Still Here....

Where do I start? There is so much going on. And it revolves around mom. My last post talked about mom undergoing a cisternogram,to check the flow of her cerebral spinal fluid. The test took place about two weeks ago, and it was determined by the doctors that a shunt would help mom out.

The shunt is placed in the brain to help regulate the flow and pressure of the cerebral spinal fluid. She was in the hospital for over a week recovering. Was the shunt placement a success? Yes and no. For the most part her level of confusion is somewhat better. She still cannot see out of her left eye, but on the plus side she is not hearing voices.

Mom is very weak and tired. She has done nothing but sleep since her surgery. We have her staying at our home as she now needs 24 hour supervision. I am still working and this week I had my son in law come off and watch her. That is not going to work. Mom fell ( not son in law fault) mom just kinda slid out of bed onto the floor and we were both home at the time.

Watching mom does not make my son in law comfortable so we are going to interview and hire a companion for mom from Visiting Angels. They are coming this afternoon to do an assessment of mom and we will figure out a good match for mom. The companion will be staying win mom while I am at work.

Mom is now needing assistance getting up out of bed, getting to the bathroom and just about anything else. We have all accepted that this is her new normal. It is very sudden and hard to watch. Next week we will be going back to see her cancer doctors and try to get her back to radiation for her spine.

So, this is our life. It revolves around taking care of mom and making sure she is as comfortable as possible. Truthfully, I "know" that this is the cancer taking its toll on her. But I really have a HARD time watching her slowly deteriorate. It is so sad.

 

Staying Busy

Just checking in for a few. Mom's condition is sometimes worse and sometimes better. Thursday she had a lumbar puncture to measure the pressure in the Cerebral Spinal Fluid. The neuro said it was a bit high and he removed a small additional amount. He said that to let him know if there was any improvement in her mental status over the next couple of days.

There was no improvement and the next thing for mom to do is to have a cisternogram, which is a nuclear med exam which involves another lumbar puncture with an injection of a radioactive isotope into her spinal fluid. She will then have several scans over the course of 24 to 48 hours ( maybe longer) to follow the flow of the spinal fluid.

The exam should reveal if there are any blockages or hindrances in the flow and if so she will be eligible for a shunt. The shunt will help equalize the pressure in her cerebral spinal fluid.

The weekend was slightly improved for mom, she was more cognizant and better able to communicate. And I was almost going to call the neuro to cancel the procedure for this week. Then last night, mom was complaining of a loud beeping noise that she thought was coming from her TV. The TV was on mute. It was hard to convince her that the TV was on mute. She finally accepted that the beeping was only in her mind. So, I am moving forward with the scheduled procedure.

 

This weekend was a purge of sorts for me too. With all that is going on with mom, I decided to close my eBay store. I bagged up a great majority of my inventory and donated it. My plate is too full with moms stuff. And my brain needed a break.

Is This Our New Normal?

Everyday I as that question.  "Is this our new normal today?"  This of course refers to my mom's health.  No doubt, she has been through a lot.  More than I think that I could bear.  But mom is extra special and doubly strong.

Recently, mom has been living on her own at her house.  After her stay with us for about 8 weeks due to her daily infusion that we would give to her she was ready to be on her own.  She enjoyed  3 weeks of independence. About two weeks ago,  mom woke up with a massive nose bleed that bled uncontrollably.  She drove herself to her primary doctor who could not stop the bleeding nor the high blood pressure and then sent her to a ear nose and throat specialist.  Again she drove herself.  I was on the other side of the state for work so I called my husband to take off work to at least meet her at the ENT specialist.  The ENT had to insert a inflatable balloon into her right nostril to stop the bleeding.  Mom said that was quite painful.

My husband drove mom home and she went to bed.  In fact, she pretty much stayed in bed for about 3 days.  I went over to her house the next day to take over groceries and she was just tired and wanted to sleep.  I then went back over two days later and mom was still in her same clothes, I found out later that she did not answer the door when her pastor came over.  I don't think she was eating or drinking much either.  That afternoon I took her to the ER.

They( the doctors) could not really determine what caused the nosebleeds or her constant state of lethargy.  They kept her in the hospital for 3 days.  When she came back home with us she slept most of the time.  We did make sure she was eating and drinking, but all she wanted to do was to sleep. My husband and I think mom has been experiencing small tiny seizures in her brain.  We don't know that for sure, but either do the doctors.  But when she does have a seizure, they do make her very, very tired.

We did take her to see her neurosurgeon to determine if there was water on the brain (hydrocephalus) but she did not see any increase in the fluid via mom's latest CT tests.  She recommended a lumbar puncture to measure the pressure in the cerebral spinal fluid.  If it is increased, mom will have a shunt put in to relive the pressure.

The lumbar puncture is scheduled for this Thursday.  Radiation for her spine starts today, and continues for the next two weeks.  Luckily we have been able to schedule most of these appointments on my "days off". 

Yep, we have been busy. So, is this our new normal?  Yes.  Everyday brings new challenges.  We have learned to go with the flow.  I have learned to channel my stress into other areas.  The little things that don't get done around the house don't bother me anymore. If dinner is not ready or I didn't have time to cook, we eat sandwiches..... or eggs.  Some days I just don't have the energy to worry the every day stuff.

That being said, I have been keeping track of my grocery shopping expenses for the month of April.  March groceries and eating out costs were a financial disaster.  I will update our April grocery expenses by the end of the week.  Did we do better for April?  Check back in a couple of days and see.

Now I am off to catch up on my blog reading!  Have a great day!

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Another round of Momma Drama

Just checking in, mom has been having a few more health issues so we have all been busy around here. Looking forward to getting back to our normal soon.
I will be checking in again soon.

Flea Market Fun

This weekend we took it easy. No projects to do, no grocery shopping, just hang out and do whatever. Saturday, we went for a drive about an hour south of here. My husband was born in a little town called Avon Park, Florida and I had never been there. This ended up being put destination for the day.

It has been 50 years since my husband has been back to Avon Park, and he has no real memories from that time, only what his mother has told him. The mobile home park and restaurant that they owned are long since gone. In there place is a car lot.

During our journey we did stop at the local Flea Market and I got to hunt for a few treasures. My husband was happy to find a new ball cap.

 

 

It was almost closing time and the aisles were kinds empty. The vendors were closing up.

 

 

 

At this vendor, I found a few things I could not live without. I just love the bright red tablecloth! Definitely catches your eye!

 

 

We did not stay too long, I managed to find several items that I have already listed on eBay, I especially love the Mushroom canisters!

All in all it was a great day!