This morning I walked into Favorite Patient's room, after a day off. What I saw mildly alarmed me- surely his eyes didn't quite look like THAT on Wednesday...so I pulled open all the shades in his twilit room, letting in the full sun. His eyes were...well...yellow. Ran LFTs. Total bili of 9. Yeah...the mets ARE in his liver, and they're hitting the bile ducts. I don't think his self-prognosis of "6 months to live" is going to work. I think he's got WEEKS.
He was angry with me for the rest of the day, since it wasn't "real" until I documented it. Apparently HE was hoping it was a trick of the light too, when he saw it yesterday, and never mentioned it to the nurse.
He still can't put weight on his left leg, because the spinal mets make it hurt too much. Radiation hasn't helped him, and it's been a week. I give it a 50/50 shot that he gets out of our hospital alive to make it to hospice in Florida...
I'm not an outwardly emotional person, but I had to work hard not to cry when I explained that he really WAS jaundiced.
Then I went home, and explained to Man-Friend (who is a whole NOTHER level of weirdness), and got a hug (did have to explain what Bili means)...but he did make it a bit better. He, at least, doesn't turn pale and get upset when I talk about work.
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