Unexpected Support

So yesterday I expected to talk to Dr. O at some point in the morning regarding Hospice for Dad. Well at quarter to 9 in the morning my cell phone rang and it was him calling from his rounds at the hospital. I was so surprised. He once again went over all the options. Once clarification was made in our conversation. Putting in a trache was not an option as it would irritate and cause swelling and simply be more difficult than helpful. I think that Dr. O felt some pressure from the ENT doc/surgeon. Dr. O pressed me a bit on our decision questioning if it was made out of fear. I assured him that we had thought carefully about the situation and all options. I reiterated that Dad has told us he does not want to end up in a nursing home and that I truly believe that he would end up in a nursing home if he went through with this surgery. I also reminded him of Dad's general health as well as the memory issues that we grapple with on a daily basis. In the end Dr. O came very close to saying he agreed with our decision. He did tell me again that either way would be a difficult road and that he respected the decision we had made for our father. He explained that he just wanted to press us a bit to make sure we understood the expected outcomes of each choice. He was compassionate. He ended by saying he didn't want to make us think about the decision any more and that we would just move forward with Hospice. I'll be calling hospice to set up a meeting on Friday.