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.