What Else Can We Add on to Mom's Plate?

Finally up in Montpelier, VT as the family continues to file in to Thierry & Julie's. It was a beautiful drive up with a nice long stop in Hartford, VT to snow shoe around the property and brainstorm a little retreat house for when Mom can finally put this all behind her.

And speaking of behinds, I suppose hers was getting jealous because a UTI wasn't enough, now she's got a whopping hemorrhoid. Way to add insult to injury!

Her night last night was sleepless as well, so tonight she will take her ativan nice and early in hopes that it will take effect when she's ready to fall asleep, not at 5am!

Thinking of all our family far and near that can't be here!

Time to Ring it In

I'm headed up North, so I may not post daily this weekend, but please be sure that I'll be in daily communication with my Mom as always, and if any changes happen, the world wide web will be the first to know!

The past two days have been par for the course. She's mostly frustrated by the lack of sleep at night. The ativan seemed to wind her up more than calm her down two nights ago in particular, but I've encouraged her to not worry about night and day so much right now, and catch cat naps where she can. We'll get the whole sun up sun down issue sorted out later!

She continues to eat small tiny meals heavy in protein, but needs to drink more water. Her electrolytes have been well within normal limits every time she has her blood drawn, so things like gatorade aren't necessarily the best choice (fortunately she's not a fan of the stuff to begin with, but this is my educational insert for the day). It's good if you've been actively throwing up or had profuse diarrhea and can't keep any food down, but otherwise it can fill you up with empty calories, especially when someone has a very little appetite to begin with. She needs real food, and good ole' fashioned water.

The house will be quiet this weekend, and fill back up after the New Year, so I'm hoping she can take these few days to enjoy the lull in visitors and catch up on some sleep.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend, and here's to a HEALTHY New Year!

Will the Real Elisabeth Talbot Please Stand Up?

Because this has GOT to be a joke. Mom has a UTI? Are you KIDDING ME? It's no joke, she called her nurse at the cancer center, and turns out her urine cultures grew some little buggies, and she gets to add another lovely antibiotic to her regime. The good news is (cause we're glass half full gals), now we know where the back pain was coming from.

I had to share this bit from an email I received from Coco today, because apparently there's a family joke circulating about how the house is having "sympathy symptoms." She loses a kidney, and one of the two water pumps fails. Why does the house have two water pumps? Who knows? Probably the same guy who knows why she has two ureters on the left side. A backup in case one fails? Well clearly, that plan didn't work out so well.

At any rate, today she was balancing plenty of rest and sleep with doing some laundry and helping Papa sort out some medications. He was pleasantly surprised when she just called the pharmacy, described the pill in question, and they were able to tell her what it was. I share this in case others didn't know you could do this. Any pharmaceutical website will do the same.


In the meantime, I'd like to reiterate what Coco said in her comment about holding off on phone calls and visits right now. We all know how much Mom wants to get back in to the swing of things, and it is taking all her willpower to force herself to rest.

Next week we should get a start date for chemotherapy, and then all you Helping Hands who've been chomping at the bit will surely get your chance to chip in. Once the holidays are over and the house empties a bit, we'll be calling in the reinforcements!

Baby Steps

Well, we're not back in the hospital yet, so that's a good sign! Mom's having a few new symptoms that are a nuisance, and it's hard to know if she's just hypersensitive to every little thing her body feels, or if they're significant of something else. As my mother puts it, she's never been so focused on just what's happening between the tip of her head and her baby toe as she is now, so sometimes it's hard to know what to make of certain feelings. For example, she's having back pain. Is it her left kidney flaring up? Or is it the price she's paying for three nights in an uncomfortable hospital bed? She feels short of breath sometimes, even at rest. Does she have an infection or atelectasis, or is it because she literally, has been sitting around for four weeks?

She's going to call Super Nurse Judy this morning just to check in and let her know about her progress and these new symptoms. We'll have to see what she says.

Otherwise, she continues to nibble on some food about every hour to keep in some good calories and stimulate her non-existent appetite. Last night she had some of Tommy's Shepperd's Pie, a bite of salad, and a bit of bread. Baby steps, I keep telling her.

We Have Lift Off!

Mom was visited by her oncology and urology team mid-morning, and both agreed that she can go home this afternoon. She is trending in the right direction: she doesn't have diarrhea every time she urinates, her stool is more formed, she hasn't needed any nausea or pain medication, and she tolerated a small breakfast of coffee, eggs, and toast without difficulty. She was actually up and bathed by 6am today! Think she was trying to send them a message?

She is no longer on the flagyl, but will remain on vancomycin for several weeks. Other than the vanco, her blood pressure medication is the only other thing she'll have to take on a daily basis. How great is that? Of course, we have all sorts of anti-nausea and pain meds stock-piled at home, but hopefully it'll stay that way.

Knock on wood.

I am off to pick up some supplies for the annual Guerlain-with-a-handful-of-Stancioffs-and-a-dash-of-Delavigne New Year's Gathering in Montpelier, VT. In honor of my mother, who never travels to this event without one, I will buy and bring my very own dobie pad. Every time I wash a dish (and there will be many dishes to wash), I will think, "This one's for you, Mom."

Meatloaf Schmeatloaf, I Hate Meatloaf

That's not true. I actually love meatloaf, especially my Mom's, but considering the season, I had to give a little tribute to Randy, the little brother in A Christmas Story.

What made me think of Meatloaf, you might ask? Tonight Mom's tray arrived and there was no runny eggs or processed apple sauce in sight, just a plate full of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and PEARS! Of all things! She was so excited, that she got out of bed to sit up in a chair, pulled the table up to her lap and started crying. She told me she then prayed that everyone was able to enjoy a meal like this tonight. Shortly before dinner, she received well over a dozen emails through the hospital's system, and she said to me that there's no way she can't beat this, she feels so loved and supported.

Although she's never lost her positive edge, she has her fair share of down moments, but tonight she sounded happy, energetic, and with a little sparkle in her voice.

Fortunately, she took it very easy on the dinner and only ate about a quarter of her plate, but I reckon that's the most she's eaten in about four weeks!

Mom and I keep talking about how her struggle thus far has really brought out the true colors in those around us, and I thank my lucky stars for our friends and family, because just when I think I'm slipping, they're right there to pick me up again.

"Thank God for Small Gifts"

That's what Mom said to me this evening when she found out she didn't have to have a colonoscopy this year (she's due in 2008). Talk about looking at the glass half full!

She had a better day, complete with a visit from Didi and Gwennie. Less nausea, pain, and diarrhea, and she's even being allowed some soft solids for dinner. Apple sauce and eggs- a dinner fit for a queen.

She asked me to give her some info on Ativan, which is her new best friend. When most of us think of Ativan, we think of anxiety disorders, but it's also excellent for insomnia and nausea, especially in chemo patients. I'm so relieved that her symptoms have finally been managed well, and to know that Ativan might continue to be a good medication as we commence our dance with chemo.

I've been shopping the internet for log cabin ideas, and every time I see one with a big porch I imagine our family sitting in rocking chairs, sipping cocoa, laughing and saying, "Remember when Mom had cancer? Ahhhhh...that was sooo long ago!" Maybe Gwennie will even have a driver's license by then. Oh, the horror.

And Coco- Mom's sorry she hasn't called you back yet :) She will soon!