This is the 3rd year in a row that Sandman has been in the hospital for my birthday (yesterday I turned 77). On Dec. 28 his legs collapsed outside, the police got him up, and an ambulance took him to our local hospital. Dec. 31 he went back to rehab, but a CAT scan showed he had again fractured his spine at lumbar 2. The pain is so intractable, he has no appetite, and it is too difficult to sit up to eat. As a result, he now weighs 127lbs at 5’8", down from 148. For 2 weeks he was losing 1-2lbs a day. Finally, on Jan. 12th he was transferred again to Columbia Hospital. Today several teams came to see him: cardiac, surgical, thoracic cardiac, pain mgmt, palliative care. He needs a "Peg" in the abdomen for feedings, but everyone said he was too complicated and risky. He had one last year, but that surgeon has gone to Vanderbilt in TN. Every team examined and talked, and then said they would go back and discuss. It got to the point where I was yelling at them that they had to discuss today!! And decide by tomorrow what to do!! He is wasting away, and can’t wait any longer. I guess I made my point, because this evening I was told that interventional radiology would give it a try, and his surgeon called to say if they failed, he would again ask general surgery to re-evaluate. He is now in a state called "failure to thrive", and won’t last much longer without nutrition. A nasal feeding tube is very irritating, and can’t give sufficient nutrition. Also, his Hgb has again fallen too low, so he is getting a transfusion today.

Prayers have brought him through before, so I am asking everyone to please pray for a successful surgery, and to make him feel better. Thank you all.

Goddess

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