An Update on Nana

I thought that I would update you on Nana. This picture is from when she was on Hospice at the begining of the year. I need to take the camera again and get pictures this time. I feel like I need to continue the journey in writing so that one day I can look back and remember all the great time we got to share together, cuz when times get rough I forget to remember that they are great times. In the middle of the summer Mom (nana) was released from hospice. We felt really proud of ourselves for helping her get better and strong enough to do a lot more on her own and not need so much care. I would go in the morning and in the evening and Dad (papa) would take care of the middle of the days 2 breathing treatments. It was great, she was walking everywhere. They were going out to eat at the IHOP every afternoon and really doing wonderfully. Then in October while I was with my Jacque in Utah Mom fell and broke her arm. Cina and Wes made an appointment to be seen at the ortho doc and they needed her to have surgery. So when I got home we took her get those tests. Wes was a really big help with that and we tag teamed it a ton. (By the way Wes is Herb's younger brother). Anyway after all of the tests were done and surgery was set for the next day we had to go back to the doctor for him to do her pre-surgery tests there and Dr. Udall and I were talking and agreed that she might have a touch of pnuemonia and he sent us to the hospital and they admitted her for the night so she could do IV antibiotics for 24 hours before the surgery. Anyway it went well, and surgery went great too and by the end of the week we were back home. That weekend she just did not get better and I called Dr. Udall who said to take her directly to the hospital again and so we did and they admitted her for a few days. They thought she had pneumonia again only in both lungs and worse then the week before. It really ended up being fluid in the sack that surrounds the lungs and they took her off the anti-biotics and drained her lung sacks and she could then breath so much better. I got a call from the hospital that they were going to transfer her to a nursing home and that is when the advocate in me began the fight. We did not have a great experience last time they put her into a nursing/rehab facility for a couple of weeks, so we as a family had previously decided that would never happen again. So I halted that and asked for her to be checked out by Hospice again so she could come home and we could take care of her. In this picture mom was really skinny and weighed about 128 (she is 5'10" tall) my right leg weighs 128. Anyway at this point in the hospital she was down to 121, so she qualified for hospice under the diagnosis of "adult failure to thrive". She had really not eaten much for a while. No matter what we offered her, she just was not hungry. So we brought her home and hospice joined our family once again. We are now back to 4 times a day for breathing treatments and she is unfortunately still loosing. Today 4 weeks after she came home she is down to 110.6 pounds. We are trying our best to get her to eat and drink, but to no avail. I guess this is just how it is. So we take care of her and encourage her and she is spunky spunky spunky. You would never know how weak she is for how happy she seems to be all of the time. During all of this they got the test results back from the fluid off of her lungs and it showed that she has a lymphoma cancer of some kind. So we have been doing PET scans and all kinds of tests on this poor little frail thing. Her body mass index is down to a 15.9. EEEK that is not good. Anyway the PET scan was 2 weeks ago and we are still waiting on the results. One doctor said that is showed nothing, but we are waiting for the other doctor to call. So who knows. It is a journey that changes each day. She had to go to and inhouse hospice unit for 1 1/2 days because of an infection she got at the hospital that we cannot get to leave her called c-dif!!! Who knows, anyway, they got that cleared up and she is feeling much better. We are still enjoying doing puzzles with dad who is often confused by this whole thing, but each night we make those puzzles faithfully. I never thought that I would love puzzles but I do. They are very relaxing. So if I don't answer the phone, or call you back really quickly it is not because I don't want to. Please be patient with me, I will get back to you as soon as possible. For now this is my priority and what I have learned is that when you love someone, you will do just about anything and everything to get the best care for them. I love the Oddessy Hospice that we have. The nurse, doctor, and CNA, social workers, clergymen, well all of them are the most supportive amazing people. I could not do this without Herb he is my strength and his sister Cina and brother Wes are always there to take over when I need a break. I know that mom really probably does not understand all of this, but I hope hope hope that she knows how much we love her. Thanks for your prayers, and don't forget to hug the ones you love.