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Our last day in door county.

email from a friend

I wanted to share this email with you because many of you will remember these events and I thought you might enjoy the memories Allen Miller sent:

I am so grateful for the "Memory Quilt" that Phil made for me. It is hanging in my living room, and will be as long as I have a living room. There are so many unique memories from our 35+ years of friendship like

...... how many different camping-related experiences over the years, manifested in later years with Peninsula week (weeks). Dells balloon weekend, Father's Day at Long Lake, Lake Ottowa, New year's partys to fill out reservations for you to hand carry, Ries' packing up in the night, hayrides with Judy chasing the wagon to pass on the root-beer schnaps, bottles around the campfire, girl scout song sheet singalongs/fire starters, Park Purity Patrol, burying the kids in the sand (and vice-versa), picking cherries, transporting in water-filled coolers, making cherry bounce, masses at the campground with Fr Tom

......brownie scout activities with Terry, and me sometimes (camping weekend), scout names like Sunshine, Petunia, Honey, Bluebird, knot-tying, crafts planning and making, ceremonies

......"Irish I Had A Schlitz" T-shirt that Phil gave me for helping him pick up 2 hot-water heaters from Sears at Brookfield for your duplex

......"Lordy Lordy Jim's Forty" (and everyone after that who turned 40)......"Allen has a perfect score, boys 0 girls 4" sign, which then became "Good friends live here" that I had fun hanging on your window without you seeing

......the Ortiz family including me in their large family Holiday dinners, Phil's efforts to find a companion for me, extra efforts to include a single person in a world of couples

......dances at Sebs with tables of friends for me to fall asleep at

......rum and cola, not diet - except I never had any but diet

Phil, you are the "Friendship Star", the quilt is the symbol of how you lived your life. See you around the stump, my friend...

December 27, 2008

We continue to celebrate with the family in our Door County home.

Phil is helping Rhys with his spread sheet.

The kids were busy making a snow man that Phil could see from the window. All had a great time. Phil laughed at them. They threw snowballs as part of the fun.

It ended up to be a snowlady. She might date Michael.

I took my walk in the woods today with the dogs. During that time I snapped this picture. The thing about our woods is that everyday God paints a different picture of the same trees.

Phil is weaker today but still seeing guests. Holly, the librarian and Rich Woldt visited for about an hour today. He is getting very weak. He walks with a walker most of the time. He had to have Michael help him shave today. He has taken a lot of time talking to each of the kids and grandchildren. The entire Christmas in Door experience has been wonderful and a fitting way to close the journey, if God chooses.

Christmas Letter

This is the Christmas letter for this year.

The presents are all opened and the kids are absorbed in their new gifts. It is quiet and Phil is on the couch with Lady. Tilly is on my lap. Mark, Michelle and Michael are still in bed or at least on the lower level. Christmas music is playing and all is peaceful. The sun is shining through the woods and the trees are wrapped in snow. So many windows, every where you look their is beautiful trees and forest. God paints the greatest pictures.

We went to church last night and they had a kids mass. It was wonderful, the kids played out the Christmas story and we were able to get Phil to mass. The usher talked to a man and he willingly gave up his seat, so Phil could sit and see the kids. Then he made sure that someone came down the isle to give him communion.

So many wonderful strangers. So many wonderful friends and family. It is impossible to explain how much everyone has meant to us in the past year. We have taken many trips but the greatest gift we have received in the past year is the people, friends and family and even strangers who have helped us along the way.

As I sit here and see my husband, whom I love dearly, failing, tears come to my eyes. He told me this morning that living through Christmas was his gift to me. I told him I never had a better one. Muriel showed him an ornament and he had trouble telling what it was. He sleeps a lot more now and has trouble tracking things. His conversations are more confusing because he gets so many things mixed up and remembers things all wrong. However, the children and grandchildren are wonderful and so kind to him. He smiles when they show him their things and truly enjoys having them around.

Life is good right now and God has helped us through this journey. Every moment is special. I wish all of you the most blessed Christmas of all. I hope God is special in all your lives as he is in ours. Treasure these moment with family and friends. Finally, never forget to love one another, life is to short.

Judy Ortiz

Phil dictated this added statement:

I want to thank all the people who prayed for us, especially the people who have helped do things for Judy and I to make these last two years beautiful, special, loving and caring. It would not be right to name anyone in particular because all the things that were done, small, medium and large meant something to me in different ways. The tree stump is very close, Amen. God bless, take care and keep the faith. (Thank you, Judy).

Phil Ortiz

December 23, 2008

We went to Door County today. The roads were snowy but we made it safe and sound. We are all going to be together for the Holy Day.









When we arrived we had a special treat. Rich, a freind from Door County had the house all ready for us. Decorations put up, a turkey in the freezer and a ham in the refrig.

December 22, 2008

Phil went to the Sporer Christmas party on Saturday. He had a great time and got lots of hugs and kisses from the Great-nieces and nephews. The kids are all very special to him and he told them all to vote Democratic in the future.

Our plan now is to leave tomorrow afternoon for Door County and return on Sunday.

Phil was vomiting today and is weak but still talking to people. His sister, Mary, came to see him today. She is here from TX.

Merry Christmas to all.

Wii

I need to show you all why Phil is having so much fun with the Wii system even though he does not have the strength to play it.

This is Kyle playing baseball against the computer:

This is Kyle playing tennis against Rhys.

December 18, 2008

Just an update. Phil has been vomiting again. Only once per day so far and only a small amount. No poop since Wed night. He is still taking visitors and recieved a bobble head Miller Beer Deliver Guy today from a special friend that works at Miller. Thanks you the younger Jim Arndorfer. Phil is very proud of his new gift.

Finally, we got ourselves some entertainment while locked in the house. It is a Wii system. Very cool. Michael bought one too. I understand that we can connect it to the internet and play against each other with out leaving our homes. The grandchildren moved all the furniture in the living room to make room for the three of them to play tennis and baseball and to bowl. Phil is their cheerleader and has a great time whatching kyle laugh at the reruns of himself. It is a great Christmas present for all and I get excersize while playing dancing with the stars and bowling.

Also check out the web page www.am920thewolf.com. The following is the wording on it. Also, we got a letter from the DJ Gregory Jon. The letter follows the web information.

Phil's Christmas spirit is alive and well
Friday 12-19-2008 10:07am CT
Here's an update on Phil
Hi Greg,
Phil is still with us, riding up and down on life's roller coaster, some days are good some not so good as he continues with his cancer. He keeps on going like an "Energizer rabbit" even though he gets a little weaker each day. He smiles, shares stories with all that call or stop in to visit and keeps a positive attitude.... something that most people find hard to do.
This week, his brother returned from Kosovo and with another brother and sister stopped in to share family photos and memories along with Phil and family. They visited Phil for 6 1/2 hours and he said this seemed to perk him up, bringing laughter and tears to all. He is still waiting for his sister and brother who live in Texas and are planning to do a road trip to visit, we hope that the weather won't postpone their trip.
I have also attached a picture of Gus (my Bischon) Wilbur (my daughter's Bischon/Poodle) Tilly (Phil's Poodle) Phil (he is the one with glasses) Lady (Phil's Bischon/Poodle) Red (a neighbor's Bischon/Poodle) Gus and Tilly are husband and wife and are the proud parents of Gus, Lady, Red and two other Bischon/poodles. They bring lots of joy and smiles to Phil's life each day.
I thought I would give you an update and thank you and WOKY for all your kind words and prayers.John and Mary
Phil's Christmas Wish was granted
Wednesday 12-10-2008 5:09pm CT
Here's the latest on Phil
Hi Gregory
Here is a picture of the print that hangs on Phil's bedroom wall, it is about 5 feet high by 8 feet long and brought a smile that was almost as big to his face. Phil is still with us, fading away each day in weight and health but not in spirit.... he must have some things that he needs to complete before he concludes the final chapter in his book of life.
A person came forth and donated the print to Phil and the family at no cost and in less than 12 hours when they heard about Phil's request for a fall scene with a tree. I would love to acknowledge the person, however, he wishes to remain anonymous, My guess is hearing about the smile that it made on Phil's face was thanks enough. There are people in this world that do kind acts like this one, making huge differences in a person's final days.
Please share my thanks to all the well wishers, friends and relatives of the family that keep calling, stopping to visit and sending cards to Phil. I am sure that is why he is still with us for another day.
I will keep you aware of Phil's final journey as it changes a bit more each day.

Thanks again,
John
This is what Christmas is all about
Friday 12-05-2008 1:36pm CT
Here's an e-mail I recieved this week. (I left out their last names}
Good Morning Greg,
I have a very urgent Christmas Wish for my brother-in-law who is on his way to heaven in the next couple of days/weeks. He is in the final stages and days with pancreatic cancer, this is his third cancer in his lifetime (each of a different type) and the one that he won't beat this time. His name is Phil and his wish for his final day would be that he would walk in to the woods in Door County during the fall, sit down under a tree looking at the beautiful colors that the Lord provided and doze off to meet his maker in heaven. Well, this won't happen since he is in home hospice with only days to weeks left before his final chapter in life comes to an end. I would like to find an artist to paint this tree/fall mural or someone who could take a digital photo that I would provide and make a print that would cover his bedroom wall behind his bed. This would be the most wonderful final gift to one of the best people that was ever put on this earth. If the"Wolf" could make a "Holiday Wish" like this one happen, I am sure that Phil would have a smile on his face for the remaining days of his life and for eternity.
John and MaryJen came through...
Hello,
I heard the request for fall pictures. I hope these are acceptable/enjoyable. They happen to be of my/and my parents yard. I live in Northern Wisconsin, and commute to the Southern part of the state to go to school (about a 5 hour drive).
Included in these pic's are a picture of Buddy(he's the one driving the sled, I'm shotgun). He was a therapy dog and I took him to the local nursing home on a weekly basis. Buddy's previous owner threw him away, and I adopted him from a local shelter when he was 6 years old. I lost Buddy this year he was 14 years old. (The other picture of Buddy is with my dad on the hill). Adopting Buddy was the best thing I have ever done. He brought such joy (and was a driving force behind me making it thru an extremely terrible and traumatic event).
Please encourage your listeners to consider adoption when looking for a pet.
Saturday the 6th will be my first birthday without Buddy, and unfortunately I will not be able to get home because I am down here at school. So please play a song for my little angel.I hope these pictures are what you are looking for. Click Here I enjoy your station when I'm doing homework on the computerJen

Letter:

Hi John and Mary,

That's such great news. I chatted with Archbishop Timothy Dolan this morning, and he said he'd say a special prayer for Phil. I do have some more pictures and a DVD for Phil from a listener. If you'd like you could pick them up next week. Hopefully there won't be another snow storm. Thank you for letting all of us share in this true Christmas story.

Greg

Wyatt (black)

Lady on the left and Wyatt on the right.

Wyatt on the right and Lady on the left.

This is another picture of Tilly's puppy who came to spend some special time with us on Wed evening. Check out tillyspups.blogspot.com for more pictures.

Tilly's pups

We have one more picture of one of the puppies. This is one mailed to us of Blue. His name is Rusty. They said they were going to name him Buddy, but they changed it to Rusty.

December 17, 2008

Phil is doing well. The roller coaster continues. We do not know why or how it happens but yesterday Phil perked up. He is again eating, and he has had bowel movements. I am not sure that he is completely unblocked. The cancer is still raging in his abdomen, but he has stabilized for now. It must be the prayers. He has again confounded the doctors.

This morning he called Michael and asked him to bring over an Egg McMuffin. He ate 1/2 of it. His brother-in-law John called, and he told him he felt great.

From left to right: David, Alan, Judy, Phil, Mike, Anna and Pat

Last night, Phil's brothers Alan and David, David's wife Pat, Phil's sister Anna and Anna's husband Mike all came to dinner. We ordered carry out chinese. Michelle and her family joined us, too. Phil had a wonderful time and even ate some supper. He also had some dessert. They talked from about 4 PM until 10:30 PM. It was just wonderful remembering old times. His cousin Pat and wife Mary were just leaving when David and Pat arrived. Mary and Pat brought old pictures of the family. Lots of laughs and memories of youth.

Now we are planning on going to the Sporer family christmas party on Saturday and then going to Door County for christmas next Wednesday, weather permitting.

Puppy visit

Phil and I had 3 of the puppies together with mom and dad on Saturday. It was fun but hard to get them all to sit together for a picture. We had Red who looks just like Gus, dad, except he was in need of a hair cut at the time. Wilbert is also apricot colored and the biggest, he has a red harness on. Mom, Tilly has a heart tag around her neck. Lady is the smallest of all. In the above picture Gus is on the left end, then Wilbert, then Tilly, Phil and Lady, with Red on the right end.

Rhys had got Red with the red tag on the left had side of the picture and Wilbert on the right hand side. He has Gus on the right side of the floor and Lady between his legs and Tilly on the left hand side.

They all played together and we had a great time watching them.

the radio and my brother in law

http://www.am920thewolf.com/pages/Gregory.html Check this out and also the back page of Saturday's cue section on the bottom.

December 12, 2008

I need to tell everyone that Michael is working from our house one day a week now. What a wonderful son. The first day he came, I went to the spa and got a massage and it was Michael's treat. Wow did I feel special.

Michelle and the kids came over yesterday and we watched Mary Poppins. Phil enjoyed it and it was a nice afternoon. Things have been very nice. I got my christmas present from Michelle also and we gave out our Christmas presents to all the grandchildren and Michelle and Mark. Michael only wants money to help him buy a very expensive camera so we will give him that anytime. Every one seems to enjoy their gifts and I also go my gift from Michelle. I got chains for my shoes. They go on like rubbers but they grip the ice and snow when you walk. I walked the dogs this morning and did not slip on the icy sidewalks at all. I am very happy. Thank you Michelle.

December 11, 2008

Phil has been eating about 1/2 cup of food a day and taking in about two cups of liquid. He occasionally has a little bowel movement that is liquid. He is alert and orientated. He sometimes gets things more confused than usual. He is taking morphine long acting two times a day and short acting at least once a day. His stomach does get upset and we give him meds for that every day. He has vomited 3 times since we came home but nothing in the past week. He is comfortable and depending how much morphine he has had decides his talkativeness.

He is getting weaker but continues to plug along and has been enjoying his visitors. He is amazing. Phil's brother will be coming home from Kosovo on Monday and I am sure that Phil will be around to visit with him.

Judy

Grandpa and Rhys

This is a photo of my dad and Rhys taken at the end of November on Rhys's 14th birthday.

Here are Rhys and my dad 14 years earlier on the day Rhys was born. (Rhys was born on Thanksgiving Day.)

Michelle's quilt

This is another picture of Michelle's quilt

December 8

Phil is getting somewhat weaker. He is still enjoying friends. He is taking morphine and Zofram to keep him from being uncomfortable and nauseated. He is doing some "poopies" as he calls it, but not enough to make a difference. He sips on juices and water maybe a cup full a day and takes in a taste of food when he feels like it. He had some popcorn and watched a movie with Rhys and Muriel last night till 11pm.

We have gotten trees in our bedroom thanks to an anonymous donor.

The following are some pictures from taken in the last few days.

Check out the the pants from phil's grandson. This is Phil and Lady.

Phil and his cousin Pat McCauley.

Phil, his cousin Pat and a long time special friend Jim Ries.

The visits and emails have been exceptional. Thank you all. Thanks again for the prayers.

Getting weaker

We have put away the quilting as Phil can no longer do that. He has been able to talk to people when they come and he stills enjoys the company. Since coming home he has ate some pot roast that Jim Arndorfer made and smelled so good he had a piece of potato and carrot. He had a sugar cookie that Jim Ries brought him. (He told Jim that he could not come without his famous cookies). He had a teaspoon full of gillies chocolate custard brought by Jim Bors. Also he has taken some sips of water and juice. He did vomit last night and no longer poops, so no more intake. He is getting weaker and weaker and the time is coming closer.

People are doing amazing things and saying amazing things about him and the way he touched peoples lives. We enjoy reading all the emails and blog comments that have been sent.

I told Phil that all these years I thought people only liked him because I was so great. He said he thought the same thing and we laughed. Phil says that is one of the benefits of dying slowly. You get to hear what people thought of you.

It has been an interesting journey. However, soon he will be at the ultimate end with the One who loves him the most.

Christmas Wish

Today I got this email from a dear brother-in-law (special friend). A man with the biggest heart I know and I cried.

Phil and Judy,

I wrote an e-mail a couple of days ago to WOKY 920am as part of their 2008 Chrismas Wish program. This morning, Gregory Jon aired this request at 7:30 and I am sure that it will be on several time through the day and week. Maybe, with all the Country Western listners in the Milwaukee area, I will get an e-mail or call and we will put the smile that I am asking for on Phil's Face.

John

Good Morning Greg,

I have a very urgent Christmas Wish for my brother-in-law who is on his way to heaven in the next couple of days/weeks.

He is in the final stages and days with pancreatic cancer, this is his third cancer in his lifetime (each of a different type) and the one that he won't beat this time. His name is Phil Ortiz and his wish for his final day would be that he would walk in to the woods in Door County during the fall, sit down under a tree looking at the beautiful colors that the Lord provided and doze off to meet his maker in heaven. Well, this won't happen since he is in home hospice with only days to weeks left before his final chapter in life comes to an end.

I would like to find an artist to paint this tree/fall mural or someone who could take a digital photo that I would provide and make a print that would cover his bedroom wall behind his bed. This would be the most wonderful final gift to one of the best people that was ever put on this earth.

If the"Wolf" could make a "Holiday Wish" like this one happen, I am sure that Phil would have a smile on his face for the remaining days of his life and for eternity.

John Koss

Life and Death

One of our friends sent us this after a seminar that they went to and Phil and I thought is was a great way to understand what we believe. We want to share it with all of you.

The Professor used the following analogy to describe life after death. "Perhaps the following analogy will make the interpretation more intelligible. If we wish to send a rocket equipped with sensitive data-gathering instruments into outer space, we must join it to a much larger and heavier rocker booster filled with physical fuel. The booster and its fuel enable the delicately equipped rocket to be launched and propelled beyond the tug of the earth's gravitational field. At that critical stage in the rocket's history, its booster is no longer needed and has become an impediment to the attainment of the rocket's "higher" destiny. The rocket, accordingly, has been designed to separate from the booster so that the rocket may soar into outer space and commence its goal of acquiring new information about out vast and awe-inspiring universe."

The rocket booster in this analogy may be compared to our physical body. The detached rocket is comparable to our conscious spiritual center, which, having been "launched" by our physical body and its physical energy, is designed to separate from the physical body and survive its dissolution. We will then be ready to enter into our "higher" destiny of conscious participation in God's eternal Self-exploration. We cannot say what form the spiritual enery of our personal center will then have. We will have to wait and "see"."

December 3, 2008

Phil is home and feeling well. He has had a lot of visitors and it has been nice. He continues to work on his quilts and has gotten some tree pictures, offers of live trees and two large fake trees showed up in our small bedroom when we returned. All have made us smile and laugh. However we still have not completely solved our mural for the bedroom wall, but people are coming up with possible places we could get it done. I anticipate will have it solved by the end of the week.

Here are some more quilt pictures and a picture taken today of Phil with a friend and his new Amvets hat. He is now a member of the Sturgeon Bay group of veterans.

Phil and Rich Woldt

My cousin's quilt

Phil's brother's

A Christmas Quilt

My niece (Friendship Star)

My nephew (pinwheel)

Milky Way for my son-in-law Mark

More quilt pictures

These are some pictures of the queen size quilt that my dad and mom made for me. They gave it to me for my birthday last year. The inscription reads "Door County Wild Flowers will shine on you Forever. Dad + Mom 2007". It is beautiful, and I love it.

The final weeks

Another update from my mom:

They say no news is good news. Well, you are getting news so it is not good.

We have had a wonderful two years. We have fulfilled a lot of dreams. However, we need to accept God's plan as it is.

The CAT scan done on December 1st showed that Phil has a blood clot in the lungs which we are not bothering to treat because it is inconsequential. It also showed that there is fluid built up in his abdomen from the cancer. Again, we are not going to try to remove it at this time because it is not causing him any discomfort. There is a cancer mass in the lower abdomen. Finally, the bowel obstruction is not cleared. It may not be complete any more, but it is not cleared.

They have removed the tube going to his stomach through his nose and he is much more comfortable without it (and he no longer looks like an elephant.) They have taken out all the IV's and he can drink and eat what he wants (which is little or nothing). He is taking no pain medications because he is not uncomfortable at all. He is reading his books and trying to finish some quilting before he goes. Phil is sorry that he will not get to make quilts for all the people he wanted to make them for.

They are delivering some equipment that we need to the house, and we are going home to Wauwatosa. Because he would like to die under a tree in Door County, we are planning on bringing a tree like setting to the bedroom in Wauwatosa. Paint the wall, put up wall paper of a picture of the trees on the land or something like that. We are not sure yet, but I would like to make something like that happen for Phil.

To our relatives, old friends and new friends, thank you all for sharing this journey with us.

God bless you all,
Phil and Judy

Monday night 12/1

No real news yet. Lots of visitors today and that was enjoyable. Tilly even came to visit and we hope that Lady will make it tomorrow. Phil is feeling pretty good now.

No more pain and they have taken out the catheter so he could pee on his own. They also took off the oxygen and he is happy to be connected to less tubes. He is passing some stool but the doctors are not saying that he is totally unblocked. In fact the one xray that they did do this morning shows the blockage to be about the same as last night and his stomach is still distended.

He had the CAT scan at 8 PM tonight. The doctors told us that they will not give us the results of that until tomorrow. He still has the tube in his nose and no one is talking about taking it out anytime soon. In fact if it makes him too uncomfortable to have it out, they are talking about ways to put it in permanently by putting it into his stomach through a hole in his abdomen. This way when he gets sick to his stomach or gets stomach pain we could open it and suck out the bad stuff without going to the hospital. The doctors are also recommending that he start on hospice service when he gets home.

Hopefully we will have more information tomorrow. He is feeling really good now he is quilting again and walking all over the hospital.

My plan is to go home for a while tomorrow and get cleaned up. However, I don't want to miss all the doctors. There was about 15 here today but only three teams. The medical team only has one doctor. The surgical team has 10-13 and the palliative care team has 3. They come in at all times and come back and forth all day.

Monday Morning 12/1

Thank you everyone for your support. We enjoyed reading the emails. A comment made by Karen Orellana under "surgery not an option" and an email sent by Abbe Feidelberg were great and made us laugh out loud. Both of these were memories of Phil. We are so thankful for the wonderful friends we made through the years. All those people praying have really helped.

Phil will be having the CAT scan done about 7PM tonight so we don't expect to know anything until tomorrow.

However, the good news is that he has had somewhat of a bowel movement this morning, so we just may be proving the doctors wrong again. At least there is a glimmer of hope. So many people praying is turning out to have more effect than the doctors and their doom and gloom.

More updates will come as they happen.

Judy

Room number update

My dad was not put in the room that my mom originally thought he would be in. He is in 2 North Tower Room 30 (or 2NT30).

The doctors and my parents are still planning to do the CT scan tomorrow. They are assuming that his kidneys will recover enough to make that possible.

My parents are waiting for the results of the scan to decide what course of action to take next.

Surgery not an option

My mom sent out the following email this afternoon.

Things have not progressed in the right direction. Phil has a complete bowel obstruction and his kidneys have taken another hit over the past week.

We are at Froedtert Hospital. Came here at 7:30 this morning. Phil is not in a condition that will allow surgery.

The obstruction is in his lower intestines. The stint is clear and not a problem. The obstruction could be caused by two things either the cancer or adhesions from an old surgery. Most likely it is the cancer that is causing the obstruction.

We could make a better guess as to what is causing the obstruction if we could do a cat scan. However, he cannot do the cat scan until his kidneys are good enough to get rid of the cat scan dye. He also needs to get premedicated for the cat scan because he is allergic to the dye. The plan right now is to do the cat scan tomorrow if his kidneys are ok. Doing a cat scan without the dye would not give us a real answer.

No matter what the cause of the obstruction, two things can happen. It can resolve by itself which it has not done yet. He has probably been blocked since Monday night. I have been giving him IV's at home since Tue. Or he will only be with us for a very short time because you cannot live with an obstruction.

Obstructions that are going to resolve usually do that in 3-5 days per the surgeon. Right now he has an nasal gastric tube from his nose to his stomach and IV running. They will put a cath in his bladder to measure his intake and output. Oxygen to help his shortness of breath. He is comfortable.

He is watching the packers lose right now. We are taking him to room 4NE-25.

If it does not resolve in a few days, we will take him home.

Michael, do not come rushing home. If you get snowed in up in Green Bay and have to stay in Egg Harbor, give us a call from Egg Harbor. I am doing OK right now and will be happier when we know the results of the scan.

Phil and Judy Ortiz

Please continue to keep my family in your prayers (as I know many of you do). My mom does have her laptop at the hospital, so she can receive emails and will also be notified of comments left here on the blog. My mom's sister Mary is going to the hospital soon. My cousin Melissa and I are going to run an errand for my mom.

I know many of you regularly check the blog for updates. I wanted to let you know that you can subscribe to the blog. Updates will then be delivered to your email inbox. In the navigation bar on your browser there should be an RSS feed logo (shown below in its many forms). Clicking on that should get you started. Email me if you need help or have questions.

Bowel obstruction

My dad is at the Froedert Emergency Room with my mom. He was bloated and short of breath. The diagnosis is bowel obstruction. She is waiting for the surgeon to come and explain the treatment options.

Thanksgiving

My dad was able to make it to Thanksgiving dinner this year at Mary and John's. He didn't eat much. For many years my dad has been making the turkey, packing it up and transporting it where ever dinner was being held. He had planned to make the turkey again this year with help from Mark and Rhys. He was unable to do much more than direct Mark to the correct recipe book. Mark and Rhys put the 24-pound bird together and made the dressing, too. Later my dad said that the turkey was good.

Update from Mom

We came home for Michelle's, Rhys' and my sister's birthdays and Thanksgiving, so we have been in town for about two weeks.

During this time we had someone replace all the windows in the house in Tosa. They look beautiful. Now they need to be stained and varnished but that can wait. The ones for the tenant are vinyl so only ours need the work. That is for another day.

Things have been going down in the last several days. Phil started to have more pain and so he was taking a lot of the vicodin and then he started having bad stomach cramps and took more vicodin. That began the constipation that sent us to the doctor and then he got on some morphine and then we started giving him laxatives and enemas. He finally started pooping and now has very bad diarrhea and is eating next to nothing. We are making some other changes in his medications to see what we can do but this episode of problems has taken a lot out of him and we do not know our next plans.

He is getting another CAT scan done on Tue and then is scheduled to see the doctor the following week. Maybe we will get some more information but right now things are not good. Here's hoping tomorrow is better. Keep us in your prayers. Judy

More pain and Germany

My mom took my dad to see the Palliative Care Team at the Froedert Cancer Center this afternoon. He started having pain late this morning. Usually the pain subsides in a short period of time. This time was different. Vicodin (hydrocodone) didn't offer any relief.

He took the Vicodin just before his 12:00 appointment at the barber shop. He was in too much pain to drive himself, so I drove him there. We figured that the pain would follow the usual course. The Vicodin would kick in, and he would be more comfortable soon. However, that didn't happen. He was in a great deal of pain during the whole outing. Tom (the barber) and I struggled at small talk during my dad's haircut, but it was very difficult for us both to see my dad clearly in so much physical pain.

After the barber shop, my dad received a call back from the Palliative Care Team. He and my mom went in to see one of the nurses. She prescribed two additional pain medications: oxycodone and morphine. He is also constipated and was given some Milk of Magnesia. Constipation can be a side effect of Vicodin. It is impossible to know at this point whether the pain is being caused by the cancer tumors or the constipation or a combination of the two.

Just yesterday, my dad was feeling well enough to celebrate Rhys's birthday with my family and I. My dad had taken some Vicodin before he and my mom came over. He and Mark discussed the state of the economy. Also, my parents spent some time studying online maps.

My parents were using Google maps satellite views to try to find the house that we lived in in Germany. For about the first year of my life, my dad stationed in Germany and working at a U.S. Army Base in Zweibrocken. He was drafted during the Vietnam War. My mom, my dad our dog Co-co and I lived in Hornbach. There are five buildings in a row on the west side of Brenschelbacher. (The street name is over the image of the houses. You'll need to uncheck the "labels" box under "satellite" to see the houses on the west side of the street.) The house we lived in is the one with the reddish brown roof in the middle of that group.

Quilt pictures

Part of Muriel's Double Irish Chain



Block for friends Pete and Pat: Friendship



Muriel's Twin Bed Quilt: Double Irish Chain



John's Flag Quilt



Rhys's Twin Bed Theme Quilt: Sand, Marsh, Loons and Sky



Michael's Queen Bed Quilt: Light Houses



Mary's Quilt: Cultivate Kindness



Kyle's Twin Bed Quilt: Silly Safari



For a friend, Sue (all hand done): Indiana Rose