Thursday

Sherri and her husband Darin are coming tomorrow to stay with Mom. She is leaving her kids home and her husband will stay until Sunday and then go back home. We have had several Birthdays this week. Shawn's was Sunday, then moms sister Vera, Gracie -(Stevens youngest) today, dads is the 8th, and the oldest grandson Kolby (Monte's) is 20 on the 9th I think.
Mom is getting weaker each day. She spends most of the time resting and doesn't have very much energy to talk. She gets worn out pretty easy. Today she spend most of the time sleeping but was up to the dinner table tonight and was alert for company. No nausea today either! We caught it early and she never did get sick. We are draining her fluid everyday now so she can breath a little easier and not fight it so much. It has been between 250-400 ml each time which is a lot, About 2 liters a week. The hospice nurse doesn't think she will live much longer, maybe a little over a week. It has been quite and emotional roller coaster for all of us. I tend to report on the blog so matter-o-factly because it is too hard to talk about the mushy stuff. All of us kids have tried to spend time with her. It gets hard when you have a family and a job and a life to continue on living. I feel so blessed to be as free as I am and have the ability to spend a lot of time with her. I have been trying to organize all her pictures and get things straightened out so she feels good about leaving her house in order. She had some sisters from the ward come and sing hymns to her today. It was really sweet and I was glad to figure out mom and dads digital camera can video record so I got it on the camera. She really enjoyed it. It was the best part of her day. Last night Brother Macky and Brother Mickelson came to visit and dad the the brethren were able to give mom a blessing. She has good feelings, a good attitude about passing. She has reassured us she is okay to go. Brother Harold Sanders and Bishop Law came to visit mom tonight and gave dad a blessing before they left. I am so thankful for the gospel and the things that it teaches us. It is amazing how much your testimony grows in times like these.

Fish stories

Mom and Dad are back! They got home this morning. Mom had a rough start today and has been sleeping most of the time. She used all her energy over the last 2 days catching fish! She caught the first fish and the biggest! She and Debbie spent most of the day (Monday) inside. Mom slept most and they were able to watch a movie while the boys were out fishing. Around 5:30pm or so they headed down to the Lake. Dad put mom in the boat before they put it in the lake so she wouldn't have to try and get in once it was in the water. They fished a couple hours and headed in around 8:00. Hospice nurse Peggy came out this afternoon. We gave mom a breathing treatment to help her lungs. She is having trouble getting enough air in her lungs today. She is using her oxygen which seems to help her out a little. We asked the nurse to switch her morphine med to a less potent dose. It is a 12 hour release but seems to push out too much for moms little body. The nurse comes back tomorrow and will bring more meds. (Dad sent her home with fish from the lake and veggies from the garden.... we love her!) Moms nausea is better and she is still eating good. She had a peach with cottage cheese and a piece of cheese toast for lunch.

Some friends of Mom and Dads have a cabin up by Lake Jubilee (by Tollgate) and told Dad the other day to feel free and use it any time. Dad has been on mom about eating good so she can have enough energy to go fishing, kind of wishful thinking I thought. With her turn around last week and a little pushing from dad, I guess Sunday night they decided to go. I haven't heard from dad today so I don't know if they actually fished or not but they left last night to head up there. They invited long time friends Larry and Debbie Zunker to go along as well. Hopefully, mom was able to out fish dad one last time. They kind of have a ongoing fish war, she always out fishes him and he is always teasing her. Stay Tuned! More Fish Story updates coming soon.

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.

Recuperating

It's been six weeks since surgery. It has been a struggle but I'm starting to see a glimmer of light. I am struggling with a weak body but a willing mind. Bob took me fishing up to Watson Lake and he took good care of me and let me catch most of the fish. It was enjoyable to get away. I cleaned out the camper so now am ready to go somewhere! I am fatigued and it will take about a year to gain my strength. It can be very discouraging at times. However, am trying to make the most of the time I have and I do like to keep busy. I have been doing alot of reading. Now I am reading " The Kingdom and the Crown" and am on volume two.

I have a monthly Doctor appointment and they will moniter the cancer "markers". I'm afraid that the cancer will come back, but I'm taking my "vet" cure medicine faithfully; so trying to stay optimistic.

Thank you to all of my family and friends for your wonderful support. I loved the surprise birthday party in March. What a great turn out. It certainly helped to know how many friends and family I have. I appreciate your cards, calls and e-mails and the many prayers in my behalf. The PET scan showed the cancer in remission for now so I have been blessed. Thank you. I love you all