Well, you are all probably dying to know how the reintroduction went...Good and bad. I took Dad to the doctor, and while we were waiting for the van to come pick him up, I told him that Mom had been sick and had been in the hospital. His eyes registered momentarily....Then blank. And I proceeded to tell him that she would be getting better and stronger at Magnolia. His response was "Aw, shoot." He meant that he was upset that she was bad enough to have to come to Magnolia to recover, not that he didn't want her there. So, I told him I would meet him back at Magnolia and we would go and see her while he was in his wheelchair. When we got back, I wheeled him into her room. She wanted me to roll him right up next to her bed, and so I did. She kept trying to get his attention and to get him to hold her hand, and he just didn't have it in him. Mom burst into tears. I think she was hoping that him seeing her sick in bed would trigger some sort of protective empathy from him. I am afraid he just doesn't have that ability anymore. She eventually got over the shock of it, and she is anxious to see him as much as she can.
She is doing pretty well. They have not quite gotten her meds right, but she is supposed to see the house doctor tomorrow, and hopefully he will get everything worked out. She is at least doing pretty well on pain meds at this point.
And she is eating!!! When lunch came on Friday, I was upset there was no soup. She was having so much trouble in the hospital eating anything with a consistency dryer than applesauce. Low and behold, she grabs her spoon in her right hand, and begins shoveling the cooked carrots (in little cubes), rice and diced breaded fish into her mouth. She ate about 60% of her meal...Guess I don't need to worry that much about her...:) They will continue to feed her through the feeding tube until it is deemed not necessary.
She is also pretty mentally aware. There are a few things that she is a little mixed up about. She is not sleeping very well, but I think once she gets used to the sounds and people, she will be ok. She is very comfortable there, and the staff just loves her. She also loves her "visitors." So far, it has been my Aunt, our friends the Prestons, our friend Patty, and me...But she feels like the queen of England, because no matter what area the CNAs and RNs are working that day, they all stop to say hello to her at least once during their shift. She is just so happy to see everyone!
They have not really started on any PT as of yet, but I am thinking (hoping) that now that she is more settled than Friday or Saturday, that they will do something with her tomorrow. She is raring to go! She wants to walk again so badly, and is fiercely determined to do so. So, if tomorrow brings PT, her meds fixed, an appointment made for the beautician and her cable turned on...It will be a successful day.
As far as Dad goes, he has 2 months of chemo left. The doctor doesn't think he will extend it past then. He said that there is not a lot of added value extending the treatment past the 6 months post radiation. If there is no significant change in that 6 months (which Dad has had some reduction, but not much more than he had after radiation), then the side effects can sometimes outweigh the treatment. Also, his sleepiness and slow mental decline is most likely a delayed side effect from the radiation and the chemo. It is just a horrible disease that is so hard to get rid of. We will do our best to keep fighting as hard as we can.
I feel like I have been forced to wake up each morning taking one day at a time...Never knowing what the next day will bring...It is a tough, scary, frustrating, illuminating way to live. I guess we all live everyday this way, if we only pay attention. It is sort of the "smell the roses" scenario in reverse. But, then again, it makes me relish every laugh, every smile, every little success...So, maybe I am smelling the roses...And what a magnificent, sweet, exhilarating aroma they have!
Much love!
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