Philip was discharged from Calvary Hospital on Sunday afternoon with a new prescription for blood thinners to reduce the risk of further blood clots, and spent the night in his own bed, relieved to be out of hospital.
Then this morning he collapsed in the bathroom, and was unable to lift himself. Maureen of course could not lift him, even in his slimmed down 54kg condition. Another ambulance came, and this time the ambos suspected a UTI. He was taken back to Calvary Hospital.
Numerous scans later, the collapse of one of Philip's vertebrae was confirmed (the L5 vertebra which had the most advanced tumour back in February), with a few more vertebrae on the brink of collapse. Philip now has very limited strength and movement from the waist down, so he can no longer walk. There was some talk of palliative spinal surgery, so Philip was moved to The Canberra Hospital (Canberra's main hospital) tonight. In light of the weakness and leg pain necessitating a hoist to get into and out of bed, a return home looks like it will be very difficult to achieve.
Philip is starting to call friends to let them know how quickly things have gone downhill. The revised prognosis of two years life expectancy no longer seems at all realistic.
If you plan to visit, please do so sooner rather than later... Philip has had only a few visitors, and has been greatly cheered by them. He was very glad to see his sister-in-law Helen Raftis, his niece Alicia, and Helen's sister Thurza, who drove up from Melbourne to visit Philip on the weekend. You can call Jocelyn on 0429 405 884 if you are coordinating an interstate trip and don't want to overlap with other interstate visitors.
Many have asked how Maureen is. The short answer is "extremely fatigued". If you need to call her, 5pm to 6pm each day is the best window. Please don't call earlier in the afternoon, as her vital naps for blood oxygen recharge keep getting interrupted.
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