The First Few Days.

On Saturday,May 1st, my dad was taken to the emergency at the U.of Ia. hospital in Ia. City. He was having unbearable chest pain. My first thought was that he was having heart problems. Dad had undergone a multiple by pass surgery a few years back. There was even a surgical needle left in his heart after that operation. Dad was admitted that day and tests were scheduled.

My brother called me at 10:00 the next night. He said ,"dad has cancer, it's in his lung and his bones". We talked for a few minutes and I told him I would be at the hospital in the morning.

The next morning I arrived at the hospital and went to dads room. He was being given numerous painkillers and narcotics to try and ease the pain. Some of them worked at reducing his pain but had side effects. Morphine seemed to help, but left dad in a delirious state of mind. The next few days were all about pain management. Not so much of this, a little more of that, etc. Dad had numerous tests throughout the week and a biopsy of his lung was scheduled for Thursday. We were hoping for positive results but also trying to prepare for negative news as well.

The biopsy results confirmed our worst fears. Dad has terminal cancer in his left lung and in his spine. The cancer has also caused numerous vertebra to fracture from his neck downward. A series of radiation treatments were scheduled to help relieve some of the pain.
On Saturday afternoon we took my dad home.