Dave is back in the hospital

Edith carried David back to the doctor this morning for his regular appointment. She called and said they were admitting him again. He had a real bad night last night. He could not catch his breathe. He said he had a real hard time trying to breathe even though he has oxygen there at home. They are giving him the choice of draining his lungs or they can just leave it alone. We are all very worried as to what to do. This could be a very important decision. Right now, he may go ahead and let them try to drain his lungs. Please pray they make the right decision. I will try to update you as soon as I can.

Thanks
The Hoskins Family

Dave had to take breakthrough meds twice today. He had overdone himself last Saturday by taking the Hoskins and Fox family crabbing, waking up at 3:30 am. Everybody had a good time, excited being it's their first time. Everybody got yelled at ... me the first one, tried to snooze when the alarm went off, pushing the off button instead of the snooze. Marie, his cousin, recieved most of his wrath because she was all over him, trying to hold him whenever he's up(that was a big break for me). He gets mad because he thinks that I treat him like a child, pushing the wheelchair around him, making him sit down, use his O2, etc. He was so excited spending time with all of us, showing everybody the art of crabbing. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch, he had some carne asada, chips with guacamole and re-fried beans. He looked drunk that the waiter was a bit concern.

We finally met his Hospice nurse today. She likes fishing and crabbing so Dave has a new friend. We are going to see his oncologist tomorrow and I'm not really looking forward to it. He's a new fellow whom we only seen once. The GI doctor at the ward who followed Dave's case the whole time we were at the hospital tried to get us an appt. with the Dr. Rahman (fellow at the oncology ward) but his clinic days are Wednesdays.

I am so glad to finally be home even if I sleep on the couch besides Dave's bed. Our bedroom is now a guest room and Melissa started hanging out there since granny has her room. I got tired of eating healthy, "hospital", food. Dave doesn't eat so I just pick what I want on the list.

As I mentioned on my previous blog, Dave went to the pain management clinic. They talked about a pain procedure that we couldn't resist, since Dave was in so much pain and we were at the ER the night before. We agreed, excited that it might be it, taking all the pain away. The procedure is called Celiac Plexus Nerve Block. It was a very painful procedure, he had to lie down on his belly during the procedure and another hour after. He thinks it works saying that he doesn't feel pain from his liver anymore.

Thank you so much for the love, prayers and support from my church, Broadneck Baptist Church, sending food for the whole family, my daycare parents; Bill and Sherryl Barton and Bill and Maggie Edwards, Diana's mom, Beth Balick who went out of her way finding a Pilipino Restaurant, my friends Ruth and Frank Arp. Ruth did the childcare duty for the babies while Angie and Barbie was at the hospital with me and Dave. She took the big kids to Hershey Park last Saturday while the adults were crabbing. Thank you to Aileen and Joann for always being there.

I have to join Dave in watching Poker for now. Do some more laundry and then off to bed hoping that Dave will have a good night sleep.

Please keep sending your prayers our way for peace and comfort.

Love,
edith

On Barbie's update last week, Dave did just get back home from the hospital but we had to take him back to the ER for severe pain and low grade fever on Sunday night. The pain was coming from the site of the paracentisis procedure done last Friday. He was put on IV vancomycin (antibiotics) until the final results of the paracentesis culture came back which turned out to be a staph epidermis. IV antibiotics was d/c and he is now taking clindamycin. He was given morhine IV boluses and MS contin for pain but was not well controlled so he was started on morphine PCA which didn't help to ease the pain. He was then transitioned to methadone while pca and ms contin were discontinued. We came home last Friday, pain free! He takes 4o mg of methadone, 3x a day but I forgot to give him his 2nd dose yesterday, oopps... He didn't ask for breakthrough so I asked him today if he wanted to take his 2nd dose but he declined. He said he was still snowed from the morning dose. ( Brandon and Victoria just got in for a visit so I will have to go for now).

Edith

Dave is home with Hospice

I wanted to give an update on my brother. He came out of the hospital yesterday, by ambulance. He was admitted on Tuesday, having lots of pain. Xrays were showing a lot of abdominal fluid and fluid in his lungs. All this fluid is pressing against his organs which is giving him a lot of pain. The doctors were giving him large doses of morphine through an IV. They tried to drain out the fluid in his abdomen but by the next day he had even more fluid present. The doctors are telling us now that they have done all that they can do for him and now we can only try to keep him as comfortable and painfree as possible.

Edith was with him the whole time he was in the hospital. Brandon came by on Tuesday to visit and she managed to run out to a store close by the hospital to buy clothes and personal items she needed so she would not have to leave him. She is trying to be strong through all of this, but we all know that part of her is also dying inside. They are very close to each other. I have noticed over the past two years just how close they are to each other and how much they love each other. God new she was the best wife in the world for him, I guess that is why he traveled all the way to Japan to get her. The family is going through a very tough time right now, especially Edith and the girls.

Dave's sister , Angie and mom came here to Maryland to see Dave in the hospital on Wednesday. They all met with Hospice to answer questions and go over things with them. They decided to send him home on Saturday. His cousin John, who is also Dave's best friend drove me and my boys out here to Maryland on Friday. I stayed with Edith at the hospital Friday night to help with Dave and I rode the ambulance to bring him home.

Hospice already had the things in place for him to make him as comfortable as possible. The ladies from their church has been wonderful and I want to say Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all your prayers, words of encouragement, food and just being there of all of us. Edith and Dave's good friends and neighbor Frank and Ruth, offered their home for the family to stay at while we are here and bringing in food and helping to take care of the smaller children. You all are great and we love you all and I know God will bless you.

Right now his pain level is down some. He is not eating anything much at all. He will drink some Ensure and water but that is about it. His abdomen is still swollen and he says it hurts him. He sleeps most all of the time. His family is traveling back and forth to Virginia, and right now I am staying here to help take care of him. He has a doctors appointment on Wednesday morning and he says he is going to Virginia after his appointment. I am not sure if he can make the trip, but we will see how he is doing at that time, he is such a strong person. We can only take things one day at a time.

Please continue to pray for him and the family and pray for God's will to be done. Pray he will not be in alot of pain as the days go by. We love you all and God bless you all.


Love
Dave's sister, Barbie

JUNE 20TH CT SCAN RESULTS

Dave had a CT scan while still on chemo break and the results are heart breaking. His disease has more progression since his last scan in April; has fluid in his abdomen, pelvis, and around his lungs. His spleen has enlarged into 20 cm. which is making him so uncomfortable, pushing in to his stomach which is painful when he eats. He has been in pain most of the time that he finally agreed to see the Pain Management Clinic. He used to work with them when he was still working as a surgical tech and he is afraid of the idea of having something sticking out of his back for pain management.

As stubborn as he is, nothing is keeping him down. We still go to Va. every Friday and come back to Maryland on Mondays for his doctor's appointments on Tuesdays. We've been taking the boat out every weekend; fishing, taking the kids for a ride, swimming in the lake, and just spending time together on a Saturday morning. Barbie went with us fishing last Friday afternoon, catching a "stick fish" and a small bass. I never caught anything--it was too hot to fish! He plays poker on Saturday afternoons and most of the time he sits on the porch with his .22. His nurse was laughing so hard on how he could shoot a squirrel with all the drugs in his system!

Last Saturday, the Hoskins clan went on a river ride at the Staunton River in Va. Dave did some fishing while floating on his belly boat. He made the 3 hour float with a little help from Sissy and Doug. They had to tie his belly boat into their canoe and towed him halfway down the river while he was fishing. Angie had to pull me most of the time while I was sitting on my tube...I tried to paddle but all I did was go in circles! The girls finally had fun when Dave let us go on our own. He tied our tubes together that we couldn't do anything but get tangled with each other. Way to go Angie, for taking changed!

Dave wants to see the Yellow Stone but he doesn't want to fly! It's about 33 hrs. drive from Maryland to Wyoming. Robert and Barbie will be making his dreams come true. Barbie made all the arrangements for all of us to go. As a self-employed, it's not easy to just take off with a very short notice but Robert Eanes is doing it. THANK YOU SO MUCH, ROBERT!

When Dave and I learned the results of his latest scans, we were just a wreck! Barbie, Angie and Sissy made sure to be with us. Thank you so much for all your love and support. I couldn't make it without you, guys!

I feel so bad for Scott for losing his gloves of 25 years when he went to get vanilla shake for Dave. He was riding his motorcycle with a shake! Anybody who had seen it at "Jacks", Please give it back!

Landon is off his body cast, wearing it for 5 weeks! Everytime that we touched him, he would say,"OW, OW, OW". Poor guy has developed rashes on his back.

Dave's mom will be celebrating her 70th birthday on Sat. 7-7-07. The party will be at 7 PM. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER!