Went to Mum and Dads today - took Dad to Sainsburys to get a couple of bottles of wine (he wanted to get 6 but decided on 2 in case it doesn't taste like it should!), popped to Drs to get a repeat prescription of some of his tablets and then got on with filling in the Attendance Allowance form and tried filling in the Lasting Power of Attorney forms (there is so much paperwork to look through).
Dad was saying how he had had an awful couple of nights sleep so I asked him what he was worrying about - it turns out that just before December when he started going for all his tests they had a plumber round to put a new shower tap on the bath, anyway he had to drain the tank in the loft for some reason. The plumber happened to mention that they should go on the mains upstairs at some point in the future. Anyway to get to the point Dad thinks that the water in the bathroom has given him his cancer - he thinks that when the tank was drained there would have been a lot of sludge in the bottom. I persuaded him not to phone the plumber but he wanted me to phone the environmental health people at the council to see if they could take a sample of the water and check it , I did this and someone is supposed to be ringing back. I also phoned the hospice nurse team and they are getting someone to come and have a chat with Dad. He then couldn't wait and phoned the plumber luckily he wasn't in and he phoned Dad back and Mum answered and explained - he's popping in tonight and hopefully he will put Dads mind at rest for tonight anyway! Dad has said himself that it sounds a bit mental but I think he needs something to blame the cancer on I tried to explain that it is probably nothing to do with the water and not to waste his energy worrying about it.
Mum also looks exhausted and I think the reality of the cancer has suddenly hit them both.
Dad said the side of his tongue and his throat was sore today, the cancer nurse said it could be thrush but his tongue did not look white. he is starting to get a bit of a husky voice too which I've read can be a symptom, he thinks this is all to do with the water. he takes a jug of kitchen water up with him every night to clean his teeth with every morning and evening as he doesn't want to use the bathroom tap at all now.
He is eating much better but things that tasted ok last week now taste odd. His breathing sounds different too but he said twice today that if it is like today tomorrow he will go round the allotment on his bike to see everyone!
