Saturday, 4/16/11

Yesterday, around 3:30 in the afternoon, Mom passed away peacefully in her sleep. She left in the same way that she lived her life, with dignity and grace.
Cathy, Joe and I want to thank everyone for their gestures of love and support. We know that they brightened her day and gave her great comfort.
At Mom's request there will be no funeral services and no memorial. In lieu of flowers, she requested donations be made to the American Cancer Society in her name. In her words "not to just lung cancer, but to all cancer". Link provided below. At some point, the three of us will be taking her to KY to be buried with Daddy. We are still working out the logistics.

https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/donateonlinenow/index

Norma S. Chapman
8220 8702nd Ave NE
Marysville, WA 982

Thursday, 4/14/11

I think I've said before that Mom has good days and bad days. Well, this week she had two bad days in a row (Mon & Tues). However, yesterday was much better. So, much so - that she wanted wine at 2:30 this morning! Believe me, wielding a corkscrew when you're half asleep is not a good thing!! Then, she takes a big, long drink and complains that it burns!! She kills me.
She's really tired today (maybe from the partying last night?) and is looking forward to Joe being here this weekend.

Saturday, 4/9/11

PJ time!!
Both my brother and sister are here tonight, so we got a case of beer, a bunch of snacks and  we're gonna have a PJ party!!   Mom is rather tired today, still no appetite  :-(

Friday, 4/8/11

Well all her vital signs are stable. She still has no appetite and it is a struggle to find something she might like to eat! I'm pushing the herbs, hoping she'll get munchy - but she just seems be too tired to eat. She does keep her spirits and sense of humor, even though she's feeling so poorly. Is always great to see her smile!!

Saturday, 4/2/11

Well the daffodils are in bloom, and Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob are here. Mom's been in pretty good spirits, although kind of tired. Her appetite comes and goes, you never know from one day to the next. She sleeps quite a bit and she's still hoping for the Goldfinches!

Thursday, 3/31/11

Well Mom has been in pretty good spirits, although she seems to be losing her voice and it is quite hard to hear her. I think we're going to have to get her a bell! I think she'll like that - she likes to feel like a queen. She sleeps quite a bit and when awake, she's awaiting the return of the goldfinches. We've put a feeder right outside her window. Cathy is threatening to buy a caged bird and hang it out there LOL!!

Thursday, 3/24

Well, yesterday the priest was here to perform the Anointing of the Sick. Mom seemed to really like this, however she was a little confused on some things. Today, she's better - she knew the day and whether it was AM/PM. Sometimes, she sleeps so much, she gets confused. Joe is coming today, so I'm sure she'll be pleased!! Stay tuned for more antics.

Thursday, 3/18/11

Yesterday was a really good day! She ate quite a bit and was in pretty good spirits. I'm beginning to think she's a junk food junkie, since that's what she eats most of all! She had a beer, hot dog and pork rinds for lunch. She drank the entire can of beer! Needless to say, she slept pretty well last night, too. She also asked about a salad from Taco Bell, so I'm going to get that today!! LOL

Wednesday, 3/16/11

Well, there are good days and bad days. The weekend was good, Julie was home from college and most everyone was here (only absent Ricky). Pat hooked up a special contraption that will allow only one person to scoot her up in the bed; it's made of PVC pipe and a long, narrow tarp that runs underneath her. She's been really tired since then, so maybe she's recuperating. See below for the photo of Pat,Mom & Joe; the three baldinos!!

Saturday, 3/12/11

Well, she enjoyed her pizza on Thursday. However she told Joe that I butchered it (I cut it up into small pieces, as we do all her food,now because she easily chokes!). Yesterday morning she had Girl Scout cookies dunked in coffee for breakfast. I think maybe her taste buds might be returning. But, only in spurts. She still eats very little Apparently, this is very common - it is the body's defense against the cancer.

Thursday, 3/10

All is going well, she still isn't eating much; but has requested pizza for tonight - and maybe some beer! She's afraid that anything more than cheese will be too much, hope it isn't too boring. Joe is coming this evening, so I know that will really cheer her up.

Sunday, 3/6

Well, when I left this afternoon Mom was in good spirits and having beer and pork rinds again! Yesterday, she ate quite a bit - I think because Joe made her lunch (fish sticks & cantaloupe), so she made more of an effort. Afterward, she was rather tired, seems more than a few bites of food wear her out. She seems to no longer have any pain in her head, but now she has body aches from laying in bed all the time. We do try to roll her from side to side pretty often - but that only seems to do so much.

Friday, 3/4

Another pretty quiet day. She's been in good spirits; gave her a massage which made her feel better. She's still having trouble eating; says the food gets stuck on the way down. She seems to enjoy having Joe here!

Thursday, 3/3

Has been a pretty quiet day, but this evening Mom was in rare form - maybe because Joe was here tonight. She's still only eating a little and giving me grief about all the pill she has to take.

Tuesday, 3.2.11

Has been a pretty quiet day. She's been pretty tired, I'm thinking maybe the excitement of having my Uncle Bob here might have worn her out. (Uncle Bob left for Albany early this morning) She's not in any pain and in pretty good spirits, just seems really pooped!!

Saturday, 2/26/11

Things are looking up, Uncle Bobby is here now and Mom is her glory! She's taking her pills regularly and even trying to eat more! She tells me it is because Uncle Bot has finesse - I think it's his pretty blue eyes or it may be the special herbal preparation we're giving her. Yesterday, Joe and Uncle Bob were in with her and she was drinking beer and having pork rinds!; this is the happiest I've seen her in months. (Don't anyone panic, the nurse says she can have whatever makes her happy!)
We were really sad to see Aunt Edna leave this morning, as she has been a tremendous help, as well as a supportive shoulder to lean on and we thank her for all she's done and look forward to her return.

Thursday, 2/24

Well, we got the hospital bed yesterday; which meant she had to sit up in  a wheelchair while they set it up. So, she was really tired and cranky most of yesterday. Today is somewhat better, now that she's had some rest. We're working on getting some food down her. She seems rather excited about Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner, so we've got our fingers crossed. Her brother, Bob, comes this evening and Aunt Edna leaves on Saturday.

Tuesday, 2/22

Right now, we're taking things one day at a time. She has good times and bad - sometimes she's making jokes and others, she's quite ornery and rather fussy. Food seems to be staying down, however she doesn't have much of an appetite. We're getting a hospital bed tomorrow and hoping that will make her more comfortable.

Sunday, 2/20

Well, she's still pretty weak, but the new combo of meds seem to keeping the pain at bay and to a lesser degree, to make her nausea a little more tolerable. She's been able to keep a little bit of food down over the past few days and the visiting nurse comes tomorrow. We're hoping that we're on the right track to getting her strength back!

Friday, 2/18

Well, saw medical oncologist and his suggestion was that we try to get her strength and vigor back before we decide about chemotherapy. So, we will be working with home care nurses for strategies and ideas on how to get her back on her feet.

Thursday, 2/17

Well, yesterday was only slightly better than Wednesday. We've started using the inhaler again and this seems to have made it much easier for her to breathe. The new pain meds seem to be controlling her pain pretty well. Now the biggest hurdles are nausea and constipation. The home nurse was here yesterday and suggested some strategies, so hopefully these will help. We see the medical oncologist this morning (Fri) to discuss chem options.
She's really getting sick of pills and when I bring a handful, I can just see in her eyes that she doesn't want to take them. Is really difficult.

Wednesday, 2/16

Well, today hasn't been a great day. She's been nauseous and has had very little to eat. She has felt pretty poorly all day.

Tuesday, 2/15

Well, she's been able to keep 3 meals down today and has been drinking much more liquids. I think she wants to make sure that she doesn't go back to the hospital! I'm hoping that we now have the right combination of medications so that she can have some peace.

Monday, 2/14

Everyone has always said what a strong woman Mom is, while I'm here to tell you that sometimes she is just down right ornery!! She insisted on being discharged today, although she's still unable to keep anything down. I'm sure we''re going to end up back in the ER in a few days - stay tuned.

Sunday, 2/13

So, she's still in the hospital, still struggling with the nausea and having trouble keeping food down. However, she doesn't have any obstructions, thankfully.The are working to adjust her medications and seem to have her head pain under control. They are hopeful that they'll be able to release her tomorrow, we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Friday, 2/11

Last day of radiation therapy!!
So, today ended up being her last day of radiation therapy.They even gave her a certificate of achievement. But, the last two days she's been feeling pretty poorly. She's been quite constipated (due to the medications) and nauseous. Since she even throws up water, she's become very dehydrated.
Yesterday, during radiation therapy, the doc is concerned that she's still having pain in her head and the nausea; so he orders a CT scan to rule out hydrocephalus (excess fluid in the brain). Then, because she's so dehydrated, they order IV fluids - which were administered in the chemo ward.
Then today, the nurse tells us to give her Magnesium Citrate in order to get her bowels to move. So, right after we do this she begins to vomit bile. We call the oncology nurse and she tells us to take her to the ER. So, that's where we spent the afternoon. They admitted her, thinking that perhaps she has some type of GI obstruction. But, that doesn't seem to be the case. So, now she's in for two days of various methods of getting her bowels to move. She is not going to be pleased! I think she's getting tired of all the tests and doctor visits.
We aren't quite sure yet when we'll see the medical oncologist. Mom says she wants a few days to rest first . . .

Wednesday, 2/9/11

Today has been a pretty bad day. She's been nauseous since Monday afternoon, unable to keep anything down. We worked with the palliative care nurse to change her medication and hopefully that will work. She's now taking Zofran for nausea and Dilaudid for the pain. They tell us these are both stronger and we're really hoping they'll give her some comfort. She vomited and a had a nosebleed at the clinic today. She's been pretty wiped out and sleeping all day.
Her hair falling out was starting to make her nervous, so we just shaved it today. I asked her if she'd like it if it grew back red and she laughed and just said as long as it wasn't gray, she didn't care what color it came back. I, for one, think she looks great with gray hair - but apparently, she doesn't.

Monday, 2/9/11

Day 12 of radiation therapy.
We are currently working with the palliative care nurse to find a way to manage her pain. She originally started out taking only Vicodin, but that wasn't quite enough so now she's also taking morphine. Her hair started falling out this weekend. Pat says that along with Joe, they'll make the 3 bald musketeers. Mom is keeping her humor through all this she tells  me that she likes having Joe, Cathy and I care for her because she can boss us around!