Dearest Dad
You would decide and we would respect your decisions had you been awake. However, the doctors want decisions now and cannot wait for you to wake up. So we, your family have to make the difficult and hopefully the correct decisions on your behalf.
You have stopped eating. So the nurses have to feed you with a tube through the nose. Somehow the liquid sustenance was not properly ingested and some have spilled over into your lungs. We know it was very uncomfortable. The doctors have stopped the feeding and are putting you on a drip for 2 day. However, you will be hungry and will not have the strength to fight this illness. So tomorrow, the doctors will try the feeding again. It will be done in smaller quantities and we will ensure that it is properly carried out. We know it is not your favorite chicken rice but you need the nutrients. If your body still has problem taking in the liquid feed, a gastrostomy has to be performed so that they can feed directly into your stomach. We have given them our consent.
The other nagging problem is your congested lungs. Listening to your labored breath we know you feel chesty and have difficulty breathing. The nurses are sucking out the phlegm daily to make you more comfortable. This morning, we could feel that there were less fluid in your chest and you were breathing more normally. However, just in case the fluid builds up again and the doctors feel there is a need to perform a tracheostomy to more effectively suck up all these phlegm, we have also given our consent for the procedure.
Dad, please don’t worry. We might have given our prior consent to the doctors, but it is strictly on the condition of absolute necessity. The procedures might not be needed at all. We need you to be strong. Wake up and fight this illness. Then we can take you home and have a BIG party.
Simon – Tuesday, 1 December 2009
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