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.