Monday With Mom

Hi everyone. Ms. Lori again :) 2nd day in Charlotte and it's VERY cold! Brrrr......anticipating tomorrow as it is slated to be 69 degrees. More like Charlotte weather.
We started the morning with Barb visiting.....the Hospice nurse. LOVE her! She's originally from Ohio and she's a hoot! Super fun and funny. Her stories were delightful. She took mom's vitals and chatted with us a while. I went to the dining room afterwards and asked her a few tough questions without mom around.
1.) What are the tremors from??? She thought it had to do with the tumors in her brain. A neurological symptom. Sounds logical.
2.) In your professional opinion as a Hospice nurse and seeing mom in this stage of her illness, how long would you estimate her to be here? A week or two or more like a month-3 months?
Barb said closer to a month or two. She has no pain and she's able to eat well and get around with the assistance of her walker so she thought she's doing pretty well.
We discussed her memory issues in length. She said Oncology doctors are in the business to do everything possible to get patients well and/or prolong life. (Which they should up until a certain point of no return) What they do not tell people is that the 2nd round of radiation is really really bad on the memory. It almost always causes demetia that is irreplacable. Meaning the memory will go and never come back. So I think it was a wise decision to stop the radiation so she is still able to smile, laugh, talk to her family and friends and have a quality of life at the end of her journey on Earth. She's in great spirits folks. She says she loves me all the time and loves dad for everything he does everyday.
Aunt Bets called tonight, yeahhh! :) Mom enjoyed that call.
Dad was able to spend the morning with his good friend Jerry.
Tonight he fetched us Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mom loved that. We had icecream with double chocolate syrup for dessert. She ate well.
Signing off on this cold and rainy Spring day.
4 days until Jill arrives, YEAH!!! :)

IT'S LORI FROM CHARLOTTE!

Hi guys! :) I've arrived in Charlotte and it's cold. I watched the end of the North Carolina basketball game last night. CONGRATS Tarheels on going to the Final Four. :) Brrrrr.......I packed summer clothes thinking it would be warmer...silly me. Glad mom and I wear the same size.
Sidebar....American Airlines rocks! Love the little plane I flew in. It has a single side on the left of the plane with one seat. Perfect for single flyers. Nothing in this world is made for singles really.
Here's an update on mom. She's in EXCELLENT spirits, very happy. She sleeps most of the time but when she's awake she talks about the birds in the backyard and her cats Monet and Cashmere. Monet sleeps on her pillow and always watches over her. It's super sweet. "Cas" and I have had our differences. She loves her head petted but if I touch anywhere else she nails me with her razor-sharp claws. I'm soooo done with her. :) But she's sweet to mom and sleeps by her legs.
Back to mom. She's physically weak and only leaves bed to eat and to go to the restroom with the help of a walker. She has the hiccups that come and go. It makes me giggle. Her hands tremor when eating but she has a great appetite. She compliments the cook and told me today dad has been the best husband ever. "HE DOES EVERYTHING," she said.:) I asked if she's in pain and she said No. The pain meds are doing the trick.
Her memory is shot. I showed her family and friend photos off my hotpink IPOD and she could not tell me who anyone was. I'd tell her,"This is Jill (my sister) Zoe and Alix my nieces and she said,"Oh yeah, it is!" I even pointed to me and asked who that was and she answered, "Hmmm....I should know that but I don't."
But guess what??? She's still my mom and she's the best! I'm SOOOO glad I came down to Charlotte to spend this week with her, dad and the rowdy cats.:) Anticipating the arrival of Jill at the end of this week. Jill-we need your arrival and departure info. so please call us.:)
More updates to come. Time for hotdogs and saurerkraut. BYE!

Dale and Joyce at Charlotte, NC

Welcome to Dale and Joyce's blog. Seems a great way to keep ya-all updated on Joyce's health. A little history. On Dec 26, 2006 Joyce woke up with severe chest pain. The hospital's diagnosis was: small cell carcinoma (cancer) in the chest lymph glands and throughout the skeletal system. She was very ill, needing help with clothing, showers, etc. After chemotherapy she was much better and could shop, eat out, and function around the house. Later she had a relapse and a new tumor on the liver. More chemo. Again, things went back to what we now considered normal. September of 07 she started having mental issues so she had radiation for the tumor in her brain with good results. More quality time. March 6, 2008 a cat scan indicated new growth in the liver and chest glands. The doctor prescribed five treatments of a new chemo starting 3-10-08. At the first chemo treatment I mentioned to the Doctor that her mental faculties were again slipping. Joyce's brother, Lyle Heldt, was visiting at that time and took her to the hospital for an MRI. His delightfully profane critique of our medical establishment was hilarious. The MRI showed three new brain tumors. The chemo was dropped and 12 days of radiation of the brain started. The Oncologist said that any more chemo would make her sick and turned us over to hospice. They have been coming by for the last week. Joyce has enjoyed the many phone calls; keep them coming. We are looking forward to Lori's visit next week. By for now.