h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My dad's not doing well. On Thursday he's been to our local private clinic for an operation ... after the cancer had apparently gone almost completely away, he still had a leftover-problem that needed to be taken care of, so he went for an operation. A fairly traumatic one, with the expectation that he'd be in hospital for about five days. The operation didn't go too badly but of course it took its toll on my dad, and on Thursday and Friday while we visited him, he wasn't very comfortable, energetic or happy. But at least last evening he seemed to be getting better and I was looking forward to him being much better today.

Then this morning we received a call from him telling us he's in the intensive care unit. He had a heart attack! *NOW* they realise that he has a problem - a narrowed vein or artery or something ... they didn't pick this up on the EKG (hope that's right in English) test they did before the operation. Sigh. He complained of chest pains yesterday and none of the nurses did anything or called a doctor or took him seriously until he actually collapsed in the bathroom.

I just wish a doctor would speak to one of *us*, I mean my mom and I. We were all this time anxiously worrying about his recovery from the operation and now this! I was just waiting so he could get out again so we could get back to work ... he's helping me so much with the art and with the writing, and I'm trying to help him with his projects as well ... and after hearing the cancer's cleared up, we were quite eager about what we were planning to do.

Sigh and also ... the cancer's apparently *not* cleared up. The operation my dad's had, indicated that there's a tumour still growing which once again the oncologist didn't pick up.

Now with the heart attack there's a problem that medication for the one condition conflicts with medication for the other condition.

My dad's being treated by three different doctors ... urologist, oncologist and internist ... and if all three of them can just *agree* on what's happening and what to do ... and if they could only speak to my mom and myself as well ... things would be so much easier to handle.

Oh, Willem, I am so sorry. It must be very worrying, especially as you and your Mom don't appear to be kept 'in the loop' as they say. Why ever not?! That is appalling. I thought treatment here could be pretty awful in some (not all) of our hospitals but that isn't right.

I suppose with three different specialists, and three different problems it isn't easy for them either.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that all turns out well in the end. At least this latest problem has turned up the additional worries that could have gone on for longer unnoticed.

Take care my friend. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

Websailor

Geagte Willem, Ma en Pa,

I did write as soon as I read your post, but ( must have forgotten to post it/

Loving thoughts, prayers and good wishes go winging over to you from the Channel, to the Northern Transvaal.

Christiane and Keith.

Saturday 4th October, 2009 21/50 BST

And best wishes from me too.

Not talking to you and your mother makes no sense. I hope you can sort that out and that they can sort themselves out.

As Websailor said, at least you all do now know what's going on and it can now all be treated.

Take care
Waz

I'm so sorry! I'll be praying for your Dad and your family.

Hello folks and thanks for your comments! We got a phone call this morning - they're taking my dad to Pretoria in an ambulance. He hasn't responded well to the treatment and now his internist thinks there might be more than one blocked artery in his heart. In Pretoria he's going to get an angiogram to see what's going on in his heart. It's a three-hour drive. My mom and I are going along so we'll be staying in Pretoria with my sister for a while and I won't be in touch. I'll let you know what's up as soon as I get back.

We will be thinking of you. Will watch out for an update when you can manage it.

Take care.

Websailor

Hi Willem,

What a wise decision.

Loving thoughts with you all for a soeedy recovery of your Dad,

Christiane and Keith

sunday 4th October 2009 18 15 BST

Oh, Willem; how awful for you & yours.

Yes, i know all too well how helpless you can feel when the Docs seem to disagree; how does your Father himself feel about the different diagnoses; after all; it's *his* body & so often the 'gut feeling' of the person concerned is ignored.

Folks, i think this is a case for communal Good Hootoo Vibes to be sped rapidly to South Africa, both for Willem's dad & Aye Bee Wench loved one.



zdt

Hello folks and thanks for your messages! I'm back today - my mom and I drove back to Pietersburg just for the day, we're going back to Pretoria tomorrow.

My dad's still in the Cardiac Intensive Care unit in Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria. He's made it through some incredible ordeals.

First of all we were incredibly relieved that my dad got to Wilgers hospital *alive*. He was so bad when the ambulance took him, my mom and dad were afraid he might not make it. The ambulance arrived an hour and a half before we did, and when we saw him, they had already done the angiogram *and* operated him, putting a sort of 'spring' in one of his heart's arteries.

The artery had been completely and utterly blocked. They showed us the angiogram pictures and the difference - before, and after they put in the little thing - was amazing. The nurse on duty told us my dad gave them a heck of a fright when he came in. But he was looking OK when we saw him.

Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the trouble. My dad didn't breathe very well and they said there was fluid on his lungs. Then later they told us he had full-blown pneumonia. But then they backtracked later again and said there was an 'infection' but they didn't know where it was.

My dad's heart doctor in the cardiac centre initially thought he'd be able to 'stabilise' my dad and let him go back home within a few days but the infection complicated things. His infection count was very high.

Then just as the infection seemed to be going down my dad's heart stopped.

Actually it was a ventricular fibrillation but the effect was his heart stopped working.

And it happened just when we were visiting him on Wednesday evening. My mom and sister were at his bedside and came running out looking very agitated and my sister told me something had gone wrong. It looked serious ... nurses and ... what do you call them in English, the folks who have to start a stopped heart again ... rushed in as well, they shocked him and mercifully started the heart up again.

Needless to say we had an incredible fright. My dad was stabilised and we spoke with him again. But it was a heck of a knock to his system.

The next day my dad was very tired and without much hope. But towards the evening he started looking better. Infection count still high. His throat was sore and he couldn't speak well.

His heart doctor told us it might have been caused by the medication he was getting for the infection. He stopped the medications he thought might be responsible, and told us he didn't think it would happen again. We left him hoping my dad would get better over the next days.

Then on Thursday morning about half past six the hospital phoned us (my mom and I were staying in a guest house in Pretoria, somewhat closer than my sister's home since we drove to the hospital and back three times every day). They told us my dad was doing very badly and they'd thought we'd better come.

On the way there every nightmare scenario imaginable went through my mom's and my minds. We didn't know if we'd find my dad still alive ...

When we were there the curtains were closed around his bed and we could see there were lots of hospital personnel busy there. They were again trying to get his heart beating again.

It seems his heart again went into fibrillation despite the doctor's assurances. This time they had to shock him *and* do the 'massage' thing - which actually entails thumping him fairly violently on the breastbone and ribs.

When they allowed us to see him he had a tube in his throat (down his airpipe actually) and a machine helping him breathe. He was extremely uncomfortable. They had tied his hands to the bed so he wouldn't attempt to pull the tubes out. We asked that his hands be untied so at least he could communicate with us in writing. He simply wrote the tube in his throat was making him nauseous. He had a tube through his nose into his stomach as well and actually 'vomited' into it a few times. Then he wrote to us to tie his hands up again to prevent him from trying to pull out the tube.

That was horrible, seeing my dad like that.

But not too much later they pulled out the tube and my dad was able to breathe on his own again.

Of course his chest was extremely sore from the emergency measures they took to get his heart beating again. And he was very, very much weakened. And he was feeling very low.

Anyways the doctor again tried to make some changes to all the stuff they were pumping into him to prevent it happening again. So far it hasn't happened again, yet.

Well since my dad *seemed* to be fairly stable, my mom and I came through today to see if the house was still standing and if the cats were still alive. I also wanted to check on my plants. I spent several hours today watering them - it is very dry here. The gardeners aren't coming, but we have asked friends to check on the house and the cats periodically. Still our cats have been practically without human company for over a week!

I tell you I was incredibly happy when we arrived and I found both cats still alive but - especially Poplap - not very happy! She was mewing accusingly almost non-stop after she met me ... how *could* we abandon her just like that?!

And we have to abandon her again. We're just sleeping here the night and then going back to Pretoria again early tomorrow morning.

OK ... so basically: my dad must have had the blocked heart artery for quite a while. He's been complaining of chest pains but the doctors had EKG tests done and told him it was fine. But now we know the problem was there all along ... my sister (she's a medical doctor) now says they should have done a *stress* EKG which would have picked up the problem.

All the while with the chemo and everything, he had this problem too, and it was part of why he was so very, very tired most of the time.

But the doctors didn't know, and they then sent him for the prostrate operation ignorant of his heart problem. The prostratectomy was quite traumatic and precipitated the heart attack.

Weakened by the heart problem *and* the chemotherapy of the past several months, my dad's system was highly susceptible to the infection. He was given four different antibiotics against the infection, not to mention a bunch of other stuff as well, of which *something* apparently caused the ventricular fibrillation.

The bottom line: my dad has taken a number of very hard knocks, and is very weak and despondent; under the best of circumstances, it's going to take him weeks or more to get back a semblance of health. Right now he's too weak to sit up in bed on his own. They're progressively going to try and get him to sit up, stand up, and eventually walk. I don't know how long that will take. He has to be in fair shape before they'll let him come back home.

So anyways, now I'm here with my mom and sending you this message. Tomorrow we're going back and I'll again be out of touch until we get back, however long that will take.

Thanks for your concern everybody, and for your friendship.

P. S. I'll write a more complete account of everything later.

Willem

Best of luck with it all.

Willem, I hope you are still around. I am so sorry for all the problems your Dad has had. I do hope things will improve soon. If he can get a good rest without any further episodes perhaps he will pick up quicker than you think.

Please give my best wishes to your Mom, and your Dad if you think it will help. We are thinking of him, and you both. Take care. Keep us posted when you are able.



Websailor