Cancer Support and Caregivers Who Are Trail Blazers!

[DapperButch]

Jo, how are you doing? How is your mom?

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Jo, how are you doing? How is your mom?

Hi Dapper, and thank you.

She's not doing well. Her weight is down to 101, and she's been feeling sick, exhausted and dizzy. Some of it was dehydration (a perennial problem after an iliostomy and colostomy....she has no colon left at all and that's where most fluid reabsorption happens). She went in and had IVs of fluids and that helped some but she still feels very rough. Walking up one flight of stairs to her bedroom leaves her out of breath...although she claims she can walk well enough that she refused when I said we'd meet her with a wheelchair at the airport (Orlando is big and there's lots of walking).

We're moving up the timeframe for her trip down here...so it'll be end of September when the kids here have a 4 day weekend, so Rooster can spend more time with her as well. She wants to go see Miami and Key West, although it will mostly be a driving tour I'm sure, peppered with restaurants and finding nice places to sit and visit rather than adventuring around.

Luckily her friends are being incredibly wonderful, and I owe all of them a huge debt....they're bringing her meals, mowing her lawn, doing her shopping, tidying up her house...whatever she needs.

She still hasn't told me stage, etc. and "doesn't want to know" herself...so I really don't feel like I can push it. She did tell me that the oncologist, when discussing the chemo, said that without it he'd give the cancer an 80-90% chance of recurring....so refusal wasn't really an option. That sounds like it was pretty bad to me. She hasn't said more about the "belly wash" procedure....so I'm not sure if they're planning that after she finishes the regular chemo or what. It's on my list to ask her...

We're doing the "one day at a time" thing in a big, big way around here.

Hugs,
Jo

[Tommi]

Jo,
Hang in there.

It gets rough around the edges, especially as they lose their independence. Wheelchair at Orlando sounds ideal. Maybe later on, as a treat for Rooster to push her, Wheeee, and save her strength for more exciting times ???

My Mom was soooo stubborn, that I had to cajole her into things. So was I , 7 years ago, as I can best recall. It was my way , or no way---but I was like that before Uterine cancer .

and I guess your Mom was too. well, as you said, we do it one day at a time, and I am up to enjoy the sunrise, hot coffee and the jacuzzi...

Love to ya'alllll

[deb_U_taunt]

Someone I know or a friend of someone I know sent someone from their church to pray over me. This was completely without my consent. They gave them my address!!!!! Now I will have to fight to get rid of missionaries. Has to be someone from work. GRRRRRR They won't tell you who sent them either. So not right. I was polite to her, but damn unhappy with the person who violated my privacy.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Debby

Someone I know or a friend of someone I know sent someone from their church to pray over me. This was completely without my consent. They gave them my address!!!!! Now I will have to fight to get rid of missionaries. Has to be someone from work. GRRRRRR They won't tell you who sent them either. So not right. I was polite to her, but damn unhappy with the person who violated my privacy.

Wow. That is quite terrible. I have never heard of this happening before.

I mean, who would be willing to do this most likely knowing the person they are coming to visit did not give their consent? How did you handle it?

[deb_U_taunt]

I was nice enough to her, it wasn't her fault some unthinking person sent her over. I did make it clear I didn't want anyone else coming over. She offered help and I reminded her I wasn't a member of her church and unless something changed, they don't allow queers in their congregation. She make a quick retreat after that. lol.

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Wow. That is quite terrible. I have never heard of this happening before.

I mean, who would be willing to do this most likely knowing the person they are coming to visit did not give their consent? How did you handle it?

[JustJo]

Just got off the phone with my mother...they've added another drug to her chemo cocktail that is making her very sick...as in throwing up after every session. She continues to feel weak, dizzy and awful....the infusions help to keep her from being dehydrated, so they've upped her to 2 or 3 infusions a week.

We're coordinating now to get her infusions while she's here visiting. She also finally admitted that she'll need a wheelchair while she's here. I pushed a little by telling her that Rooster really wanted to push her...that helped, because she would do anything for him. (Thanks Dapper )

Done more prying...as I do...and what she has is being called "metastatic colon cancer" even though it's in her small intestine (and she has no colon anymore). My research is showing average lifespan from diagnosis is 29 months, survival rate at 5 years is about 19%....naturally, with those tending to be the younger, stronger patients. It's something I'm working at getting my head wrapped around.

Her visit is moved up to the end of September, so she'll be here in a few weeks. I'm burning up my Hilton Hotel points for a couple free nights...one in Miami, one in Key Largo....not how I dreamed of using them, but hopefully a few more good memories for my son to put in his heart to keep after Granny is gone.

I can't shake the feeling that that's going to be soon.