Entry tags:	don: don health updates
Crossposts:	http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/603105.html

Near the end of July, Don started having very bad stomach problems. He's actually gotten to the point where he eats maybe about a meal's worth of food over the course of the day, and this is a vast improvement over not eating at all, which was happening for a while. (He was getting all his calories from ginger ale.)

So, let's see. There was the parasite theory. There was the cancer theory. (That was a fun month.) There was the infection theory. There was the ulcer theory. All of these theories have been dismissed. I don't know what the latest theory by irritating doctor is.

The biggest problem with this is that most of Don's meds need to be taken with food if they're taken orally. So, he hasn't been able to take most of his pain meds or his anti-depressants. Since August.

As you can imagine, Don's in a lot of pain, and is going through some serious depression-related episodes, mostly in the form of panic attacks and paranoia.

What Don wants is to spend a week or two getting all of his meds by injection because he thinks the problem is that he stakes several different types of meds every day and they've burned his stomach lining, which isn't getting the chance to recover. I have no idea, I'm not a doctor, and I don't take medications regularly. I do know that he's lost lots of weight off a body that really can't afford to, that he's listless and has difficulties following conversations, that he has dizzy spells.

I don't know what's going to happen here. When we talked yesterday, I suggested just chucking it all in and looking for a second opinion about his options. I hope he goes for that.