Page 11 - Big Pharma and the Constant Gardener

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

December 1998 – Dad’s tearful call saying he could no longer

manage came one year after the diagnosis. He reported that
Mother “had not had anything to eat or drink for four days.” With

boots on the ground and at her bedside, I used a medicine dropper

to begin nourishment.

At a family meeting quickly arranged with the physician, the

doctor informed us he would be inserting a feeding tube in the
following week. Mother’s nausea was thought to be the progression

of her diagnosis. My inquiry: “To what degree is this medication

contributing to Mother’s nausea and lack of appetite?” It’s important

to note that – being in the late 1990’s – Mother and Dad would never
have questioned their physician orders as we would today – over

twenty years later. At the time of this meeting, Mother was close

to 82 years, and Dad had already turned 82. We were navigating

all-new territory.

Once Aricept, the offending pharmaceutical was quickly isolated,

her nausea – dating back to the diagnosis – immediately subsided.
Small amounts of chicken noodle soup were soon followed by

Dad’s milkshakes. Her good appetite returned.