Good News

Hi we have some good news! Mom is feeling much better (for her condition) and can now walk without a cane around the apartment. She still needs it sometimes but is thrilled that she has some freedom back. We still have to use the wheelchair when we go on our outings but it gives her the mobility to get out of the apartment. She said that she will take whatever she can get these days! Pain for her seems manageable at this point as I think she has adjusted to a new way of living. We definitely have our routine set nowadays but it will all turn upside down around the middle of August…

Yes we finally found a house, whoooooo! Mom and I cannot express in words how happy we are to get out of this two bedroom apartment. We stayed in the Lake St. Louis area and the house is about 3 minutes up the road from our apartment. What we are even more excited about is that we will have Lake Rights and are talking about getting a boat!!! This has always been mom and dad’s dream of living by the lake and having a boat. Of course they would love to have a house right on the lake but they said a street away will suffice. Mom is happy because she wanted to get my dad settled in a house that was small enough for him to manage should I decided to move out. The house is move-in-ready and just needs some fresh paint and a few tweaks to meet our personal needs.

Other quick news is mom got a new hair style. She was tired of having her hair flat all the time and wanted a wash and go do. She was nervous at first because she has had the same style for a long time but loves it now. Changing the subject, mom got a new hospice nurse, Lacey. Theresa, her old nurse, took another job working at a hospital. Although she will be missed mom has a great new nurse that is around my age and a is very laid back (which we love).

So that is all for now folks; sorry that it took so long for me to put another post up. I will try to get one up weekly but don’t hold me to that!

Weekly Update...

Well I thought I should drop a line since it has been awhile since my last post….

We have been enjoying, well absolutely nothing lately! After all the hubbub of learning about mom, and friends and family visiting (not that we didn’t love the time that they were here) we are finally relaxing and enjoying some downtime. Mom has been doing well as she still enjoys her 2 a week visits from her hospice nurse Theresa. Every time she comes, she drains about 1000 mL of fluid from mom’s stomach and it always makes her feel better. Imagine being as bloated as you have ever felt and having two broken ankles from the bloating as well. This is how mom describes feeling and it is hard for me to complain even if I feel a little bloated after having some salty food! So this last visit mom pushed Theresa to taken two full bottles (2000 mL) out of her stomach. If you all know mom she won this fight and got a lot of pressure relieved from her tummy. Now, since she feels so good after the 2 liter draining we have decided to go ahead and have Theresa come three times a week to drain her. Hopefully this will relive some of the pain that mom is feeling in her legs and stomach for the time being.

As of now, she stays indoors most of the time due to pain. Not to say that she is in dire pain (she is taking plenty of pain medication), however just moving around the house is a feet in itself for her. She occasionally will get out with me, in her wheelchair, to walk Chloe (our dog) and even made it out to Wal-Mart with me the other day. She does however enjoy getting on her laptop again and would welcome any e-mail.

Until next time…

Fourth of July Update

Hello to all. Well no more hospitals! Mom has officially started hospice and her new nurse (Theresa) comes out on Tuesdays and Fridays now. Since my last positing things have slowed down a bit and mom is a lot more comfortable. On Monday the medical supply company came to bring all moms new goodies. We got her hospital bed (so she can sit up better now), a walker, shower seat, oxygen supply (when needed), and bedside commode. All of it makes it a lot easier for her as well as for my dad and I We have used her catheter twice now to get out the excess fluid in her stomach. The first round didn’t go all that well as mom had severe muscle cramping in her stomach and they had to stop due to the pain. However, she also had it drained again Friday morning (with pre-medication this time) and all went well. Mornings are still rough on her but on her good days (nights I should say) she is up walking on her own and directing me on how she wants the house clean!

As I typed this now we have a full house with my grandma, aunt, brother and sister in law. We are playing with my mom’s pried and joy Sydney (Jay & Thuy’s daughter). Auntie Robin brought some bubbles and Sydney is trying to catch them but the hand eye coordination is just not there yet! Mom just lights up when she is here and is a great distraction for her.

We hope you all have a great 4th of July, until next time....

(New pic from a recent visit from her friend Dagmar…who by the way was a great help when she was here!)