Paged Dr. Hough last night

Stopped by Mom's last night after work and she was still down and out. It's surprising for her to go from one extreme on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, where she was doing as good as she has in the last month, to Thursday, Friday and Saturday where she is as sick as she has been since she was in the hospital.

Becky and I discussed more of what made her feed so good on those days vs. what caused the turnaround to this. Last weekend she was suffering with the bad rash and on Sunday she was started on prednisone. On Tuesday we took her to Dr. Hough and he gave her a shot of cortisone for the rash and told us we could stop the prednisone.

We had Dr. Hough paged last night and spoke to him about it. He said the shot would not have caused this and actually should have helped. We talked about how well she did after being on the prednisone for a few days he said to start her back up on it. It will stimulate her appetite and he also called in a liquid prescription to help the appetite also. It was clearly the fact that she started eating more last week that was making her so strong, just as it is clear that she only had 2 pieces of toast and one Popsicle from Thursday though Saturday and she has gotten so weak. I just now called Becky and Mom took 2 pills last night and was having some toast this morning. Becky said she did look a little better this morning. Her rash is going away also.

Lets pray that these pills are the answer to keeping her hungry and strong. As Dr. Hough made sure to point out that our goal here is to keep her comfortable to the end and if this is what does it then lets keep her on it. Take care, Jim

Ups and Downs

After a few really good days Mom has been feeling a little worse the last couple. Her appetite and strength have diminished since Wednesday night. She has been sleeping nearly nonstop. On Tuesday she had a shot for her rash and was taken off the pills she was taking for this. This probably has a lot to do with the change. All these different medications take their toll on her as she doesn't tolerate most of them very well. She did wake up last night and ask for some food so I hope she is adjusting and getting her appetite back now.

Aunt Betty, Doug and his wife were up to visit. Unfortunately Mom was not very good company for them as she struggled to stay awake during their visit. They did come out to the store and I got to chat with them for awhile. Aunt Betty looks great and it was nice to see them.

Lets hope for a better weekend for Mom. Take care, Jim

Can't believe how strong she's getting

I'm at Mom's now for a visit and she looks great. Her voice is strong and she is much more alert. She is starting to look like she did about 10 days after we got her home from Texas before she started any procedures. I said Mom you just look like you feel better, she said she really did.

The Hospice nurse was in yesterday and the first thing she did was make an appointment for Mom to get a shot for her rash. Dr. Hough gave her the shot and then took her off one of the medicines the hospital put her on. He said that it was having a reaction with one of her other pills and causing the rash. Mom says she thinks it is already having a positive effect.

Becky is back now and met with a Hospice nurse that stopped by today. Everything is all set up now and a schedule has been made. With the medicine straightened out and the hives on the way out we are expecting Mom to feel much better in the coming days. Keep those prayers coming, it appears they are having an effect.

Aunt Betty and cousin Doug are coming for a visit tomorrow. Aunt Betty is Dad's brothers widow. Mom is looking forward to this visit also, I think all these visits must be helping. She seems to do better after every one. Take care, I'll write again soon. Jim

A Little Stronger In Spite Of It All

Even though her cough is still bad and she has developed some sort of rash or hives, Mom actually seems to be a little stronger this weekend. I've been there the last several evenings and her voice is stronger and her overall demeanor seems more upbeat. She has been eating better than she has for awhile now and I'm sure that has to be helping. She says her appetite is better. She also has been sleeping much better at night.

Tomorrow morning she has an appointment at 10:30 with the Home Health nurse who will then sign off. Then at 1:00 she has her first visit with a Hospice nurse. We are anxious to have them both look at this rash and see what else may be available to get rid of it. Hoping perhaps they have some better ideas to calm her cough also. I'm sure the cough is due to the fluid in the lower left lung, so it will probably always be there. It's sometimes hard to remember that this is not a cough due to cold that will go away.

Mom had a visit today from Aunt Rita, Alvin, Linda and Leo. It was so great to see them all. We watched an old home video from '73, Mikes First Communion, with Uncle Hap and Aunt Bert and kids and Aunt Irene and Uncle Clete. Also was video from '74, Peg and Larry's wedding, with a whole bunch of cousins and Aunt Pauline. No sound to this but what a hoot it is to see. This was the trip that turned into an extra night as they didn't get out of Illinois on the first try, they ended up back here with a couple of chickens. Haha. I tried to upload it to this blog without success. I will try to figure it out soon.

I will try to update tomorrow night to let you know how these visits go. Jim

Golf Outing '04

Golf Outing '03

Mom on Mother's Day

That damn cough......

If they could just get rid of her cough! Unfortunately it's here to stay I'm afraid. Monday night Mom took a pill to calm her stomach and also a stronger new cough medicine. Tuesday morning she was able to keep her toast down. This was the first solid food she was able to tolerate since Saturday afternoon. She also slept better Monday night. The Home Health nurse was there Tuesday morning when I stopped by to get Mom's car to run out to the airport. The nurse suggested that Mom take the cough medicine morning, noon and night. She had only been using it at night to help her sleep. She looked 100% better than she did the night before. We were very worried for her by bed time Monday.

I picked Aunt Irene, Uncle Clete and Mike up at the airport in Pontiac for their visit Tuesday morning. Mom was so happy to see them, it was sad it had to end. They had a nice hour and a half visit before it was time to for them to go. Hey Mike, impressive little plane you guys came over in!

Well, Mom stayed on the new stomach calming pill and new stronger cough medicine until today. (pretty non technical as I don't know the names of them, lol) She broke out in hives. One or both probably caused a reaction so she is off both. Hopefully she didn't need that pill anymore anyway, but the cough medicine did help more than the old. It will be interesting to see if she can sleep as good tonight. Mom said tonight that if she stays still and doesn't talk she coughs less. But when she starts coughing it is intense. Every week it is getting worse.

Monday she is expecting visitors again as Aunt Rita and Linda are coming out for a visit. Again, Mom is looking forward to this. It gives her something to look forward to, and she truly likes to see everyone. Of course she wishes she could entertain and cook for them.

When the home health care nurse was there she contacted the hospice folks and it was decided to keep the appointment for next Tuesday. Home Health care will sign off and hand Mom over to Hospice that day. Perhaps they will have some new ideas to better control this persistent cough.

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Have a good weekend and when you say your daily prayer for Mom remember to add another for our troops and all the veterans. Jim

It's time for Hospice

Mom is having a tough week. She started feeling sick to her stomach Saturday evening and has been getting worse since. Yesterday she had only chicken broth, and very little at that. She couldn't keep it down, she is getting weaker and more tired. The home health care nurse will be in tomorrow to see her. The doctor ordered medicine to calm her stomach tonight. I hope that helps and lets her get a good nights sleep.

Today we contacted hospice. We hope to meet with them in the next couple of days. Becky is leaving tomorrow to go back home to Milwaukee for a week and we had planned to have this meeting next Tuesday when she got back. Tonight we have decided not to wait. I will call them in the morning and ask to meet with them as soon as possible. At this point it is hard to know if Mom is experiencing a set back or a progression. The local hospice is a good, well managed chapter and we feel Mom is in need of more in home attention. I will let you know the outcome of this.

On a brighter note, Mom is expecting a VIP visit tomorrow also. Her sister Irene is coming for a visit and Mom is looking forward to it. This is just what she needs to boost her spirits. I just love how close Mom, Aunt Irene and Aunt Lucile are and we appreciate their families for taking time to bring them for these visits. It's the best prescription for her right now. When I told Mom Irene was coming she smiled and said "She will just make me laugh".

I will post again in a couple of days, take care. Jim

A Message from Mom

It's Friday morning and Becky, Mike and I are at Mom's. Becky has set up an Internet connection here and has her notebook computer logged on. This is the first time Mom has been able to view this blog. We are showing her some of the comments to her and she said she wanted to post a message of her own.

Mom says, "Thank you so very much to everyone for all the cards, calls, comments, visits and prayers. All of these mean so much to me and I appreciate them greatly. I hope everyone is well. I love you all."

Mother's Day and beyond.......

Her approach throughout her life has been to establish a routine. A good routine keeps everything organized. You cannot raise 12 kids, work, run a household, be a good wife and mother and keep yourself mentally organized without a good routine. With every new child, with every relocation, with every obstacle, she has been able to organize her day to get the most out of it. I've often observed that she is a woman who can get more done by noon than most people do all day.

Her day was never set in stone though, it couldn't be. There was always something that came up, someone who needed her. She always found the time to help anyone in need and with 12 kids, someone always needed her. Before she had her own children raised she was well on her way to helping with her grandchildren. She simply adjusted the routine. Helping with her grandchildren turned into helping with her great-grandchildren. Somehow, every generation that has come along has found comfort and solace in her arms. She was born to be a mother. She truly is a remarkable woman. On Mother's Day we all try to shower her with gifts to show our affection. Now more than ever we realize what a gift she has been to all of us!

Happy Mother's Day mom.

Now it is time for a new routine. Her day consist of rest and medication. Mom's biggest issue right now is her cough. It's persistent and is causing discomfort. She didn't sleep well last night because of it. Today she got a new prescription for it. She took the first pill this evening and it seems to help a little. We'll know better tomorrow if it's gonna work. Other than that she is getting along as well as she can. Her body is working hard to fight the infection and it requires her to get a lot of rest. A Home Health Care nurse stopped in on Tuesday to check up on her and will be in every week now.

Now that she is home things have calmed a bit for her, therefore I have had less to report. I will give updates every few days. The best gifts Mom had on Mother's day were a visit from her sister Lucille and a phone call Karen's son Chris from Afghanistan. She was beaming after both of these. Chuck and Teri came up from Texas to visit and most of her children and grandchildren withing driving distance were here to visit. Dad's brother Ves and Aunt Jo are here now for a couple days. Becky is staying with her after a trip home for a few days. She is in good hands. Take care and check back in a few days. Jim

Friday Dr. Morar visit

Pat, Bob, Becky and I met with Mom's oncologist Dr. Morar this morning. We discussed the biopsy results and she explained some of what is going on with the cancer and the infection in the lung.

First let me correct some of the information from the last blog. I was out of town for the meeting with Dr. Hough (primary care MD) and Dr. Preohl (surgeon) so I'm not entirely clear on what they said, but Dr. Morar explained it a little differently. She said that the tumor hasn't really increased in size, but it is blocking circulation and air flow to the upper chamber of the lung. Also, it has blocked about 40% of the bronchial tube to the lower chamber. She would not commit that the tumor is totally necrotic, only that the biopsy samples they got were. She further disagreed that the lung would become necrotic. Without good samples they are unable to diagnose. No diagnosis equals no treatment as she would not know which drugs to use. They got a lot of samples during the biopsy, just no good ones. If they had known this, they would have had the pathologist present during the biopsy checking the samples til they got what he needed. The only way to know now is another biopsy, but were not sure she can withstand another.

The other problem is an infection mass in the upper lobe. This showed up on a CT scan Wednesday morning. It was not there, in it's present form, a week ago. She is not sure what it is, she only says that it is not cancer. She said it could even be a fungus pocket. We will need to discuss this further. Direct injections to this may be a possibility. Again, were not sure if she could withstand the procedure. Right now she needs to get some rest and get her strength back. The home health folks are going to stop by tomorrow to set up service for her. Have a good weekend, Jim

Life is giving Lemons........

I've often wondered, over the last couple of months, how would I approach really bad news on this blog. How much info should someone really put out on a forum like this. This blog actually started because we have such a large family and the first few phone calls were difficult in terms of who has been called, who hasen't, etc. Even some of the information was getting sketchy as it was passed from one to another. We simply wanted family and friends to have a single point of contact to get the news both somewhat timely and, for the most part, accurate.

I've heard from many of you, especially out of town and state folks, that this has been very helpful and comforting at times. My dilemma then becomes what type of info should be given by phone calls first. Of course Mom's 12 kids will always get a call before it appears here. I worry that if someone receives bad news here first, feelings may well be hurt. I absolutely want to avoid this. Having said all that, here is an update.

Mom is home as of last night. She did not get the medi port installed and likely never will. Dr. Preohl beleives she is much to weak for the surgery. Dr. Hough arrived during this conversation with news of the biopsy results. He informed Mom and Becky and Dr. Preohl that the samples taken from the tumor in her lung were necrotic, dead. The tumor has grown so rapidly that it has completely cut off the blood supply to itself. As this tumor is at the entrance to the lung it has therefore cut off blood flow to the lung as well. The lung will then become necrotic also. A new infection has shown up in the lung and without flow of blood to it, there is no way to get anti-biotics to it. The consensus was to send her home last night.

Pretty heavy stuff huh? There is an appointment set for tomorrow, Friday, with Dr. Morar. Mom is not up to going to this, but I do want to hear her take on all of this. So, a few of us are going to meet with her. I will let you know how that goes. Mom is resting and is glad to be out of the hospital. She is very weak and needs a lot of rest for the next few days.

This is all for now, if anything changes I will let you know. Take care, Jim

Medi Port Wednesday?

Mom is back in her room at St. James tonight, of course she's watching Dancing with the Stars. They have a surgical wrap on her side and back where they did the biopsy and she's taking some pain medication for that. She's says she is feeling fine. This is the side she likes to sleep on so I'm not sure how comfortable she will be through the night.

Ann say's she did so well today because she had her favorite daughter with her......I'm probably gonna give credit to the surgeon.

They had her in the CT scanner to locate the spots they wanted to biopsy and then would have her take breaths and pull her back out and mark the spots. After several movements in and out they had her all lined up. Mom said she could hear them during the proceedure but didn't feel a thing. She said it went so fast she had to ask if they were done already. The ride there and back in the ambulance was not uncomfortable. The discomfort from that will come with the bill, lol.

Two things could happen Wednesday. They may install the medi port and they may send her home. At this point it could be both, one or none. We will know soon enough I guess. Friday is the appointment with Dr. Morar to hear the results of this biopsy. Pray, Pray, Pray! I leave for Chicago in the morning for a couple days of meetings. I will update when I get back. Have a great week everyone! Jim

Biopsy Complete, Doing Well

Becky called a little while ago to report that Mom is done with the biopsy proceedure. They need to keep her down at St. Joseph's for 2 hours and then take an x-ray to be sure the lung did not collapse. She will then be transported by ambulance back to St. James in Pontiac.

Becky said she did fine but was in a little pain. She was to get pain medication shortly. They used a cat scan to pinpoint the exact areas they wanted to biopsy and were successful in getting what they wanted.

Now we wait until Friday morning when Mom meets with Dr. Morar to hear the results. Take care, Jim

Out of ICU and looks Great!

This morning Mom was moved from ICU to a regular room down the hall. She rested well after being moved and is enjoying company early this afternoon. She looks like her old self again. They have been taking great care of her and it shows.

Tomorrow morning they will load her up in the ambulance around 8 a.m. and transport her to St. Joseph's in Bloomington for the needle biopsy at 11 a.m. They will bring her back to Pontiac afterwards. We have not heard what the plan is after that. Hopefully she will accept the biopsy better than she did the fluid drain. If she's doing as well after this proceedure as she is today, maybe she will get to go home.

I will update again tomorrow after the biopsy to let you all know how it went. Jim

She's Mobile

Off oxygen, off iv's, on portable monitors, She's Mobile. She had a bath and her hair washed, Ann is there to style it for her this afternoon. She is overall doing much, much better. She's been getting a few good nights sleep, well as good as you can get when your in icu and the nurses wake you up to draw blood, etc.

She just needs to get the rest of the infection out of her system and get the white blood count back down. She still has shortness of breath and can't go too far, but she can go!

Being off oxygen was for just awhile this afternoon. Tonight it is back on and they have started another iv anti-biotic. She had a busy day today.

All your prayers are working, keep it up. Jim