Another good weekend

Last weekend was the second weekend that Mom didn't have to go to the Emergency Department. She did have an appointment Monday at Burns Clinic, which is connected to NMRH, but we're not counting that.

Saturday, Donna came to the house for Mom's physical therapy. Mom walked 66 feet, which was a whole 66 feet more than she was able to do on Friday. Mom is still suffering from spells that make it hard for her to move and to follow instruction. But Saturday, after enduring one at the walker, she pushed through it and walked from her room to the living room and back.

After physical therapy, Tina, Devon and Aunt Dorothy came to visit. Devon had a great time playing with Olivia and Cameron, and they showered him with Wise hospitality.

Tina treated Mom to a much needed manicure.

Aunt Dorothy brought Mom two pair of gorgeous, soft pajamas from Penneys. And a jumbo Hershey's dark chocolate bar that was almost gone by the time they headed back to Traverse.

Sunday, Mom took a break from church. The catheter continues to sting and is leaking. This is apparently a common problem with catheters; the bladder spasms and causes leaking; the leaking causes irritation. Today, Michelle from Vital Care will check the catheter again. Hopefully we'll find a workable solution to this. Mom's catheter, although a slight inconvenience, gives her freedom she didn't have before due to the chronic incontinence problem. Incontinence was also the indirect cause of her injuries over the last few months. If you're looking for something to pray for, please pray for the solution to this problem.

Monday was Mom's follow-up appointment for the EEG a couple weeks ago. In the waiting room, the nurse called someone's name, and Mom turned to him excitedly and said, loudly, "Ice cream?" Everyone in the waiting room laughed, and one agreed that there should be ice cream for everyone. When we were called in to the room, Mom read us a brain book that Suzy wants to get for the kids. Video is below.

Results of the EEG: Dr. Roth was unable to find any evidence of seizures. After examining Mom, Dr. Roth's opinion is that the radiation caused some deterioration of Mom's brain that has resulted in lack of balance. He prescribed Keppra, a drug that is given to Parkinson patients and interacts well with other medications. One side effect is irritability, so we'll need to keep that in mind when she's craving ice cream.

After the neurology appointment, we went to Walmart for Mom's exit interview. Mom saw her supervisor, Barb, on the way in. Mom has always spoken highly of Barb; she felt she was very fair. It was nice to meet her.

Mom went to coworker Conny to sign her termination papers. Conny was sad to see Mom go. Everyone wants her to return to Walmart whenever she is able. Like Mom said, most of what she did before she got sick can be done from a wheelchair. And Mom was very good at her job. It's fun walking Mom into Walmart and being stopped repeatedly by her coworkers who miss her so much.

Afterward you can guess where we went for lunch. Yes, we made another visit to the Colonel. We were soooo hungry! Mom had a wonderful feast, to the extent that the next lunch outing will probably be Chinese buffet, just to give the Colonel a break.

Mom's next appointment with Dr. Galloway is this Friday. At this appointment they'll discuss re-introducing Tarceva. More then.

New Stuff

Last weekend was the first weekend in weeks that we didn't either take Mom to Northern Michigan Regional Hospital or that she wasn't already admitted! A subtle milestone but great for all of us!

Mom's new catheter had a few issues though, and Michelle, Mom's Vital Care nurse, exchanged it for one that fit better. Mom was a little depressed on Sunday morning and didn't want to get out of bed, but in the long run she agreed to go be in an environment where there was worship and love. After church we went to BC pizza, and Mom had two big pieces.


Tuesday, Mom had tubes put in her ears to assist with her hearing. After having the hearing aids for a few months and receiving adjustments, she is still having trouble hearing. The tubes may or may not help, but Mom wanted to give it a try. Afterward, Mom took Suzy to KFC again. Mom's been craving the Colonel's chicken fort-nightly (Mike Myers quote - sorry if you don't get it!).



Suzy and Mom also went to Walmart on Tuesday to see her supervisor about signing up for cobra to extend her insurance. As of last week, Mom was no longer a Walmart employee as her medical leave expired. Unfortunately, Mom's boss has been sick and no one seems to know how to do the paperwork. This is really important; Blue Cross is still Mom's primary insurance and covers a lot of her medical expenses without dipping into her assets. So Suzy has been diligent to pursue Walmart to resolve this.



Best news is, Nurse Michelle says Mom is the best she's seen her since she has been on her caseload. Her oxygen levels in her blood are a little low - mid 90s - but she says anything over 90 is great for a woman Mom's age.



The picture below was taken a couple weeks ago during Mom's physical therapy appointment. She's wearing a stunning rainbow gait belt and a new chic hat worthy of a Russian czarina.

The Grace Between Us

On Tuesday, Mom's abdominal pain increased, this after three days of treatment for the yeast infection. She also stopped putting out urine. After discussion back and forth between Dr. Karkosak and Michelle, Mom's Vital Care nurse, it was determined that her catheter was blocked by collection of sediment in her urine. After the catheter was replaced with a new one, the pain was gone.

It's frustrating, always trying to ask the right questions, make the right choices, do the right things, and yet never doing it completely well, always running into a hitch, an exception, an unknown. But God has been faithful to us in that every turn, in the long run, has worked out for her good. I think of the trip to the hospital before Thanksgiving for a UTI, and then the blood clots were discovered. Of the pain in her stomach in January after breaking her ribs in a fall, and another UTI was found. We're stumbling in the dark, but God has faithfully nudged us in the direction of her best care.

As much as we respect Mom's doctors, they can't treat her perfectly. Every person that has touched her over these last few months, however professional and caring, has not done it perfectly. As much as we love Mom, even we as her children have not cared for her perfectly. And Mom hasn't always been the perfect patient.

Some of the most poignant moments of my life to this point have been in the bathroom with Mom and Suzy, sharing information, expressing feelings, laughing uncontrollably, meeting each other in the middle of the cancer that has brought us there. No more vulnerable a place, no more helpless a parent and child. This is where grace meets us.

Perfect care, perfect compliance, perfect love. I want perfect care for my mother, but reality is that I can't care for her - no one can care for her - perfectly. Only Jesus, the Captain of her salvation made perfect through suffering, can care for her that well. And He does.

Last week, Mom began having episodes that caused her to lose strength while walking. This seems to happen randomly. Over the weekend, Mom walked so well that assistance seemed barely necessary. But occasionally she would become weak and nervous, nearly dead weight. At her oncologist appointment Friday, Dr. Galloway took her off the Tarceva for two weeks in case the symptoms are a result of the new medication. She scheduled Mom for another MRI of her brain, and she ordered an EEG of her brain to check for seizure activity. After a neurologist reviews the results, it's back to Dr. Galloway to determine whether she can start taking the Tarceva again.

The MRI was Saturday morning at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital. It went very smoothly; she was complimented again on being an excellent patient. On the way out, we stopped at the registration desk in Emergency because Mom was having pain in the area of her catheter, and the area was visibly irritated. We asked to speak with a nurse about whether we should have Mom checked by the Emergency Department or wait for Vital Care to check her on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the nurse was more concerned about being careful not to give us advice than about being helpful. After a confusing exchange about what ED would not do for her, we took Mom home. Wrong decision. Mom's discomfort increased. Suzy tried to get Vital Care to come and examine her catheter, but they couldn't send anyone until Sunday morning. Urgent Care in Boyne City was closed. So, at about 5:45 p.m. we loaded Mom back up in the car and took her back to the hospital, right about the time the blizzard started.

The time in the ED was several hours. Mom was cared for, but low on the priority list because the injuries from accidents began to pour in. We called a nurse to empty her leg bag, which was filling up, and after a ten minute wait we ransacked the cupboards for a receptacle ourselves. The doctor's diagnosis was a yeast infection. I was surprised. I thought she might have developed a latex allergy from the catheter; I've never seen a yeast infection do what it did to Mom. But we're learning all sorts of new things these days about how bugs work.

Sunday morning was very cold and windy. Although the roads weren't too bad, Paul called us from church and told us not to bring Mom out. He ended up cancelling church, but held a mini service for the brave ones that made it. It was kind of a free day for the rest of us. We cleaned the refrigerator, folded laundry, and Suzy and Corey cooked wonderful things. Mom had a very lucid, stable day. It was topped off by homemade pumpkin pie, Mom's favorite crave.

The EEG on Monday went well. The nurse adored her. The appointment lasted only about half an hour, just long enough to leave her with fascinating circles on her head.

They didn't last. Whew!

Mom took us to KFC for lunch, and then we were off Dr. Karkosak's office for a blood draw. He prescibed more medication for the yeast infection, and told us an Adam and Eve story his priest had told his parishioners on Sunday. Another brave church-goer.

Hopefully, Mom will see the neurologist this week so she can return to Dr. Galloway. Please pray for a speedy recovery from the yeast infection, for a solid diagnosis of the cause of her spells, and for joy.

Super Saturday

Mom has been home for eleven days now. Some days have been difficult, but overall she's been much better than she was in the hospital. She is walking with assistance, she is more lucid, and her sense of humor is sharper than it's been in weeks.

A nurse from Vital Care comes in twice a week to check her vitals and to draw blood for testing her coumadin levels. Vital Care also sends an aide to bathe her twice a week.

Mom started her regimen of Tarceva on Monday. The prescription is over $3200.00 per month before her copay. I was curious to see what a $100.00 pill looked like.

So far, Mom doesn't have any side effects from the Tarceva.

Tina, Mike, Tami and the kids, and Aunt Dorothy visited Mom last Saturday. Tami brought Grandma a new sweatshirt that fits her perfectly in every way.

Mom got up to join the family in the livingroom, and we played Apples to Apples. Mom is hysterical to play with. I'd have to explain the game to tell you why - just trust me. If you ever have a chance to play that game with her, take it.

Makayla found Corey terrifying. The video below is a couple minutes long; one of those things that will either fascinate or embarrass Makayla when she's older.

Saturday was a fun day. I hope to give more updates over the weekend. As always, the connection is slower at Suzy's so I may not be able to post, but I'll try. Thanks for your continued prayers.