Day 17.

Yesterday started out rough.  Willie was feeling nauseous and couldn't even look at another pill, let alone swallow one to help with the nausea. 
He has quite the hefty pill load right now:
4 pills to prevent his body from rejecting the cells
4 pills to avoid a shingles outbreak
4 pills to protect his liver
2 pills to reduce stomach acid
2 pills to prevent a fungal infection
4 antibiotic pills...just for fun....
And those are just the scheduled pills!  He also has an arsenal of anti-nausea pills that can be taken when needed.
Yesterday, the pill amount was just too much. 
We went to the cancer center at 9:30 AM and they took his labs and started him on IV fluids since he hasn't been drinking quite enough.  As we waited on the lab results, the nurse reviewed his med list and asked if he had taken his morning doses.
"I'm having a really hard time taking my pills right now." Willie admitted to the nurse.
She responded by giving him some tricks on how to take pills.  She suggested putting them in pudding or applesauce or slipping them under the tongue before drinking.  We've already heard them all and nothing seems to help Willie.
"I think it's more of a mental thing." He said when she was done.  "I see the pills and just can't take them.  I'm thinking about getting hypnotised or something."
The nurse stifled a laugh and covered her mouth to hide a smile.
I laughed too.  He hadn't mentioned the idea to me.
"We're not laughing at you baby," I assured him "it's such a creative idea it caught me off guard."
Willie was smiling along with us, clearly proud of himself.
"I've never heard of anyone doing hypnosis, but you could try." The nurse finally replied.
I did some quick Internet searching and discovered that Stanford has a medical hypnosis department.  I called the clinic and discovered they do indeed hypnotise people to help them swallow pills!
!!!!
The woman on the phone asked if I wanted an appointment to which I shouted "YES!"
She took Willie's name and information then pulled him up in the system.
"Oh no," She said and my heart dropped "He has medi-cal."
"Yeah, he does." I confirmed.
"Well we can't do anything for you then." She said flatly.
"What?"
"We can't serve people with medi-cal." She explained.
"We'll pay out of pocket." I assured.
"It doesn't matter, we can't see anyone insured with medi-cal." She said it firmly this time then hung up on me.
I was shocked. 
Our hopes had risen so high and dropped so low in a matter of minutes.
I reported to Willie and he asked me to make more calls around the area.  There are a few other medical hypnosis clinics, but they are either run by people who look like they would be better suited to selling used cars, or they are ridiculously expensive. ($200 and hour!)
While I was in the midst of my search Dr. Laport came in.  She is Willie's primary doctor and we don't see her often, but we are always happy to see her. 
Willie filled her in on his trouble with swallowing pills and she responded by reviewing the med list and taking out a few of the preventative pills.
"I'm thinking of getting hypnotised to help with swallowing my pills." He announced.
She responded the same way the nurse did and we had another good laugh at his bright idea.
"That's cleaver Willie," She confirmed "I've had other patients who have done that and say it works.  If you want to try that, I'm all for it."
It seemed her confirmation of his good idea was all he needed to carry on. 
They gave him an IV dose of anti-nausea meds, reported that his labs are still improving, then sent us on our way.  They also got him a new medication for nausea that is making all the difference.  He felt good enough last night to eat some soup and mashed potatoes.  That is the most he has eaten in two weeks!
After dinner I laid out his pills and he took them with a bit more ease.  I suppose sometimes you just have to be heard in order to address a problem!
I offered to hypnotise him myself, but he declined.
I'm sure I could learn how to do it on youtube....

Happy weekend to all!