not realize how much until later. I decided that, because I was going to be losing my hair and because I really needed a haircut anyway, that Denise's sister Donna should just shave my head right away. So that afternoon, she came over after work and did just that. We all kind of liked the result, which I did not expect. Here are some pictures of the process: It was very surprising to see myself without hair, as you can tell from my response in this video: It was so nice to get settled in a recliner in my in-law's basement - which will be my bed for some time to come. And the recliner just hap...

When I arrived to the room in the cancer unit the evening of the 23rd, I learned that this was a temporary location. I thought that was strange, because it seemed that they would have been ready for me. They told me that they are remodeling all the rooms one at a time, and my new roommate and I would soon be moving to a newly remodeled room. That sounded good to me. About 40 minutes later, I was settled in my spot for chemotherapy round #1. No window. But that is OK! I was thankful for all the comforts that I did have, especially in comparison to my experience in the hospital in Krivoy Rog! And I finally got the shower that I had been waiting for all day. My first roommate in my new unit only lasted one night. The rest of the time I had a roommate that was in his late 60s and had come here after a botched surgery in another hospital. We talked a lot through the curtain. He was very pleasant and likeable, but had lots of physical pain. I called the nurse's station for him when he co...

The first big thing after my move was having surgery to put in the nephrostomy tube - after 9 PM Friday evening. This required me to lay on my stomach, not under general anesthesia, but in a "happy place", as one of the team that performed the procedure called it. But for me to lay on my stomach was absolute agony. I could not hold still, so one lady just gave me more "happy juice" and I do not even remember being returned to my room after it was over! Boy, was I thankful for that little jolt of medicine to calm me down! When I woke up at 6 AM Saturday, I could not figure out why my back hurt just a little. And then I remembered the late surgery from the day before. That means I now have a bag that hangs from my right side, just like a catheter bag, only it catches urine direct from the right kidney instead of the bladder. The tube comes out of my back and hangs down my side to a bag that can attach to my leg with straps just above the knee. I do not like the straps...

The ER at the University of Iowa hospital, as is the case in many cities, was very busy. After midnight, we learned of one couple who had been waiting since 3 PM Thursday afternoon. Our arrival after 10 PM meant we would need to wait, but I had NO DOUBTS that I would be admitted to the hospital. My body was a mess, and I was in pain. Besides that, what doctor team would not be curious about what was going on in my body? But here is the big difference. I got to sit in a wheelchair when I arrived. I did not need to carry my bag of stuff. And Denise was with me the entire time. We sat and dozed in the ER. The first wheelchair became unbearable for me, so we switched. That was better and I slept more, which I needed after not sleeping during most of our travel time from Kiev. About 3:30 AM, we got moved into an ER room. That is the first major step that we had been waiting for. Then about 5:00 AM, one of the overworked ER doctors came to start trying to figure out what was wrong with me. S...

Denise and I packed on Tuesday. She had to buy some things. I had to take care of paying rent for our house for the next several months, all the while knowing that we had no idea how long we would be gone. Because my legs had become so large, I had to cut the right leg of my boxer briefs on the inside and outside, and then roll up the leg so it did not cutoff the circulation and make my leg hurt. Packing was very difficult for me. I climbed the stairs two times. Once to take care of the valuable cargo that we have and to pack it in both of our backpacks. The other was to take care of packing my clothes. This was a very hands-off and strange process for me. How do I know what clothes to bring? It seemed that with my large legs, I could not wear much other than shorts. (And oh, how I wished that I could have worn pants on that trip home.)  Denise showed me a pile of my clothes. I told her which ones to pack. It was very difficult for me (and for her) because she has NEVER been involv...

Meanwhile, I continued to get worse quickly. I could barely climb the stairs at home. Because I just sat on the couch morning, noon, and evening - and then slept in the same position (or nearly so) at night, I did start to develop a pressure (bed) sore. People, do not get them! They are horribly painful and take a long time to heal! I kept pressuring my doctor in Kiev to do something while we waited for the biopsy results. And he continued wanting to wait for those results before we moved forward with plan B. My swollen legs on September 14th As I started getting almost no sleep because of the nearly constant pain and discomfort, I rarely, if ever saw a Ukrainian in person or talked to anyone. And people around me (American and Ukrainian) were starting to wonder if I was a little crazy for not heading to American soil for diagnosis and treatment. For whatever reason, I was not ready to make that decision. On Monday evening, September 14, Denise and I had a major disagreement about my a...

Back in Krivoy Rog, my body continued to worsen. My legs were huge and just ached from having the skin stretched. And please do not touch them. I kept in contact with my doctor in Kiev, and he was adamant about waiting for the biopsy results before moving forward at all. Earlier massage had been a good therapy for me. At this point, I tried to get a massage and it was just painful. Now what could I do? Sleep was becoming more and more difficult. I could no longer lie on even my right side. My body was starting to hurt from sitting on the couch morning, noon, and night. The problem with the linear approach that the doctor was taking is that I was getting worse on a very rapid pace. He finally decided to put me on a weak diuretic, but there was really no noticeable movement of fluid. He also recommended that we see a cardiologist to get my heart checked out, just in case. That was something that made sense to us. Sveta to the rescue again. God blessed us with a friend and family when we ...

We have some really great colleagues, but one family in particular are very caring. He was ready to drive to Krivoy Rog to rescue me from the hospital on day one. I appreciated his heart very much, but decided it was better to just ride this wave out if I possibly could.  They were a huge blessing to us. I stayed with them whenever I was in Kiev for doctor's appointments or travel. And Denise and I are both so grateful for their bed and breakfast! After my hospital visit, I started cancelling (or postponing and then cancelling) all of my plans. I met with no one. I led no cell group. I did not preach (though I had several plans to do so). On Sunday, August 23rd, I drove to Kiev for two reasons. One, I had a doctor appointment the next day - and maybe more to follow. And two, Denise was flying in on Friday afternoon from America. There was some debate at this time whether she should just stay in America in case I had to go back there for diagnosis and treatment, but I told her that ...