Monday, August 3, 2009

Update, August 3

Since Dad returned home, the biggest obstacles for him have been pain control and breathing efficiency. His general breathing has been improving, but not as quickly as was expected. More troubling, however, is the fact that no bruising, tearing, or breaking was detected in the shoulder or nearby tissue, but when he is upright, he feels a sharp, debilitating pain in his left shoulder and upper chest, and his breathing becomes very labored. Until now, nobody has been able to find an underlying cause for these symptoms.

During a routine check-up today, a doctor discovered that Dad has a ruptured diaphragm (on the left side). A tear in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to migrate up into the chest cavity. This can displace the lungs, reducing their efficiency. It also commonly leads to shortness of breath (dyspnea), dysphagia (which explains Dad's continued issues with swallowing liquids), and sharp pain in the chest and shoulder.

Dad is waiting to go into surgery. We are slightly frustrated that we didn't catch this sooner, but mostly we are hopeful that Dad's progress will be accelerated now that the cause of his symptoms is being addressed.

10 comments:

  1. We'll continue to keep you guys in our prayers! I'm sorry he has to have surgery, but glad that this issue is going to be cleared up so he can feel better. Hang in there!

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  2. Thank goodness someone finally found something that they can fix. There is nothing more frustrating than knowing something isn't right and not being able to find it. The family continues to be in my prayers! Thanks for keeping us up to date.

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  3. Dan and family,
    I was so touched by the experiences you shared from your mom's life and the love you have for her at her memorial service. It was a celebration of the wonderful life she lived and the love she shared with others. I love your family. Thank you for all the love and kindness that has touched my life. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
    Love,
    Skij

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  4. Is he undergoing treatment for dysphagia? So fascinating.

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  5. Dan,please tell your Dad that he is in our prayers daily. Thank you for keeping us updated. Hope the operation goes well and that this will take care of the problem. John and Gloria Martinez

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  6. Oh my goodness, I am so sorry that Kent has had to endure yet another painful symptom. My heart and prayers go out to him-I want him to heal quickly so that the pain will subside. We all love him so very much and are thinking about him every minute. May the Lord and his angels watch over him continuously as we, his family, continue to love and care for him. If there is anything that we can do-let us know.

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  7. I know Dr. Kent from being employed by him. He was one of the nicest dentists whom I ever worked with. Kathy was like a "breath of fresh air" when she would walk into the dental office. Daniel, you are a carbon copy of your dad. If my eyes had been closed when you spoke, I would have thought that it would have been he speaking. Kathy's Celebration of Life was all that she would have wanted it to be. You family members did a fantastic job. Not being of the Mormon faith, it was appreciated that someone explained some of the service to us. Our prayers will be for all of the family for healing - both physically and emotionally.
    Pat and Tom Dunkel, Orangevale, CA

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  8. Thank you for the update, Daniel. Your family has been in the forefront of my thoughts and prayers. Especially with this surgery, I will continue to pray for a speedy recovery for Pres. Wood, as well as comfort for you and your siblings that have had to go back to "normal life."
    Being further away, I've truly appreciated the updates that this blog offers. It has helped me to feel connected when I could not be there in person to offer my service and support. I suppose that love and prayers from a distance will have to do. :)
    Melissa (Maher) Jones - Provo, UT

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  9. We miss you sooo much (and of course we miss Kris also). It was so exciting to see the improvement in your Dad when we returned from working on the San Diego Temple as we had not seen him for 10 days. He called today to give us an update on the Bee situation as we were gone to Redding for the last 3 days. His voice is getting stronger all the time. We'll do something fun tomorrow with him.
    I want to add my thanks to you for the Blog. Even tho we saw him almost daily I would open the blog to see what you had to say and just to look at their picture before I went to sleep at night. You know how much we love them both and of course, all of you.

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