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Author Archives: peternoerr
The final post
Peter died tonight, March 15, 2013 at 7.15 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Posted in Uncategorized
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And so I fired the hospice nurse
We had a substitute nurse today and she was/is great – very caring, very compassionate, very professional. She gave me some good advice, and not once mentioned the ‘end of life’ phrase. I’d love her to be our hospice nurse, … Continue reading
Is hospice the right choice?
While I know we can leave hospice at any time and check back into curative care, I’m in the process of debating the why’s and wherefore’s of this type of decision. Over the course of Peter’s illness, I’ve developed a … Continue reading
Family and visits and thoughts
We’re a small but close family and everyone is here and/or available for Peter (and me, but Peter is first and foremost). Kristina arrived from San Francisco a few days ago, and has spent a great deal of time being … Continue reading
Adjusting – it’s not really the right word
So here we are in our apartment, which as everyone says (everyone being family thus far) is ‘us’. We’ve always liked bright open spaces, and we like being downtown, although I haven’t really figured out what constitutes downtown in Durham. … Continue reading
Posted in Cancer
Tagged aggressive prostate cancer, Caretaker, Duke Hospice Service, Durham
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It’s bad news
It’s been some time since I’ve posted a blog, in fact about two weeks ago. I started to write an entry about 8 or 9 days ago, which was to be called something like ‘and on it goes and on … Continue reading
Posted in Cancer
Tagged Dr. Tony Galanos, Duke Hospice Service, Duke Hospital 9300, Palliative care
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Another setback in the difficult journey through cancer
It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks. We had a visit from Peter’s sister Pam, from Port Elizabeth, South Africa (on the Eastern Cape for those who can’t pinpoint PE). We were planning to have her write a … Continue reading
Posted in Cancer
Tagged C3, Cervical spine, dehydration, Duke University Hospital, hydration, kidney failure, neck brace, oncology ward, SNF, South Africa
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Digging around laws, insurance providers, etc., gives some interesting information
I came across a blog by an oncologist discussing the cost of Abiraterone (a chemo drug which Peter had, but which failed after 4 months). A patient of his had an enormous copay for the drug, something like $2300/month. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Cancer
Tagged Abiraterone, big pharma, Dr. Craig Hildreth, EEAC, Medicare, oral parity, Pam Millar, Port Elizabeth South Africa, Xtandi
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Another lesson learned
It seems there’s an unending amount of learning to do when dealing with a very serious disease. Although we’ve been trying hard to stuff Peter with calories, and he’s more or less maintaining his weight, he’s become quite dehydrated. This … Continue reading
The big trip through cancer 