Thursday, August 7, 2008

Crappy but happy...

Mom is constantly being asked, "how are you doing?" which I think is kinda a stupid thing to ask someone dying. Her latest response? "Crappy but happy!" I kinda like that. Her health sucks, but her spirits are for the most part up. We still daily struggle with tears...it's part of the disease...the tears come when unexpected and cause all kinds of problems. However, we are getting some great family time in...even times when Mom, Arlene and I are all crying together! At least we're sharing! =)

Eating is also still a problem. Tonight I cooked 4 different things for mom, 3 of which she just couldn't get down. When taking a pill this evening she choked pretty bad, then aspirated on the water. I hadn't dealt with that all alone before....it scared the dickens out of me! It's not easy watching anyone choke/gasp for air, esp your own mom. Just not right. We're hoping Medicare will realize how dumb they are being and decide to cover the cost of her IV feedings, but since we're talking about Medicare, we aren't holding our breath.

I've started meetings for my job this fall...new teacher orientation. Every district makes you do it, but it's basically the same stuff...pretty boring! Sigh. Next week should be better...I'll be at my own school learning things/dates I actually need to know! =) I'll be teaching K-4 music this year. It's a HUGE elementary school with pre-K - 4th gr...think they have close to 700 kiddos! It'll be good to get into a routine and actually have a steady job with insurance again! However, it's incredibly hard to leave mom each morning and head out the door. I've taken care of her so long now, it just doesn't seem right to let someone else do it. I'm glad Arlene is here as well...she can keep an eye out for mom during the day. We know her quirks, fave things to do, etc...she needs us! =) Must admit...that's a good feeling.

Today was a rough day for mom. She didn't sleep well last night and Arlene said she had a few big choking spells throughout the day. These are soooooooo hard on mom...they wear her out! Also, her speech is pretty much close to gone. This is due to her diaphragm being so incredibly weak...she just can't get enough air. When she realizes how little talking time is left, she gets pretty emotional..understandably! It's got to be hard not to be able to communicate...poor mom! Arlene and I can usually decipher what it is she needs, but it's starting to get pretty tough. This fact depresses mom a bunch, as you can all imagine! She's always been such an active, talkative person...this disease is taking both from her at an alarming rate...I'm so not a fan of it! My poor, dear mom...she's such a trooper! She's hanging in here, but I know she's miserable. Keep up the prayers for her...she's had a rough week here! It'll be nice when it cools down a bit for her...she struggles with breathing outside so she's pretty much stuck indoors. Thank goodness for AC!

Well, that's the basic update on mom. She doesn't seem to be getting worse, but she's definitely NOT getting better. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming!
Thanks a TON! Love,
Martha and Yvonne

1 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Love you mommypoo

August 8, 2008 at 1:30 AM  

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