Life in July

All the above pictures are from the month of July. They aren't in any particular order, just kind of Random. I have been trying to get pictures when friends or family comes to visit whether mom likes it or not. She finally got rid of having to wear her wig for every picture. The first set of pictures is mom and dad with their friends Monte Cre and Fab Bennett. On the 30th her sisters Doris and Vera came to help around the house, the next picture is of the 3 of them. The one where mom is eating pistachio putting has a story behind it. She has been really struggling with nausea. Some days she can hardly pick her head up and most of the time is really sick to her stomach. Tuesday the 29th, our Hospice nurse Peggy came and we figured a new concoction for pain and nausea management. By the evening she had an appetite and was giving orders for what she would like to eat. Usually its only a few bites of soup or crackers here and there. She wanted jello and pistachio pudding. We were so happy to see her up and around and at the dinner table with us eating I just had to capture the moment. We had a hospital bed delivered on Monday so there are a few pictures of her with friends visiting. The quilt picture has a story as well. Mom has made all of us kids a quilt for one occasion or another; wedding, Christmas etc. Dad doesn't have one!! Soooo... when mom found out she was sick she decided to try and make one when she felt up to it. Off and on during her chemo treatments she would work on this quilt. Dad didn't really know it was for him and wasn't really too crazy about the material. She picked his brain about colors and the pattern. He liked the other star quilt she had made and didn't want anything flowery. The picture with her sewing was taken as she was putting the last row of hand stitches on the binding after she had gotten the quilt quilted. After putting it on the bed all finished guess what? Dad changed his mind. He likes the quilt. The picture with Kent and Jessica and mom and dad are from Tuesday night, they brought out a yummy dinner. Steak and fresh green beans with bacon and salad and fresh picked raspberries over ice cream. I had made zucchini bread so we got pretty spoiled. That was the night mom felt really good, so she came up to the dinner table and had salad, a bite of steak, a little bread and some ice cream. It was a miracle. She has eaten more in the last 2 days than she has in 2 weeks! The hospice nurse says according to her observation of mom she thinks she will live about a month.. That was on Tuesday afternoon. Monday dad and I thought maybe 2 weeks because of how sick she was and she wasn't eating much so we will have to keep taking one day at a time. This morning she was doing pretty well, no vomiting and was able to eat some cereal. Hopefully we can keep her nausea down and keep her appetite up. We are still draining fluid out of her left lung every 25-36 hours and it has been anywhere from 250ml to 475ml each time.

If you have questions or want to arrange time to come visit or anything feel free to call me. I am out at the house most of the time. Melanie-308-5561.

The end of a hard month

The month of July is coming to an end. It has been a rough one with a lot of emotions and hard days. At this months visit with Dr. Weeks, it was confirmed that the cancer is back and is worse. Her cancer marker went from somewhere in the low 2,000 to 19,000. The fluid in the left lung is back and is accumulating faster and there is also more involvement than previously in the right lung. She also has some cancer in her vertebrae, some in the upper, middle and lower back. She is mostly having problems with breathing deep and nausea and some moderate back pain. It is more like uneasy or restlessness than anything. She has medicine that is suppose to help her appetite which has not been very good, (the meds or the appetite). Her pain is tolerable but most days she spends deciding whether to sit up or lay back down. We had a family meeting a couple of weeks ago while Sherri was here so all the kids could be involved. We talked about the latest news and talked about moms wishes, her living will and so on. We have decided on funeral arrangements to ease the burden and stress later which has really helped lighten the load. Mom had a consultation with Hospice today. They had a nurse and a social worker come to the house and we have decided to turn her care over to them. They will help with pain management and keeping her comfortable as well as be available 24 hours a day if we need anything. She wont have to go to the Doctors office anymore or pick up prescriptions. They do everything for you through the direction of your doctor. All the supplies, medicines and so on are covered by the insurance and she will have an assigned nurse to assist her with any needs at anytime. When the time comes, they will provide a hospital bed and anything else she might need. She is excited that she doesn't have to go any where or make appointments anymore. She has been having trouble keeping food down and feeling up to eating. We are draining her lung at home every other day or so. Dad does it most of the time. She has a permanent tube in her left side that is used to drain out the fluid, they did the procedure so she could do it has needed instead of waiting a week and then going into the hospital to get it drained. It doesn't hurt her too bad, it is just a pain and the kits are expensive. They send the kits to the house and they are all ready to go so you can drain yourself at home. We have been getting quite a bit of fluid out each week, around 2 liters.
She has been getting a lot of visitors and phone calls, which keeps her busy. I gave her a massage the other day which helps her back feel better for a little while, but mostly she sleeps and visits. If you are planning a visit, just call before you come. She has her good days and bad days of course but she loves to know you care. If you have questions or want to see her but don't know what to do, give me a call and I will help you out. 308-5561 is my cell, and I always have it on me. Thanks for all your prayers! We appreciate everyone's support.

New Update

Mom has been having some problems breathing again and feeling very fatigued. The fluid in her lungs has been building up again so she saw Dr. Vaz last Friday and they drained it off. They also did a CT scan and the tumor is growing again and the fluid is building up. He said he thought the cancer was in her sternum and in some of the vertebrae in her back. We haven't got an actual report read by the radiologist yet and mom wants to wait to talk to Dr. Weeks but doesn't have an appointment until the 10th of July. At this point she does not want to do any more chemo but wants to see what the Dr. thinks first. Keep us in your prayers and hope for the best please.