12-29-05
Dr. Katherine M. Pisters, M.D.
Professor, Thoracic/Head & Neck Med Onc
713/792-6363
I would like to know her batting average.
She was the "team-lead" in our little Shakesperean Comedy of Errors.
HE was her responsibility.
I would like to know just what day she wrote my father off as unsalvageable.
Our "family meeting" was lead by Dr.s Suresh K. Reddy (Associate Professor, Palliative Care&Rehab Med) and someone named "Yano" who doesn't appear in the directory. Maybe I have his name wrong. He was VERY middle-eastern.
These two are part of the Palliative Care group (a sort of nursing-home facility). They spent the better part of two hours telling us that the cancer had advanced two to three weeks ago, is outside the lung, is into a bone and is "agressive". All of which was news to us. (and by US I mean my mother)
We asked why they are letting my father starve and they said something like "the cancer uses all the nurishment he takes in so feeding him would only feed the cancer". They told us an NG Tube or a TPN intraveneous drip would "not extend his life".
They told us there is no hope at all.
There is a voice inside my head that asks: Who made the decision to send my father to palliative care? Why did they make that decision? Why now and not three weeks ago?
Here's the big questions: What if he was sent there by mistake (it would not be the first)? What if these doctors ONLY deal with those where there is no hope and because someone (we do not know who) sent him to palliative care, these doctors assume he is past salvation?
What if they are wrong?
What if they read his charts and images differently than previous doctors simply because they are in the palliative care field?
What if it's "all news to us" because it isn't even correct but an assumption?
We've only ever been told that the cancer is contained. Stage III at most. Non-small-cell - which shouldn't travel and isn't agressive.
Radiation didn't even start until 12-16.
Never have they attempted to FEED my father. Never did they try to NOURISH him.
And I asked "HAVE YOU TRIED FEEDING HIM? WE HAVEN'T TRIED SO HOW DO WE KNOW IT WON'T HELP!"
And I was told "We've done studies that show....."
And my mother didn't want to argue so she just said "It's not about the nourishment."
What if they're wrong?
We'll never know that.
I realize I'm holding on to some kind of hope or some kind of denial but they've made so many mistakes so far....why couldn't this just be another?
One day in ICU he was made to sit in a chair, move around and encouraged to eat. The next morning a nurse came in and my mother said "aren't you going to try to get him to sit up?" and she said "His chart says he's bedridden."
My mother said "NO HE'S NOT!"
See? Every shift change we had a different opinion. WHY??
In the end, it doesn't matter anymore. They will do nothing but make him comfortable and wait for him to die.
A friend, who has two children that were born with lukemia (and are now almost teenagers) said "This is a high-stakes crapshoot. You try everything."
I can't get them to try anything.
MD Anderson murdered my father. Dr. Pisters led the charge.
When I am sane again, they may very well have to answer to that.
Professor, Thoracic/Head & Neck Med Onc
713/792-6363
I would like to know her batting average.
She was the "team-lead" in our little Shakesperean Comedy of Errors.
HE was her responsibility.
I would like to know just what day she wrote my father off as unsalvageable.
Our "family meeting" was lead by Dr.s Suresh K. Reddy (Associate Professor, Palliative Care&Rehab Med) and someone named "Yano" who doesn't appear in the directory. Maybe I have his name wrong. He was VERY middle-eastern.
These two are part of the Palliative Care group (a sort of nursing-home facility). They spent the better part of two hours telling us that the cancer had advanced two to three weeks ago, is outside the lung, is into a bone and is "agressive". All of which was news to us. (and by US I mean my mother)
We asked why they are letting my father starve and they said something like "the cancer uses all the nurishment he takes in so feeding him would only feed the cancer". They told us an NG Tube or a TPN intraveneous drip would "not extend his life".
They told us there is no hope at all.
There is a voice inside my head that asks: Who made the decision to send my father to palliative care? Why did they make that decision? Why now and not three weeks ago?
Here's the big questions: What if he was sent there by mistake (it would not be the first)? What if these doctors ONLY deal with those where there is no hope and because someone (we do not know who) sent him to palliative care, these doctors assume he is past salvation?
What if they are wrong?
What if they read his charts and images differently than previous doctors simply because they are in the palliative care field?
What if it's "all news to us" because it isn't even correct but an assumption?
We've only ever been told that the cancer is contained. Stage III at most. Non-small-cell - which shouldn't travel and isn't agressive.
Radiation didn't even start until 12-16.
Never have they attempted to FEED my father. Never did they try to NOURISH him.
And I asked "HAVE YOU TRIED FEEDING HIM? WE HAVEN'T TRIED SO HOW DO WE KNOW IT WON'T HELP!"
And I was told "We've done studies that show....."
And my mother didn't want to argue so she just said "It's not about the nourishment."
What if they're wrong?
We'll never know that.
I realize I'm holding on to some kind of hope or some kind of denial but they've made so many mistakes so far....why couldn't this just be another?
One day in ICU he was made to sit in a chair, move around and encouraged to eat. The next morning a nurse came in and my mother said "aren't you going to try to get him to sit up?" and she said "His chart says he's bedridden."
My mother said "NO HE'S NOT!"
See? Every shift change we had a different opinion. WHY??
In the end, it doesn't matter anymore. They will do nothing but make him comfortable and wait for him to die.
A friend, who has two children that were born with lukemia (and are now almost teenagers) said "This is a high-stakes crapshoot. You try everything."
I can't get them to try anything.
MD Anderson murdered my father. Dr. Pisters led the charge.
When I am sane again, they may very well have to answer to that.
posted by Agnes at 4:42 AM
2 Comments:
I wish with you, feel for you all. So much.
All my love, all my hugs.
I've already written a comment on this in your regular blog, Agnes...but yes, I think you should take action against these docs because they don't have the right to make these decisions all on their own without telling your mom why they do what they do.
And the whole thing about why they won't feed him is bullshit. They did something similar to my mom - moved her to Hospice and left her to die without explaining anything, and it was thanks to dad and his explosive temper that they moved her back to intensive care where she belonged. It didn't make any difference for her though, but for the sake of decency and because they did it without notifying anyone, he made them move her back.
I told Robin about this last night and he looked at me and said something along the line with "they're starving him to death". And I guess that's as close to the truth as you can get without being blunt about it.
Gawd, this pisses me off so much you have no clue.
I will continue this rant in my own blog instead of taking up space in yours. But DO something about this "team" when you're back on track and feel strong enough again. As I said, what they told you is nothing but bullshit.
:hugs:
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