End of March Update - 3/27/08

What to write, what to write? Warren is still here. He hasn't had any more TIA's. He's still eating and can walk around the house with the walker. The changes in his condition have been small. He has pain in his back now from time to time. He has regular tumor sweats. Apparently growing tumors put off a lot of heat and energy and the body reacts by sweating. He needs more help in dressing as his left hand doesn't respond to his brain's commands at all and at times the right hand seems palsied. Life is lived pretty close to home. I can manage to leave the house for about an hour in the afternoons to run any errands that need to be run.

I got my hair cut yesterday finally. Now instead of looking like a frumpy old woman, I look like a frumpy old man! My hair is really short. I just don't have time to be fooling with it right now. I decided I'd better put on earrings today to give the allusion of femininity to my persona.

An artist friend of mine sent me the pot holder in the picture. She made the pot holder, but also drew the crow designs and silk screened the fabric. Its a perfect match for my crow, black and cream kitchen don't you think?

Medical Equipment Everywhere - 3/5/08

Yesterday morning Warren slept late and I had to wake him up. When he sat up in bed the left side of his face was very swollen and his eye almost swollen shut. He went to stand up and his knees started to buckle. I was able to catch him and make him sit back down. He tried again a little bit later and had the same problem. I called the hospice nurse and she was there in about 30 minutes. It appeared that tumor progression had occurred. He seemed pretty groggy too. The nurse ordered a hospital bed, a bed side toilet, a walker, and a wheel chair. We now have our own little hospital right here in our condo.

As yesterday progressed, Warren got to where he could walk again with me helping ( and my son Dave too when he was here). Today he's rebounded further. Enough that we now think he had a TIA yesterday. He needs the walker to walk and I stay pretty close when he up moving around. He's not as strong as he was Monday, but he's a lot better than he was Tuesday morning.

My son came over during his lunch break yesterday to help me move furniture around in the bedroom to make room for the hospital bed (thanks Dave). Warren didn't sleep in the hospital bed last night. I guess its there if we need it, but he doesn't need it quite yet.

I've had to move some things around to clear a path for the walker. When everyone can walk around on their own, you never think about what could be obstacles. We had a lot of obstacles.

I'm just wiped out at the moment. Yesterday was a difficult day physically and emotionally. We'll adjust to this next "normal" in our lives, but it may take a few days.

A Little Rumi for a Saturday Afternoon - 3/1/08

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down the dulcimer.
There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.

Rumi

I just like Orcas - 3/1/08

I'm posting this picture today just because I like Orcas.  They are beautiful, powerful creatures don't you think?

I'm not on line much these days.  Taking care of the household and Warren is about all I can do.  He has no use of his left hand and arm anymore, so anything you need two hands to do, I have to help with.  He's had a bout of thrush in his throat and mouth (an opportunistic fungal infection) that was brought on by the steroid he is on (they suppress immune function).  We are weaning him off of the steroids now and he has started taking neurontin for nerve pain.  It makes him sleepy, but when he sleeps he's not in pain, so that's a good thing.  I can't believe he's been in hospice now for 90 days.  I can't say enough good things about hospice.  They are the best.