Posted on May-18-11 at 03:59 PM (Eastern) by 76.7.92.154
Hi Everyone. Thanks so much for your support through everything. Mom is still in the hospital. I have been here with her since Friday. The results of a much awaited (and 6 Times Tried) MRI. My Mom's cancer has spread, she has a lesion on the back of her brain and a UTI, that combined with the Chemo could be what's taken her for a wild ride. A couple days ago she could not speak and could barely move her hands and was very confused. She knows where she is, but not what town she is in, and she is generally confused. She has some facts straight, but she is missing days or has them out of sequence. Some stuff is a jumble of things that had happened... for instance she remembers eating chicken, rice and green beans at the hospital we went to for the MRI this morning. What really happened is yesterday the hospital she is in (a different one than did the MRI) sent her chicken, rice and green beans for dinner which she never ate. Today she went for the MRI by Ambulance and I was with her the entire time. She was put under for it. It's very frustrating. She also thinks she's been using the restroom all this time, when she has been using the bedside toilet. She gets upset every time we tell her this. She has no strength in her legs to move.
So anyway, the lesion is small, and the doctor says he believes he can get rid of it with radiation.
Be back in a minute, nurse is in and I don't want to be here for this
continued... the wild ride continues... Mom is insisting on using the regular bathroom, however, she can't make it there. After collapsing to her knees several times,they have finally put her back in her bed and restrained her! She can not longer get out of bed. All because she wouldn't use the bedside potty!
She's really pretty gone... trying to run out of the room to go home -- she has a port in her chest where all her meds are administered because of the chemo and the IV is attached to it! If she keeps it up, she's going to pull the dang thing out!
So, Dr. is starting her on seizure medications and a steriod which is supposed to help bring her around quite a bit. Works great with brain cancer patients usually. I sure hope we have a huge change, or I'm going to have to find her a skilled nursing facility to care for her daily. I just can't do it. I have to say, to you all you nurses out there, you are AWESOME! I just don't know how you do it every day! I'm mentally and physically exhausted. And to think I thought it was hard dealing with my son... Moms a little bit bigger and there is no reasoning with her in the state she is in. Wait until she wakes up and finds herself strapped to her bed in a jacket... this is not going to be fun. But the head nurse ordered it so she wouldn't hurt herself or others. 1|1|praying for you all and hope things will improve for you all |lydzkydz|lydzmcss@yahoo.com|16:08:44|05/18/2011|
please include your user name on refundsweepers.
i appreciate all the trades made in the past.
THANKS!! 10|2|thanks so much|jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:29:34|05/18/2011|
I really appreciate it! 2|1|Continued prayers for her, Laurie...and you, your family....they must miss you while you are away, but I'm sure they understand your mom needs you right now......I hope your finding a little time here and there to get out of the room, take a walk and get some air, eating right, etc....take care of you too :)|saint6811|waylan@comcast.net|16:33:24|05/18/2011|
" You'll get what's coming to you ... Unless it was mailed."
6|2|Thanks Joy....|jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:22:50|05/18/2011|
I've been with her almost 24 hours a day. One of Mom's friends stopped by and I ran to the store one day to get more clothes. She stopped by again and I ran for dinner. Her Finance comes by ocassionally and we took this opportunity to run to dinner together because she's strapped to the bed by the nurse... yes it was that bad! Tomorrow I'm going to run home to Naples and wash up, change, get new clothes, sit around my house for a few, then come back. It will give me quite a few hours away since it's a hour and a half drive pretty much each way. But I'm burnt out. Her fiance has a day off and said he would come stay with her for the day.
On a good note... the cafeteria food is pretty good. They have anything you want for breakfast and a meal is like $3.50 if you keep i regular size. They have a awesome fresh salad bar with chicken salad, etc which I love. Then they have some hot meals available. And of course coffee! It's getting expensive eating out 3 meals a day, but it won't be forever.
Just worried about all the decisions I have to make. The nurse said it's not too late to have mom sign her poa and stuff, so I have to do that too. She's with it some times and is very aware of who I am and that she wants my help... and the brothers and sisters are on board. Even the evil sister! LOL .... It's me or her
Talking about a Mom's end of life planning is very hard. I shouldn't have to do this with a 58 year old mother. Hopefully the radiation works so I don't have to go through with any of it. I don't want lose my best friend.
3|1|Always praying for you and your mother Laurie, wish I lived closer, I'd come and sit with your mom, so that you can get a little time for yourself (((HUGS)))~*~|RebekkaVA|queen_vulture@msn.com|16:35:19|05/18/2011|
~*~REBEKKA~*~
a.k.a. "Queen Vulture"
Married to my Soul Mate William
"My husband has cancer, Please pray for him"
Mommy to:
Timothy 5/80
Matthew 10/92
Cheyenne 9/99
Grandmother to Alayna 3/10
*EMAIL*: queen_vulture@msn.com
Feedback link: http://www.refundsweepers.com/dcforum/feedback/796.html
4|2|Praying for you and mom|blessedx5|I_am_blessedx5@yahoo.com|17:58:37|05/18/2011|
....... 8|2|Rebekka, thanks so much...|jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:24:36|05/18/2011|
that is really sweet of you. Mom's fiance said I need to let the hospital take care of her too, I can't be there every minute of the day... it's too much pressure for me and he knows it. But I swear she wouldn't get the best care if I wasn't here... and with her being out of it... who would pass on what the doctors are saying.... Ugh.
Thanks for being such a nice friend.
Laurie 5|1|Finally completed my thoughts... what a bad day...|jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:15:22|05/18/2011|
:0( 7|2|sending you ((((HUGS))))~*~wish I was closer to help~*~|RebekkaVA|queen_vulture@msn.com|22:24:16|05/18/2011|
~*~REBEKKA~*~
a.k.a. "Queen Vulture"
Married to my Soul Mate William
"My husband has cancer, Please pray for him"
Mommy to:
Timothy 5/80
Matthew 10/92
Cheyenne 9/99
Grandmother to Alayna 3/10
*EMAIL*: queen_vulture@msn.com
Feedback link: http://www.refundsweepers.com/dcforum/feedback/796.html
9|1|and to top it off....|jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:29:09|05/18/2011|
My mother has always been a very private person... and now I'm having to sit here and look at her arse!! Really! She won't keep her dang PJ's on! She keeps ripping everything off. Her clothes, The IV's, etc!
They came in to do physical therapy today because she can't walk and I told her she might want to put on her pants... she fought me on it... Kicking and screaming, but I finally won. I think she eventually realized I was sparing her the humiliation when she did her leg lifts, the young man was going to see EVERYTHING!!!
Now if the Moon would just go behind the white cloud (her sheet!) I'd be thrilled! 11|2|It's wonderful you can have a sense of humor though this. I don't know that I could!|hudge4|hudge95@yahoo.com|01:39:11|05/19/2011|
Posted on May-19-11 at 01:39 AM (Eastern) by 76.228.24.25
Thinking of you both during this most difficult time...((hugs))
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12|3|LAURIE, I'M SO SORRY MOM IS HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME AND HOPE YOU WILL JUST HANG IN THERE.........MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AND LINDA|JOYHAPPYONE|DAIDOLA5@AOL.COM|19:13:13|05/19/2011|
JOY M GUERRINGUE 13|4|Laurie...your last comment really made me smile|BusterBrown|srfreezerqueen@hotmail.com|19:25:19|05/19/2011|
I am not close to my dad at all, deal with him because i feel i should....so the day he dropped his drawers in my driveway to show me where the cow bit him was WAAAAYYY over the top for what i could deal with...I know it is mild compared to what you are going thru...but thought i would share in hopes to make you smile...my heart goes out to you and mom... 14|5|Thanks! I could use a smile right now too! |jdlaurie|savethosepennies@aol.com|22:52:57|05/19/2011|
My Mom started looking at her straw a couple days ago and decided it was a noodle in her drink! Its a light yellowy orange straw -- so it really is the color of pasta.....but it must have been her noodle that was lost in the drink! It's funny how the mind works when it's not all there... it was something a child would say. I still think it's funny...
My Mom is a piece of work again tonight! She won't put on her gown again! She is using it as a blanket! If you knew her, you'd know how wrong that was. She's self conscious because of the different size breasts from the cancer, etc... and has always been one to stay covered..... but tonight its all hanging out! Not sure what she is thinking, but when she comes to and realizes it she's going to be scrambling to get back into the gown!
Funny, just a few hours ago my brother was here and she was very aware that he was and was pulling on the bottom of her gown and readjusting so nothing would show.... now she's spralled out naked on the bed and of course she was assigned a male nurse to care for her tonight! Geez!
She is out of it tonight though... my estranged sister came over today to visit mom. We told them it was time to put things behind them because Mom might not have long. Mom seemed to recongnize her and she actually shed a tear, but by the end of the night, couldn't tell me my sisters name. I'm expecting the worst news tomorrow and the nurses feel the same thing is coming.