Mom is at Hospice.
The doctor said today that she has 1 to 3 days left.
It is pouring rain right now.
How can I live without my mom? I need her.
I can't stand to see her like this.
Lung cancer is HORRIBLE. If you smoke quit!!!!! You don't want to die like this.
Kathy
My dad just called from the hospital. He told me earlier today that he thought he would be coming home tomorrow. Now that doesn't seem like it is going to happen. He says he is as sick or sicker than he was when he went into the hospital.
He finally agrees that a lot of it could also be the stress of mom dying. I told him to tell the nurse/doctor that he thinks thats it. That he needs some help coping and some meds for anexity or something. He said he would have the nurse call me.
My brother has to go home Saturday. So with all the stuff with dad I will have to call Hospice back and see about getting mom on their waiting list for respite care.
This is really getting to be too much. I am so scared that when mom dies dad will have a heart attack and drop dead. I am so scared I will have to bury both parents at the same time.
I know. Things will work itself out somehow and someway. I will be ok. I will be ok.....maybe if I say it long enough I will believe it.....I will be ok........
Kathy
HEY GOD ARE YOU UP THERE? I know that you are only supposed to give me what I can handle but I think you are going too far this go 'round.
Yesterday morning my dad called and said he was sick, too sick to look after mom. So I hurry over there. Dad is really sick and in pain. I asked him if he should go to the doctor. No I'm too sick to go. So I called the doctor and talked to the nurse who talked to another nurse and they told me to call 911.
So I call and the fire department comes (they always come to calls because they can get there faster than the ambulance) then the other paramedics show up. Off dad goes to the hospital.
Hours later dad calls saying they are admitting him and are running all sorts of tests.
So I am having to take care of mom all by myself. No biggie right? Wrong. The later in the day it gets the worse she gets. The weaker she gets. She was NOT going to use a bed side potty chair. I about killed myself getting her to the bathroom and back. She seemed to go every hour or so. Finally I said that's it you have got to use the potty chair.
Today I told her that we were going to have to use the Hospice respite care for a few days. This means her going to Hospice for 5 days while I rest, hopefully get dad home from the hospital, AND I would get a Hospice CNA to teach me how to better handle mom in and out of the bed so I wouldn't hurt myself or her.
Mom didn't want that. She tried thinking of everyone in the world that might could come stay with her at night. Finally she said to call my brother. I'm all like he ain't coming to help take care of you. But I called him and she talked to him. I told him that if he couldn't come and stay 24/7 for a few days not to come.
Low and behold my brother showed up with his suitcases. I would never have believed it if I wasn't there to see it. I left them alone to run some errands. He had to help mom with the potty chair. Guess it went ok. Then when I got back and was on the phone to someone mom tried to get out of bed. Well bro you gotta handle this one 'cause I'm on the phone. I could tell it wasn't going so good. Mom want up and wanted to go to the other end of the house to find some pj's. Bro said he would go get them. Mom said he didn't know what she wanted. I got her calmed down and brought several pairs of pj's for her to chose from. Crisis averted.
Then my brother made a HUGE mistake. He pulled the bed rail up. Mom TOTALLY went off on him. She doesn't want it up. She sat up and looked at him and told him she would get out of that bed. No rails for her!
I was kind of laughing to myself because I knew this would happen and wondered what Bro would do to handle it. He finally gave in and let the rail down. But told her it would go up tonight when he was sleeping.
Yeah right. If he gets any sleep tonight it will surprise me. Either that or he won't be doing his job. Mom is up and down all night wanting this that or who knows what. She will get out of bed and forget what she wanted and lay back down.
So, God you up there? You honestly think Bro is going to be able to hang in there? Did you hear mom tell me that she wanted me to stay tonight and not my dear brother?
PS......Dad will be in the hospital a few more days. He has (I can't spell it and too lazy to look it up, so here is how you sound it out) diver - tic- u - lie - tus. He also has a kidney infection, his potassium was way too high and could have started to effect his heart if not caught in time. He still has dizzy spells don't know where they are coming from.
Kathy
Here is a copy of the latest newletter I got from Snoops.com. Maybe you will find something interesting. You will have to copy/paste the url's into your address window. I copied this from my email and they (snopes.com) fixed the links so you can't just click on them. Wonder why they do that? Oh well, have fun reading.....
Hello again from snopes.com, where we shed light on the wild
tales you've heard! This e-mail gives information about new
articles recently added to the Urban Legends Reference Pages
(http://www.snopes.com) and provides pointers to older pieces
about rumors and hoaxes still wandering into everyone's inboxes.
Our last update mailing was 5 April 2008.
If after this update you are left wondering about something
newly arrived in your inbox, our search engine stands ready to
assist you at http://www.snopes.com/search. Bookmark that URL
-- it's a keeper!
An RSS feed for our What's New page is available at
http://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.xml
And now, to the legends, the mayhem, and the misinformation!
New Articles
------------
Humorous accounts of examinations performed on patients.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/emergent/exams.asp
Jilted woman spreads grass seed in her former boyfriend's
apartment.
http://www.snopes.com/love/revenge/seeded.asp
Hilarious letters to advice columnist Dear Abby.
http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/dearabby.asp
Do new U.S. $5 and $10 bills contain printing errors and will
you get rich if you come across one?
http://www.snopes.com/business/money/newmoney.asp
Of women over 40 having a better chance of being killed by a
terrorist than of getting married.
http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/terrorist.asp
The story of Freedom, an injured bald eagle nursed back to
health by a cancer survivor.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/freedom.asp
Don't forget to visit our Daily Snopes page for a collection
of odd news stories from around the world!
http://www.snopes.com/daily
Worth a Second Look
-------------------
Of heart attack symptoms that are so subtle they are oft
mistaken for indigestion.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/heartattack.asp
Still Haunting the Inbox
------------------------
Computer virus warnings: Life Is Beautiful, Invitation
(or Olympic Torch), and Postcard (or Greeting Card).
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/life.asp
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.asp
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp
Political rumors continue to swell around the two leading Democratic
presidential contenders, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp
http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/clintons.asp
Appeals to find missing children: Ashley Flores, Reachelle
Marie Smith, and Evan Trembley.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/ashleyflores.asp
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/reachelle.asp
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/trembley.asp
Glade PlugIns air fresheners - fire hazard?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/glade.asp
Hot scare of the moment: Warning cautions that gang initiates
are bumping their cars into others, then shooting whoever gets
out of the bumped automobiles.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/carbump.asp
E-mail describes woman who evades a rapist posing as a
policeman by calling #77 (or *677) on her cell phone.
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/fakecop.asp
Aspartame: Responsible for an epidemic of cancer, brain
tumors, and multiple sclerosis, or not?
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
Warnings about scammers' running up long-distance charges
by asking victims to press #-9-0 on their telephones or luring
phone users into returning calls to numbers within the 809 area
code.
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/jailcall.asp
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp
Various rumors about the U.S. Social Security system.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/socialsecurity/socialsecurity.asp
Gas tips list: Will refueling your vehicle early in the morning
save you money?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp
E-mail claims the design of new U.S. dollar coins omits the motto
"In God We Trust."
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/dollarcoin.asp
Various schemes have been kited about how to protest high
gas prices.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasoline.asp
"Mastercard" wedding tale about vengeful groom who lets
the wedding guests in on what the bride's been up to, then
walks out.
http://www.snopes.com/weddings/embarrass/bothered.asp
Is it safe to re-use plastic water bottles?
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp
About "huffing" and the death of a teen from misusing
a can of compressed air.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/dustoff.asp
E-mail claims Starbucks refused to send free coffee to
G.I.s serving in Iraq.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp
E-mail claims Bill Gates, Microsoft and AOL are giving away
cash and merchandise to those who forward an e-mail message.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/microsoft-aol.asp
E-mail claims that entering one's PIN in reverse at any ATM
will summon the police.
http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/pinalert.asp
Fraud Afoot
-----------
Seems like everyone has become the recipient of mysterious
e-mails promising untold wealth if only one helps a wealthy
foreigner quietly move millions of dollars out of his country.
The venerable Nigerian scam has discovered the goldmine that
is the Internet. Beware -- there's still no such thing as
"something for nothing," and the contents of your bank account
will end up with these wily foreigners if you fall in with this.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/nigeria.asp
Likewise, look out for mailings announcing that you've won a
foreign lottery you don't recall entering or that because you
share the surname of a wealthy person who died without
leaving a will you're in line for a windfall inheritance.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/lottery.asp
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/inherit.asp
And be especially wary if, while trying to sell or rent
anything online (car, boat, horse, motorcyle, painting,
apartment, you name it) you're approached by a prospective
buyer who wants to pay with a cashier check made out for an
amount in excess of the agreed-upon price and who asks the
balance be sent to a third party.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/cashier.asp
Aspiring work-at-homers promised big bucks for acting as
intermediaries for international transactions wherein they
cash checks for other parties or reship goods to them have
been defrauded by con artists. Don't you be next.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/reshipper.asp
If someone calls to announce you've failed to appear for jury
duty and will be arrested, do not give the caller your personal
and financial information in an effort to prove he's sending
the gendarmes after the wrong guy. You're being tricked into
giving up this information to an identity thief.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp
Admin Stuff
-----------
View the latest edition of the snopes.com newsletter online at
http://www.snopes.com/info/updates/current.htm
I read a lovely article in Woman's Day magazine. And lucky you (or unlucky you depending on how you see it) I found it online! It's about being a Designated Daughter. It talks about mom's but I'm sure it can go for dad's also.
Woman's Day Magazine - Bonus Years
I like the "designated daughter" thing. Makes me feel special.
Kathy
Russ does lots of meme's. I thought I would do the latest one he has taken on:
WHAT WHERE YOU DOING TEN YEARS AGO.
10 years ago? Hard to remember that far back! LOL Basically same old stuff I do now. No big life changes for me.
WHAT ARE 5 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST TODAY
Since you asked.....I got the old camera out to take some pictures of me and mom and the stupid thing wouldn't work. It's ditigal and for some reason the little extra memory thingy isn't working. So I had to print out and delete the 13 pictures I had on the camera. So they needed to be printed but why isn't the memory chip thing working? I can't find anything that came with my camera. That includes everything to hook it up to my computer........
So finding my camera stuff is number 1 on my list. For the rest of my list: 2 clean out the fridge 3 take out trash 4 figure out how to get past the most recent puzzle on the computer game I am playing 5 gotta remember to get a check in the mail to my lawn mowing guy...
SNACKS I ENJOY
potato chips, cheddar cheese, those Special K snack bars (the ones that are like 90 calories or so. Love the blueberry one)
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A BILLIONAIRE?
Throw money at the cancer research people. (And I would buy out all the tobacco people and shut them down!) Money to helping people get a education so they can work and make money. Finding a way to teach the third world countries that it is ok to use birth control and teach them farming or whatever it takes so they can feed themselves.
BAD HABITS
Me, bad habits? Surely you jest! LOL Lately I have been spending way too much money. I do that when I get depressed. I have got to stop spending!
JOBS I'VE HAD
Cashier at a furniture store, data entry, accounts payable, phone operator for a major catalog company...
Guess that's it for this meme.
Mom is doing ok. She is starting to have bad headaches. I guess the cancer has moved on up.
Kathy
Please visit Mary and leave some kind thoughts and warm hugs for her. She is also going through a difficult time with a parent nearing the end of his life.
Today I took some videos with me to mom's. We watched 2 of my favorite movies. Yeah my favorite. Very few VHS videos floating around these days and that's what mom has.
I laid in bed with mom to watch "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" (if you have never seen it shame on you!!!! you gotta see it).
Then after some pizza (ok, so I don't keep a real close eye on what I eat when I am with mom. I try to do good, but sometimes.....) we watched "Breakfast At Tiffany's" (again if you have never seen it where have you been? LOL).
And we watched a squirrel hanging off the bird feeders defining all rules of gravity. How do they do that? Actually mom loves watching the squirrel's more so than the birds. I do too.
I told mom about some rings that I saw on Amazon.com. And we decided to order them for us. They are silver and say: Forget Me Not. They aren't really all that great looking, but we like what it says.
A good friend of my dad's died this past Sunday. He went into the ER on Saturday and at some point was put on life support and was then taken off it Sunday afternoon and then he passed. We all knew that he had been sick but I think it was a shock to dad and to his friend's family. John was 69 years old. May he rest in peace.
Love to all of you,
Kathy
Mom is doing ok. For now anyway. On the 13th it will be a month since we got the news of her cancer. She was given just a few months to live. So I don't really know what to expect or when to expect it. I am making an appointment for me to see one of Hospice's grief counselors. It seems so weird to be doing that.
Today mom and I talked about what she wanted to be buried in. I would have never thought I would have that conversation with either of my parents. It was so weird. We were both so calm and talking like we were picking out an outfit for some appointment or outing we were going to have. So very strange.
My brother keeps telling mom he will be down for a visit. (he lives 45 minutes to 1 hour away) He came to visit the day after we got the news of mom's cancer. Mom was in the hospital and I find out today that she doesn't remember him being there. Anyways.....big bro has yet to come see mom since she has been home. I know this bothers her but I don't know what to to tell her.
My oldest niece did come to visit mom the other day (she lives about 1 hour away) She brought her newest boyfriend -- some guy from Mexico that speaks no English. She calls mom all the time.
It is still raining here. Will it ever stop? My grass needs cutting but why bother with all this rain?
Kathy
