Thursday 1/8/2009 4:29PM

On Jan 8, 2009 4:29 PM, "Huy-Hoang Le" <hhle1213@gmail.com> wrote:
Around noon today, I was at the hospital with Cau Nam and I was also waiting for my Dad to be discharged. My Dad still has a very weak heart, but he is re-hydrated and feeling much better. I was with Cau Nam because Anh Quoc went back home to pick up Co Lisa. The plan was for Anh Quoc to bring Co Lisa back to stay with Cau Nam while we both took my Dad home to have a little lunch with my Mom.

While Anh Quoc was away, the doctors and nurse came in and announced that they needed to perform a procedure on Cau Nam. Cau Nam has had a build up of fluids in his chest cavity that has exerted pressure on his lungs making it more difficult for him to breathe. The procedure would consist of an injection of a highly caustic solution in through his chest tube, which would irritate his lungs and pleural cavity causing them to contract and to expel the excess fluids allowing him to breathe easier.

Meanwhile, my Dad was discharged and walked over to Cau Nam's room just before the doctors injected the solution into Cau Nam's chest tube. My Dad sat down nervously and waited while I stayed for the procedure. Although Cau Nam was given morphine before the procedure, the pain (burning) of the solution and the added pressure in his body was more than he could bear. He grabbed my hand and said "Con, Cau Nam chet!". I told him that I was going to hold onto him and not let that happen.

I told the doctors that he could feel the burning from the solution and he was in tremendous pain. The doctors gave him more morphine and they were able to complete the procedure. Anh Quoc and Co Lisa arrived a short time afterwards and I conveyed the situation to them. Cau Nam would have to rotate 90 degrees every 30 minutes so that the solution could coat his pleural cavity and take effect. After 30 minutes on his back, he would have to turn onto his right side for 30 minutes, then onto his stomach, and then onto his left side before he could lie comfortably on his back again.

My Dad was visibly shaken by witnessing this procedure, so I left to take my Dad back home to be with my Mom.

[As a side note, I had stayed overnight with my Mom because she has been very worried about both my Dad and Cau Nam. She hadn't been eating. She had been pacing around the house anxiously, and her blood pressure had gotten very high. She had been nasueous and dizzy. I managed to coax my Mom into eating last night and sat and listened to her stories until she was tired and she was ready to go to bed. I flopped down in my old bedroom and the next thing I knew, I was awakened by the sounds of my Mom fluttering around the house doing her morning chores. I got up and asked her if she was able to sleep through the night and she indicated that she had. She seemed to be doing better, so I got ready and went back to the hospital.]

When my Dad got home from the hospital, he told my Mom about the procedure he witnessed on Cau Nam and that got her scared and anxious again. She wants to visit Cau Nam but is very fearful of seeing her dear brother in such a weakened condition. I left them together to go back to my house so I can catch a shower and to wait for my wife to get off of work. We will return to the hospital this evening. And if Cau Nam is resting more comfortably, I will pick up my Mom for a visit.

I echo Chi Huyen's sentiments. I know that you, our cousins, have sent many thanks to us for tending to Cau Nam. Thanks are really not necessary. I love, respect, and admire Cau Nam very much and I am happy to do anything that I can for him. I know my brothers and sisters feel the same. We are certainly fortunate to be within such close proximity and we only wish that we could do more. That's what family is all about.

So I am sending this update and much love to all of my cousins and family. May this email find you in good health and in good spirits. Because, through all of this, the silver lining in the dark clouds is that we still have each other. And we will always have the love of family.

Huy-Hoang