I wanted to put out all of the information for my mom's funeral services for all of those who wish to attend and honor her. My cousin is getting married in Colorado this weekend, so we didn't want to infringe on her special day. For this reason, we are waiting until next week to hold services for my mom. The information is as follows:
Friday, August 11th
8660 44th St, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
Viewing: 9:00am-10:15am
Family viewing/prayer: 10:15-10:30
10:30-12:00ish: Funeral service
Following the service, any of those who wish to travel to the graveside are welcome to follow us over to Crestlawn Cemetery on Arlington Ave.
We felt like it would be meaningful for everyone to wear something purple. It doesn't have to be the whole outfit; if you want to wear black or gray or whatever, you can add a purple accessory (a tie, scarf, jewelry, etc). Purple is the color for Alzheimer's/dementia. It isn't required, of course, but we thought it would be beautiful to incorporate purple into the service.
Thank you to everyone who has called, texted, visited, sent dinners and gifts, etc. Your love and support means the world to us <3
Monday, July 31, 2017
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Last Breath
It is with a heavy heart that I write this post to let you all know that my dear mother passed away this morning at 6:40. Our prayers were heard in that it was a peaceful passing; there was no gurgling or gasping for air, her heart and her breathing just gradually slowed to a stop. She had her 3 children, beloved husband, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law and oldest grandson by her side as she took her last breath. Afterwards, her siblings and other family members and in-laws (and grandchildren) all surrounded with her love in her home. A close friend and clergyman from our church came over as soon as he heard the news and left our family with a sweet prayer as we all crammed into her bedroom by her bedside.
While I know that she is freed from her pain and suffering, and I know that she is having a beautiful reunion right now with her parents and other loved ones, we are all left broken hearted. This cruel disease took her from us way before her time. Her departure from us leaves a huge hole that can never be filled.
Thank you all for your prayers (I believe they did make a difference) and all of the thoughts and words of comforts. Thank you to those who came to visit with us this week and give my mom love before she left. Thank you for the dinners and the goodies left on the porch. We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives to help us through our grief.
I will post an update as soon as we confirm funeral services (which will likely be done on Monday). I can say that we are aiming for the 11th or 12th of August, due to the fact that my cousin is getting married (in another state) next weekend and we don't want to take anything away from her special day. I will post an update as soon as we know so that friends and family members from out of town can make arrangements to be here to honor my mom.
While I know that she is freed from her pain and suffering, and I know that she is having a beautiful reunion right now with her parents and other loved ones, we are all left broken hearted. This cruel disease took her from us way before her time. Her departure from us leaves a huge hole that can never be filled.
Thank you all for your prayers (I believe they did make a difference) and all of the thoughts and words of comforts. Thank you to those who came to visit with us this week and give my mom love before she left. Thank you for the dinners and the goodies left on the porch. We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives to help us through our grief.
I will post an update as soon as we confirm funeral services (which will likely be done on Monday). I can say that we are aiming for the 11th or 12th of August, due to the fact that my cousin is getting married (in another state) next weekend and we don't want to take anything away from her special day. I will post an update as soon as we know so that friends and family members from out of town can make arrangements to be here to honor my mom.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Friday 7/28
Mom is still hanging on. She is one heck of a fighter. She has been sleeping (comatose) for over 48 hours now (not counting the 12 hours before her abrupt waking on Wednesday morning). Up until last night, her breathing was 6 breaths a minute but it has changed to more shallow breathing with short periods of apnea in between. There have been a few times where she has gotten gurgley (when we've moved her or given her meds). It's a little scary to hear her when she gets like that.
She has had a fever for the past few days which has been rising daily. The Tylenol hasn't been helping to manage it at all. Today, it climbed up to 102.5, so we made some ice packs to put under her armpits and neck to help cool her off. Despite the fever, her feet and extremities are cold. We haven't been able to get a blood pressure reading on her arm today either. The nurse came to visit today (we've had nurses' visits daily) and she explained to us that the fevers, cold extremities and inability to read the blood pressure is due to the recirculation of blood. As her body is shutting down, the blood is circulating more to the vital organs (in her core) and is basically being cut off from the other parts of her body. Because of all of this added work on her heart, her pulse is up to 135. The nurse was very compassionate and spent some time with us explaining the process and asking if we had any questions (we've had Aunt Sharon with us for most of the week, and she's already explained all of this to us so we already understood her condition). When she left, she said she'd see me at our next scheduled appointment on Monday, but that she honestly didn't think Mom would still be here by then. The good thing, the nurse said, is that she seems to be at peace. She doesn't appear to be in pain; she is in a content, deep sleep. She is surrounded by many family members and friends who love her. It is now up to her when she wants to go.
Mom has had a lot of visitors this week and it's been sweet to see the friends and family who have come to give their good-byes. We've had family members fly in from out of town and she even had her high school friend, Cheryl, drive 7 hours this past weekend just to spend one afternoon with her. All of her caregivers have come to spend time with her, all of her siblings, some friends from church. All week has been a family sleepover with grandkids who don't want to leave and her kids all around her. Even though it may seem like she doesn't know what is going on, her eyelids will sometimes twitch when someone speaks to her. I do believe she hears us and knows that we are all here. That's probably why she's still here-she's enjoying all this love that she's been receiving.
She has had a fever for the past few days which has been rising daily. The Tylenol hasn't been helping to manage it at all. Today, it climbed up to 102.5, so we made some ice packs to put under her armpits and neck to help cool her off. Despite the fever, her feet and extremities are cold. We haven't been able to get a blood pressure reading on her arm today either. The nurse came to visit today (we've had nurses' visits daily) and she explained to us that the fevers, cold extremities and inability to read the blood pressure is due to the recirculation of blood. As her body is shutting down, the blood is circulating more to the vital organs (in her core) and is basically being cut off from the other parts of her body. Because of all of this added work on her heart, her pulse is up to 135. The nurse was very compassionate and spent some time with us explaining the process and asking if we had any questions (we've had Aunt Sharon with us for most of the week, and she's already explained all of this to us so we already understood her condition). When she left, she said she'd see me at our next scheduled appointment on Monday, but that she honestly didn't think Mom would still be here by then. The good thing, the nurse said, is that she seems to be at peace. She doesn't appear to be in pain; she is in a content, deep sleep. She is surrounded by many family members and friends who love her. It is now up to her when she wants to go.
Mom has had a lot of visitors this week and it's been sweet to see the friends and family who have come to give their good-byes. We've had family members fly in from out of town and she even had her high school friend, Cheryl, drive 7 hours this past weekend just to spend one afternoon with her. All of her caregivers have come to spend time with her, all of her siblings, some friends from church. All week has been a family sleepover with grandkids who don't want to leave and her kids all around her. Even though it may seem like she doesn't know what is going on, her eyelids will sometimes twitch when someone speaks to her. I do believe she hears us and knows that we are all here. That's probably why she's still here-she's enjoying all this love that she's been receiving.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Wednesday 7/26
I didn't get a post up last night because, in all honesty, we thought her time was close and we were all gathered around her into the early hours of the morning (until we all started passing out ourselves from sheer exhaustion of the past few days).
After my last post on Tuesday night, we went to turn Mom, who had been in a deep, unmoving sleep for hours, and she was non-responsive. She was still breathing, but it had become labored and she was only taking 6 apnea-like breaths a minute. She was running a low grade fever and she didn't even flinch when we touched or tried to move her. We gave her a Tylenol suppository, checked her blood pressure, moved her body, changed her diaper...and absolutely no response to any of these things. By all accounts, she seemed completely comatose. I called the hospice nurse helpline and they sent out a nurse to check on her. The nurse arrived around 11:00 pm and I could tell by the look on her face that she was concerned. I could tell that she was choosing her words carefully and hesitant to say what she was thinking so I told her that we understood what the breathing meant. She got tears in her eyes and told us that she was so sorry. She felt that, in the state she was in, she was likely to go by the next day (yesterday). By the time we were finished talking and assessing, it was midnight, and I sent out some texts to her siblings to let them know, in case anyone wanted to be by her side. I called my brother so he would know to get here soon (my sister had already come over just before the nurse got there). I also called Aunt Sharon, who had been here earlier in the day and wanted to know if anything changed. She and Uncle Tim came over right away (and she's been here ever since, as Mom's personal RN).
None of us got any sleep that night. We each took turns to have a private moment with Mom to say whatever we wanted to say to her. We sat by Mom's side and held her hands...and just waited. All of the sudden, at 5:30 in the morning, Mom woke up and almost immediately started trying to get up, but she hardly had the strength to sit up (it required someone sitting behind her to hold her up). She became very agitated and restless and was looking around at each person in the room. At different times, she would grab our hands, one time she looked at me and brought her hand up to my face. Other times, she would stare intently at different spaces in the room where nobody was sitting, yet it seemed that she was looking at someone. [There was also a moment earlier in the day where she rolled over in her bed and stared straight into my empty rocking chair (I had moved to her bed to rub her legs). She looked right where I'd been sitting and then slowly reached out her hand to the armrest, just like she had been reaching out for our hands throughout the day]. She also kept pointing to the corner of the room and fixing her gaze there. Sometimes, her face looked pained and she kept trying to turn over to get comfortable. We gave her some meds to try and calm her but she wasn't settling down. The nurse came by again and gave her a stronger medication to help her relax and finally, around 11:00, she curled up in her corner again and went back to sleep.
My brother got in at noon and spent time by Mom's side, rubbing her arm and stroking her hair. Mom had some visitors trickle in throughout the day, including a couple of her caregivers who have been relieved of their duties but still wanted to be with Mom (they've come to love her over the time they've cared for her). Her bathing nurse also made a visit and we gave her a bed bath. She slept through it, although she was a little more responsive his time around as she kept trying to turn back over on her side.
Her breathing remained the same throughout the day, 6 breaths a minute. She didn't wake up again, but she seemed to be comfortable and not feeling any pain. That evening, a family friend (and Ecclesiastical leader from our church) came to visit our family. He gave my mom a sweet prayer blessing, blessing her with the comfort to know that her family is here and loves her, that we will be okay and lean on each other to get through this. He told her that there are angels on the other side, family members who are waiting to help her on both sides. He also left my dad and me with a prayer and blessing of strength and comfort to get through what is to come. It was a nice visit and he left us (or at least me, since I can only speak for myself) with comfort and a little more peace. The anxiety and knots in my stomach that I have been feeling for the past couple of days have finally settled. I needed that prayer.
Later that night, we rolled Mom to a new position and heard some rattling in her chest. Her pulse has gotten weaker and Aunt Sharon felt like she was getting closer to the end. We all gathered around her bedside: my dad laying by her side and her kids and grandkids surrounding her and rubbing her and holding her hands. We stayed like that for a couple of hours, until the exhaustion of the past few days became too much and we started to fall asleep, one by one. The kids retreated to their campout on the living room floor, my brother and his wife took the bed across the hall from mom, and the rest of us crashed on Mom's floor or in chairs. Dad didn't move from her side on the bed. Throughout the night, we all awoke at different times to check on her. Miraculously, she is still here with us this morning. Her brother flies in from Pennsylvania at 1:00 this afternoon, and I told her a few day ago that he would be here. They were very close throughout their lives and he's the only sibling that hasn't been here to give his good-bye. I do believe that she hears us and knows us at this state and several of us feel like maybe she is waiting for her brother. We also have a couple other family members coming (my daughter comes at 4:00 today and my Aunt Peggy, dad's sister, comes at 7 am tomorrow). When Mom is ready, she's ready. Until then, we are keeping her comfortable and cherishing our last moments to love on her in this life.
After my last post on Tuesday night, we went to turn Mom, who had been in a deep, unmoving sleep for hours, and she was non-responsive. She was still breathing, but it had become labored and she was only taking 6 apnea-like breaths a minute. She was running a low grade fever and she didn't even flinch when we touched or tried to move her. We gave her a Tylenol suppository, checked her blood pressure, moved her body, changed her diaper...and absolutely no response to any of these things. By all accounts, she seemed completely comatose. I called the hospice nurse helpline and they sent out a nurse to check on her. The nurse arrived around 11:00 pm and I could tell by the look on her face that she was concerned. I could tell that she was choosing her words carefully and hesitant to say what she was thinking so I told her that we understood what the breathing meant. She got tears in her eyes and told us that she was so sorry. She felt that, in the state she was in, she was likely to go by the next day (yesterday). By the time we were finished talking and assessing, it was midnight, and I sent out some texts to her siblings to let them know, in case anyone wanted to be by her side. I called my brother so he would know to get here soon (my sister had already come over just before the nurse got there). I also called Aunt Sharon, who had been here earlier in the day and wanted to know if anything changed. She and Uncle Tim came over right away (and she's been here ever since, as Mom's personal RN).
None of us got any sleep that night. We each took turns to have a private moment with Mom to say whatever we wanted to say to her. We sat by Mom's side and held her hands...and just waited. All of the sudden, at 5:30 in the morning, Mom woke up and almost immediately started trying to get up, but she hardly had the strength to sit up (it required someone sitting behind her to hold her up). She became very agitated and restless and was looking around at each person in the room. At different times, she would grab our hands, one time she looked at me and brought her hand up to my face. Other times, she would stare intently at different spaces in the room where nobody was sitting, yet it seemed that she was looking at someone. [There was also a moment earlier in the day where she rolled over in her bed and stared straight into my empty rocking chair (I had moved to her bed to rub her legs). She looked right where I'd been sitting and then slowly reached out her hand to the armrest, just like she had been reaching out for our hands throughout the day]. She also kept pointing to the corner of the room and fixing her gaze there. Sometimes, her face looked pained and she kept trying to turn over to get comfortable. We gave her some meds to try and calm her but she wasn't settling down. The nurse came by again and gave her a stronger medication to help her relax and finally, around 11:00, she curled up in her corner again and went back to sleep.
My brother got in at noon and spent time by Mom's side, rubbing her arm and stroking her hair. Mom had some visitors trickle in throughout the day, including a couple of her caregivers who have been relieved of their duties but still wanted to be with Mom (they've come to love her over the time they've cared for her). Her bathing nurse also made a visit and we gave her a bed bath. She slept through it, although she was a little more responsive his time around as she kept trying to turn back over on her side.
Her breathing remained the same throughout the day, 6 breaths a minute. She didn't wake up again, but she seemed to be comfortable and not feeling any pain. That evening, a family friend (and Ecclesiastical leader from our church) came to visit our family. He gave my mom a sweet prayer blessing, blessing her with the comfort to know that her family is here and loves her, that we will be okay and lean on each other to get through this. He told her that there are angels on the other side, family members who are waiting to help her on both sides. He also left my dad and me with a prayer and blessing of strength and comfort to get through what is to come. It was a nice visit and he left us (or at least me, since I can only speak for myself) with comfort and a little more peace. The anxiety and knots in my stomach that I have been feeling for the past couple of days have finally settled. I needed that prayer.
Later that night, we rolled Mom to a new position and heard some rattling in her chest. Her pulse has gotten weaker and Aunt Sharon felt like she was getting closer to the end. We all gathered around her bedside: my dad laying by her side and her kids and grandkids surrounding her and rubbing her and holding her hands. We stayed like that for a couple of hours, until the exhaustion of the past few days became too much and we started to fall asleep, one by one. The kids retreated to their campout on the living room floor, my brother and his wife took the bed across the hall from mom, and the rest of us crashed on Mom's floor or in chairs. Dad didn't move from her side on the bed. Throughout the night, we all awoke at different times to check on her. Miraculously, she is still here with us this morning. Her brother flies in from Pennsylvania at 1:00 this afternoon, and I told her a few day ago that he would be here. They were very close throughout their lives and he's the only sibling that hasn't been here to give his good-bye. I do believe that she hears us and knows us at this state and several of us feel like maybe she is waiting for her brother. We also have a couple other family members coming (my daughter comes at 4:00 today and my Aunt Peggy, dad's sister, comes at 7 am tomorrow). When Mom is ready, she's ready. Until then, we are keeping her comfortable and cherishing our last moments to love on her in this life.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Tuesday 7/25
The day started at 1:00 this morning; I was startled awake by the sound of Mom coughing next to me. I popped out of my chair and she was coughing stuff out of her mouth. Because she can't swallow, the medicine residue and saliva had built up and she was (luckily) coughing it out. I called out for Dad, who wasn't on his air mattress beside her. Of course she waited for the moment he went to the bathroom to do this. After the incident, dad slept beside her on her hospital bed. I don't think the nurse did a good enough job explaining this part to me. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't really expecting all of those secretions and since then we have been diligent about swabbing her mouth to remove the excess residue.
By 4:00 am, Mom tried to sit up. This time it was with a lot of effort. She became very restless, laying down and then sitting up, pointing to the doors (like maybe she wanted to go out for a walk). We gave her more meds but she was still restless for another hour and a half. I sat at the foot of her bed and rubbed her legs and feet in hopes of soothing her and that seemed to settle her down; she finally fell back asleep around 5:30. By 7:00, she was awake and restless yet again. She wasn't due for meds quite yet but she seemed very agitated, like maybe she was in pain. We gave her her next round of meds a little bit early and she tried to sit up again. She couldn't stand, but Dad was able to hold her into a standing position to give her a stretch and put her in the wheelchair; we thought maybe she'd like a little ride around the block. The morning air was cool and she did seem content as we pushed her up and down the street, but by the time we got home she looked ready to rest again.
Throughout the day, this pattern of restlessness and agitation continued. She seemed uncomfortable and in pain. I spent a lot of time rubbing her body in hopes of calming her. She seemed to relax a lot more when people were touching or rubbing her. I brought my essential oils and used them on her legs and back, hoping her help her find relief. In the meantime, I had put a call in to the nurse, who made her way to the house around 10:30. She agreed that Mom seemed to be uncomfortable and in pain, so after consulting with the head nurse and doctor, they decided to up her dosage of morphine. It took a while to kick in and there were still spurts here and there where she would wake up and start turning in her bed. She wanted to keep sitting up, but by the end of the day, she was too weak to do it on her own :(
By late afternoon, she finally settled down and fell into a sleep and I began to notice small changes in her breathing. My Aunt Sharon (the RN) also noticed. It is as if she is breathing in, holding for a few seconds, and then releasing. I know what this means. She has been laying in the same position for past 3 1/2 hours without flinching. I fear that when I am finished writing this post and go to try and turn her that she won't wake up from her sleep.
I'm not gonna lie, I am really struggling today. Dad has been busying himself with cleaning up the house. I know it is extremely difficult for him to see her at this stage; he was hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't come to this. He was hoping for the miracle that she would go quietly in her sleep. It is devastating to see her like this. My heart feels like it is breaking into two. I have prepared myself as much as I possibly could; I've read and learned all I could to mentally strengthen myself for this day and now that we are here, I am breaking. I don't know if my heart can take it.
My brother drives back in tomorrow night. My Uncle Jeff, Mom's brother, flies in from Pennsylvania on Thursday. My daughter, Maurina, flies in Thursday afternoon and my Aunt Peggy early Friday morning. I am hoping that they each will have a chance to say good-bye. And I really need them here to help me get through this. I know my dad does, too.
By 4:00 am, Mom tried to sit up. This time it was with a lot of effort. She became very restless, laying down and then sitting up, pointing to the doors (like maybe she wanted to go out for a walk). We gave her more meds but she was still restless for another hour and a half. I sat at the foot of her bed and rubbed her legs and feet in hopes of soothing her and that seemed to settle her down; she finally fell back asleep around 5:30. By 7:00, she was awake and restless yet again. She wasn't due for meds quite yet but she seemed very agitated, like maybe she was in pain. We gave her her next round of meds a little bit early and she tried to sit up again. She couldn't stand, but Dad was able to hold her into a standing position to give her a stretch and put her in the wheelchair; we thought maybe she'd like a little ride around the block. The morning air was cool and she did seem content as we pushed her up and down the street, but by the time we got home she looked ready to rest again.
Throughout the day, this pattern of restlessness and agitation continued. She seemed uncomfortable and in pain. I spent a lot of time rubbing her body in hopes of calming her. She seemed to relax a lot more when people were touching or rubbing her. I brought my essential oils and used them on her legs and back, hoping her help her find relief. In the meantime, I had put a call in to the nurse, who made her way to the house around 10:30. She agreed that Mom seemed to be uncomfortable and in pain, so after consulting with the head nurse and doctor, they decided to up her dosage of morphine. It took a while to kick in and there were still spurts here and there where she would wake up and start turning in her bed. She wanted to keep sitting up, but by the end of the day, she was too weak to do it on her own :(
By late afternoon, she finally settled down and fell into a sleep and I began to notice small changes in her breathing. My Aunt Sharon (the RN) also noticed. It is as if she is breathing in, holding for a few seconds, and then releasing. I know what this means. She has been laying in the same position for past 3 1/2 hours without flinching. I fear that when I am finished writing this post and go to try and turn her that she won't wake up from her sleep.
I'm not gonna lie, I am really struggling today. Dad has been busying himself with cleaning up the house. I know it is extremely difficult for him to see her at this stage; he was hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't come to this. He was hoping for the miracle that she would go quietly in her sleep. It is devastating to see her like this. My heart feels like it is breaking into two. I have prepared myself as much as I possibly could; I've read and learned all I could to mentally strengthen myself for this day and now that we are here, I am breaking. I don't know if my heart can take it.
My brother drives back in tomorrow night. My Uncle Jeff, Mom's brother, flies in from Pennsylvania on Thursday. My daughter, Maurina, flies in Thursday afternoon and my Aunt Peggy early Friday morning. I am hoping that they each will have a chance to say good-bye. And I really need them here to help me get through this. I know my dad does, too.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Monday 7/24
Last night I slept at Mom's house, just in case Dad needed me in the night. She seemed to sleep pretty well, until the morphine wore off around 3:00. As soon I heard Mom's bedroom door open across from my old bedroom that I was sleeping in, I sprung awake. I met Mom in the hall, who was being guided by Dad as she shuffled slowly down the hallway. Dad was bracing her, but she was very wobbly and looked very weak. Dad carefully walked her to the living room and back while I got her next dose of morphine ready. After giving her her meds, and changing her diaper, we were able to get her back into bed and Dad laid on one side of the bed while I laid on the chair next to her. It seems like 4 is the lucky number; she is content for about 4 hours until she due for her next dose of morphine. At 7:00, she sat up in bed (while we prepped the meds) but she didn't get up to walk this time; she was too weak. The next time she sat up was 10:00, and still she was unable to walk. It took great effort for her to even stand up, and that was with her arms around our necks and us bearing her weight to help her stand. We brought in the wheelchair and got her and took for a short walk outside. Our dear neighbors from down the street (whose daughter was my best friend all through grade school) were coming over to visit Mom at that same time, so they walked with Dad and me up the street until it started raining and retreated us back into the house.
Throughout the remainder of the day, Mom was unable to regain her walking ability. We took her for a few walks in the wheelchair, but it is a great effort to get her in there and I fear that tomorrow it may be too difficult for her. Luckily, her hospital bed arrived today and that has been helpful in positioning her more comfortably and getting her up into a sitting position. The nurse also made a visit. She has had a few low-grade fevers off and on but not high enough to warrant the Tylenol suppository. Her heart and lungs sounded okay, but her oxygen level dropped a little too low (87) so the nurse told us to keep oxygen on her. I thought she was going to rip the tubes out of her nose and she has fussed at them a couple of times, but she's actually kept it on most of the day.
Mom had quite a few visitors today and to be honest, it was a nice distraction for us. Mom laid and slept with her visitors sitting by her side. She was peaceful for most of the time, until the meds started wearing off. When the meds wear off, she starts to get restless. Her faced has looked a little more pained and she's been rubbing at parts of her body that seem to be hurting. I (and others) have been rubbing her back and legs to help her discomfort. I rubbed her legs and feet with lotion hoping that it might soothe her. Some of the older grandkids have been trying to help her get comfortable as well: stroking her hair, holding her hand, adjusting her pillows, and giving her rubs, which has been really sweet. She seems to enjoy the rubs and on several occasions her hand will slowly slip out from beneath her blanket to reposition my hand on a particular spot that she wants me to rub. There is one spot on her back-hip area that she keeps moving my hand to. If I even slip a few inches below that spot, she will move my hand back where she wants it! At least we know that she's finding the comfort in the rubs.
For now, I have kind of moved myself in to Mom's room. My husband brought in my comfy recliner from home and it's parked next to her bed. Dad has set up his mattress on the other side. Dad's taken his leave from work and my husband has been very understanding with my need to be beside her. Luckily, the kids all want to be here too (along with their cousins). I think they are finding their strength and courage in each other. If there's one thing I want them to learn from this, it is how to come together as a family to help those we love.
Throughout the remainder of the day, Mom was unable to regain her walking ability. We took her for a few walks in the wheelchair, but it is a great effort to get her in there and I fear that tomorrow it may be too difficult for her. Luckily, her hospital bed arrived today and that has been helpful in positioning her more comfortably and getting her up into a sitting position. The nurse also made a visit. She has had a few low-grade fevers off and on but not high enough to warrant the Tylenol suppository. Her heart and lungs sounded okay, but her oxygen level dropped a little too low (87) so the nurse told us to keep oxygen on her. I thought she was going to rip the tubes out of her nose and she has fussed at them a couple of times, but she's actually kept it on most of the day.
Mom had quite a few visitors today and to be honest, it was a nice distraction for us. Mom laid and slept with her visitors sitting by her side. She was peaceful for most of the time, until the meds started wearing off. When the meds wear off, she starts to get restless. Her faced has looked a little more pained and she's been rubbing at parts of her body that seem to be hurting. I (and others) have been rubbing her back and legs to help her discomfort. I rubbed her legs and feet with lotion hoping that it might soothe her. Some of the older grandkids have been trying to help her get comfortable as well: stroking her hair, holding her hand, adjusting her pillows, and giving her rubs, which has been really sweet. She seems to enjoy the rubs and on several occasions her hand will slowly slip out from beneath her blanket to reposition my hand on a particular spot that she wants me to rub. There is one spot on her back-hip area that she keeps moving my hand to. If I even slip a few inches below that spot, she will move my hand back where she wants it! At least we know that she's finding the comfort in the rubs.
For now, I have kind of moved myself in to Mom's room. My husband brought in my comfy recliner from home and it's parked next to her bed. Dad has set up his mattress on the other side. Dad's taken his leave from work and my husband has been very understanding with my need to be beside her. Luckily, the kids all want to be here too (along with their cousins). I think they are finding their strength and courage in each other. If there's one thing I want them to learn from this, it is how to come together as a family to help those we love.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Morphine
Some people have been texting and asking for updates on mom. I will try to be better and post updates daily or at least every other day. I know that friends and family who are far away want to be kept in the loop and it's easier to write one post than to make several calls and texts. We appreciate all of the texts, phone calls, visits, thoughts and prayers that we have received.
Last night, we started Mom on morphine. It's been really difficult to determine if Mom is in pain, due to the fact that she can no longer communicate; even her expressions are gone. I've been trying to read up on kidney failure just to get an idea of signals to look for that could indicate that she's in pain (especially since the doctor said to expect it in the next few days). I stumbled onto a couple of websites that spelled out the 10 symptoms and she fits every single one. I think reason would say that she's in pain. For the past couple of days, she's been especially restless. She has been unable to lay down and sleep for more than a few minutes at a time and she looks completely exhausted. When she was finally laying down, I noticed her legs shaking/rocking, feet tapping and she would rub her hands over her face as if she's frustrated. Her skin has looked flushed and today, her cheeks are puffy (which, from what I understand, means that her kidneys are unable to excrete excess fluids, leading to swelling in other parts of her body). All of these signs lead me to believe that she is feeling pain, and how can she not when her kidneys are shutting down?
The decision to administer the morphine hasn't been an easy one. My dad is worried about unnecessarily giving her meds and over-medicating her; he doesn't want her to become a "zombie". It's a scary step because it means we lose that last little bit of spark left in her. My Aunt Sharon (who is an ICU nurse) was over last night, and made the same observations that she might be uncomfortable at this stage. She talked to my dad and the decision was made to give her some morphine. It really has calmed her down and she has been able to rest so much more peacefully. The side effect, however, is grogginess while she is awake. She does still try to get up and walk around, but when she does we have to follow beside her because she is losing strength and becoming wobbly. It is painful to see her like this. But the thought of her being in pain is even worse. We are trying to take it day by day, hour by hour and adjust as needed.
We put in a call for her hospital bed; it should be here by tomorrow. I think that will help her with getting up and down and put our minds at ease about her falling out of bed. Also, as much as we want to think it won't happen, she will probably not be ambulatory for much longer. We are making plans to have someone in her room with her at all times now, so that will mean taking shifts throughout the night. My sister-in-law and I dusted and tidied up her room today and I brought over some lavender oil to diffuse in her room. We've put on some of her favorite, calming instrumental CD's to play softly in the background. We are trying to keep her calm and relaxed through this process as much as possible.
We have all been taking turns sitting beside her throughout the day. This afternoon, I sat next her and she had her blanket over her face (a funny thing she likes to do while she sleeps) and was seemingly asleep. All of the sudden, her hand slipped out from the blanket and felt for mine. Her body didn't stir, her eyes were still closed, but she firmly held onto my hand and pulled it up to her face. It was such a sweet moment, it brought me to tears. She knows that I'm here and I know that she feels comfort in being surrounded by so many people who love her.
Last night, we started Mom on morphine. It's been really difficult to determine if Mom is in pain, due to the fact that she can no longer communicate; even her expressions are gone. I've been trying to read up on kidney failure just to get an idea of signals to look for that could indicate that she's in pain (especially since the doctor said to expect it in the next few days). I stumbled onto a couple of websites that spelled out the 10 symptoms and she fits every single one. I think reason would say that she's in pain. For the past couple of days, she's been especially restless. She has been unable to lay down and sleep for more than a few minutes at a time and she looks completely exhausted. When she was finally laying down, I noticed her legs shaking/rocking, feet tapping and she would rub her hands over her face as if she's frustrated. Her skin has looked flushed and today, her cheeks are puffy (which, from what I understand, means that her kidneys are unable to excrete excess fluids, leading to swelling in other parts of her body). All of these signs lead me to believe that she is feeling pain, and how can she not when her kidneys are shutting down?
The decision to administer the morphine hasn't been an easy one. My dad is worried about unnecessarily giving her meds and over-medicating her; he doesn't want her to become a "zombie". It's a scary step because it means we lose that last little bit of spark left in her. My Aunt Sharon (who is an ICU nurse) was over last night, and made the same observations that she might be uncomfortable at this stage. She talked to my dad and the decision was made to give her some morphine. It really has calmed her down and she has been able to rest so much more peacefully. The side effect, however, is grogginess while she is awake. She does still try to get up and walk around, but when she does we have to follow beside her because she is losing strength and becoming wobbly. It is painful to see her like this. But the thought of her being in pain is even worse. We are trying to take it day by day, hour by hour and adjust as needed.
We put in a call for her hospital bed; it should be here by tomorrow. I think that will help her with getting up and down and put our minds at ease about her falling out of bed. Also, as much as we want to think it won't happen, she will probably not be ambulatory for much longer. We are making plans to have someone in her room with her at all times now, so that will mean taking shifts throughout the night. My sister-in-law and I dusted and tidied up her room today and I brought over some lavender oil to diffuse in her room. We've put on some of her favorite, calming instrumental CD's to play softly in the background. We are trying to keep her calm and relaxed through this process as much as possible.
We have all been taking turns sitting beside her throughout the day. This afternoon, I sat next her and she had her blanket over her face (a funny thing she likes to do while she sleeps) and was seemingly asleep. All of the sudden, her hand slipped out from the blanket and felt for mine. Her body didn't stir, her eyes were still closed, but she firmly held onto my hand and pulled it up to her face. It was such a sweet moment, it brought me to tears. She knows that I'm here and I know that she feels comfort in being surrounded by so many people who love her.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Difficult Update
I was halfway through writing another post, all about Mom's hospice assessment on Tuesday, but after events of this afternoon, all of those details seem long and drawn out and unnecessary; quite honestly I just don't have the energy for it all. To summarize the events of the past few days, Mom was put on hospice on Tuesday. We were a little surprised that they finally approved her, given that she's still ambulatory (the reason why we were rejected before). This time, we had a great nurse who listened and looked at all of the evidence (food logs, weight logs, etc) and pled our unique case to the doctor. They both agreed that she was appropriate to receive the service and we breathed a sigh of relief; finally, we are receiving help! The past couple of days have consisted of nursing visits (by both the RN as well as the bathing nurse), social workers and finally, today, a visit from the doctor himself. We were hoping for some insight from the doctor of what to expect in the coming weeks and possibly months, and I think that even though we knew what we were facing, we were still caught a little off guard with the news he delivered.
To start with, Mom's eating and drinking has dwindled down to practically nothing. In fact, for the past 2 days she has only had a few bites and a few sips of water. She has been sleeping for long periods of time throughout the day; I'd guess that she's been sleeping close to 20 hours out of the day. We have noticed some blood in the urine bowl and dad wanted me to ask the doctor about that (dad had to work; the doctor was scheduled to come mid-morning so I told him that I'd be there to meet with him).
The doctor arrived mid-afternoon. I'm very thankful that my brother and sister-in-law were there with me to speak to him, for support and also so they could hear what he had to say. When he arrived, the three of us went back to Mom's room with him so he could see her and talk about her situation. He had already reviewed the detailed notes given to him by the nurse and we filled him in on her lack of eating and drinking over the past couple of days. I also explained that she appeared to have blood in her urine. He started to tell us that she was in fact, shutting down, but he hadn't given us any kind of timeline at this point. My brother and I brought up our concerns and reservations about leaving on our upcoming family vacation (we had planned to travel to Colorado for my cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks). At that point, he gave it to us straight. He told us that we should not go anywhere. He then told us that we were probably looking at 2-3 weeks, a month at most. The blood in her urine indicates renal failure and he said that within a few days, her kidneys would likely be shutting down. After that, it will be a domino effect with her other organs. He told us to contact any family members or friends who would like to see her and to tie up any loose ends. He stood with us in silence as we absorbed the information and held back tears. We asked some more questions and he answered them all, very compassionately yet matter-of-factly.
I have been feeling like the time is getting close, but I honestly wasn't expecting this news today. No sooner than the doctor drove up the street to leave than my dad drove down the street, arriving home from work. He asked if the doctor had any insight for us and that's about when I lost it. It was very difficult news to have to deliver. There was an initial shock and as you can imagine, this is very difficult news for everyone to come to terms with, but most especially my dad. After some time to let it all sink in, Dad asked me to call certain family members and friends for him. Please don't be offended if you didn't get a personal call from me; this has been a little overwhelming for me, too, and I asked some Aunts/Uncles to help me contact everyone. At this time, he really isn't up to talking to anyone on the phone. He gave me permission to give updates on this blog, but he is asking for friends and family members to please not make posts about this on Facebook; he would rather this be the one spot for people to get their information from. Also, it's just too hard for him to see these posts right now. While she is our Mom, our sister, our friend, she is his wife. As much as we love her, nobody can be hurting right now as much as my dad.
For those family members and friends who would like to visit with Mom, he is open to having visitors. I would suggest for those who want to do that to reach out to and coordinate with me so that we don't overwhelm Mom with too many visitors at one time.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers throughout this journey and especially now, during this difficult time.
To start with, Mom's eating and drinking has dwindled down to practically nothing. In fact, for the past 2 days she has only had a few bites and a few sips of water. She has been sleeping for long periods of time throughout the day; I'd guess that she's been sleeping close to 20 hours out of the day. We have noticed some blood in the urine bowl and dad wanted me to ask the doctor about that (dad had to work; the doctor was scheduled to come mid-morning so I told him that I'd be there to meet with him).
The doctor arrived mid-afternoon. I'm very thankful that my brother and sister-in-law were there with me to speak to him, for support and also so they could hear what he had to say. When he arrived, the three of us went back to Mom's room with him so he could see her and talk about her situation. He had already reviewed the detailed notes given to him by the nurse and we filled him in on her lack of eating and drinking over the past couple of days. I also explained that she appeared to have blood in her urine. He started to tell us that she was in fact, shutting down, but he hadn't given us any kind of timeline at this point. My brother and I brought up our concerns and reservations about leaving on our upcoming family vacation (we had planned to travel to Colorado for my cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks). At that point, he gave it to us straight. He told us that we should not go anywhere. He then told us that we were probably looking at 2-3 weeks, a month at most. The blood in her urine indicates renal failure and he said that within a few days, her kidneys would likely be shutting down. After that, it will be a domino effect with her other organs. He told us to contact any family members or friends who would like to see her and to tie up any loose ends. He stood with us in silence as we absorbed the information and held back tears. We asked some more questions and he answered them all, very compassionately yet matter-of-factly.
I have been feeling like the time is getting close, but I honestly wasn't expecting this news today. No sooner than the doctor drove up the street to leave than my dad drove down the street, arriving home from work. He asked if the doctor had any insight for us and that's about when I lost it. It was very difficult news to have to deliver. There was an initial shock and as you can imagine, this is very difficult news for everyone to come to terms with, but most especially my dad. After some time to let it all sink in, Dad asked me to call certain family members and friends for him. Please don't be offended if you didn't get a personal call from me; this has been a little overwhelming for me, too, and I asked some Aunts/Uncles to help me contact everyone. At this time, he really isn't up to talking to anyone on the phone. He gave me permission to give updates on this blog, but he is asking for friends and family members to please not make posts about this on Facebook; he would rather this be the one spot for people to get their information from. Also, it's just too hard for him to see these posts right now. While she is our Mom, our sister, our friend, she is his wife. As much as we love her, nobody can be hurting right now as much as my dad.
For those family members and friends who would like to visit with Mom, he is open to having visitors. I would suggest for those who want to do that to reach out to and coordinate with me so that we don't overwhelm Mom with too many visitors at one time.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers throughout this journey and especially now, during this difficult time.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Beginning of the End
I've gone back and forth about writing this post. I've written and re-written and debated if I was being overdramatic about the way things are going. I thought maybe things would improve and that Mom was just having a bad day (or two). But in the pit of my stomach, I know the tides are changing. We are entering the end stages of this disease.
From the beginning, we've known that this illness would be terminal. The only question has been how it would play out. Many people are taken from pneumonia or other infections; others simply stop eating. It is the process the body goes through when shutting down. Over the past 8 months, Mom has lost over 60 pounds. Every month, and now every week, she is losing weight (she lost another 4 pounds last week). Her eating has gradually declined over the months. Last fall, she was eating full-sized pb&j sandwiches. Then she started only eating about half, so we were making her half-sized portions. Eventually, those were cut down to quarters. Over the past couple of weeks, those quarters became eighths, and finally, within the past couple of weeks, she isn't finishing the eighths. If we are lucky, she will take a couple of bites before getting up from the table and walking away. Many times (more and more) she will sit down to eat, watch us make the sandwich, and then stare blankly and eventually walk away without taking any bites. A couple of months ago, we started keeping her food log again where we write down the time and amount of food she eats. From there, we are able to see how much she is eating per day and even per week. Up until the week of June 17th, she was averaging about 3 1/2 sandwiches a day (give or take, depending on the day) and her weekly average was 21 sandwiches. A couple of weeks ago, that average changed to 15 sandwiches per week and for the past two weeks it's dropped down to 10-11 for the whole week. As I am typing this, I am sitting in her living room while she sleeps in her room. It is after 11:00 (am); she woke for an hour but has not eaten or drinken a thing at all yet today.
Even more worrisome than the food situation is the water. She only drinks when she eats, so you can imagine where that is going. For a few weeks now, she's only been finishing one water bottle (16 oz) of water. Now, it's a good day if she gets in a full 16 oz. Most days she'll drink about 12 oz and on a few bad days she drinken as little as 8 oz. Basically, she's living on about one sandwich and 12 oz. of water a day; for this week, anyway. Each week gets worse and worse. As you can imagine, it's only a matter of time before this takes it's toll and her body begins to shut down, and I think it already is. I believe she is becoming dehydrated already. She has little urine output, her skin is extremely dry, her cheeks are looking sunken in. She is sleeping a lot throughout the day. She will sometimes nap for hours during the days; once she wakes up, she'll pace around for a bit before returning to lay down again. She hasn't been "talking" much. Her voice sounds faint and weak when she does attempt to speak, which isn't often. Her interest isn't held on anything for more than a couple of seconds. We are having trouble getting her to take her medicine (swallowing is part of that problem). She has had a couple of falls as well. Last week, my dad went to check in on her in the morning and he found her laying on the bathroom floor, halfway into his closet. The bruising up and down her side confirms our suspicions that she somehow fell and was unable to get up.
I know what you all might suggest: hospice. At our last evaluation, they told us there was nothing they can do until she either: no longer walks, develops an infection/pneumonia (has some other medical need), is in pain. Even lack of eating or dehydration won't qualify her. Yet, home health was coming in for a few weeks and has decided to close her case because there is nothing they can do for her; they are in the business of helping people get better (the nurse agreed that hospice is more appropriate for the situation). So right now, Mom is falling between the gaps of our healthcare system. I'm not going down without a fight, though. After talking with several people in my online FTD support group, and upon their insistence, I have put in another call to a different hospice company. Speaking to those who have been through this, or are currently going through the same thing, my initial instinct has been confirmed: that Mom's time left with us is limited. Whether we have weeks or months, I can't say. If she continues her decline at this rate, I would say a few months at best. Needless to say, these are rough waters for us right now :(
From the beginning, we've known that this illness would be terminal. The only question has been how it would play out. Many people are taken from pneumonia or other infections; others simply stop eating. It is the process the body goes through when shutting down. Over the past 8 months, Mom has lost over 60 pounds. Every month, and now every week, she is losing weight (she lost another 4 pounds last week). Her eating has gradually declined over the months. Last fall, she was eating full-sized pb&j sandwiches. Then she started only eating about half, so we were making her half-sized portions. Eventually, those were cut down to quarters. Over the past couple of weeks, those quarters became eighths, and finally, within the past couple of weeks, she isn't finishing the eighths. If we are lucky, she will take a couple of bites before getting up from the table and walking away. Many times (more and more) she will sit down to eat, watch us make the sandwich, and then stare blankly and eventually walk away without taking any bites. A couple of months ago, we started keeping her food log again where we write down the time and amount of food she eats. From there, we are able to see how much she is eating per day and even per week. Up until the week of June 17th, she was averaging about 3 1/2 sandwiches a day (give or take, depending on the day) and her weekly average was 21 sandwiches. A couple of weeks ago, that average changed to 15 sandwiches per week and for the past two weeks it's dropped down to 10-11 for the whole week. As I am typing this, I am sitting in her living room while she sleeps in her room. It is after 11:00 (am); she woke for an hour but has not eaten or drinken a thing at all yet today.
Even more worrisome than the food situation is the water. She only drinks when she eats, so you can imagine where that is going. For a few weeks now, she's only been finishing one water bottle (16 oz) of water. Now, it's a good day if she gets in a full 16 oz. Most days she'll drink about 12 oz and on a few bad days she drinken as little as 8 oz. Basically, she's living on about one sandwich and 12 oz. of water a day; for this week, anyway. Each week gets worse and worse. As you can imagine, it's only a matter of time before this takes it's toll and her body begins to shut down, and I think it already is. I believe she is becoming dehydrated already. She has little urine output, her skin is extremely dry, her cheeks are looking sunken in. She is sleeping a lot throughout the day. She will sometimes nap for hours during the days; once she wakes up, she'll pace around for a bit before returning to lay down again. She hasn't been "talking" much. Her voice sounds faint and weak when she does attempt to speak, which isn't often. Her interest isn't held on anything for more than a couple of seconds. We are having trouble getting her to take her medicine (swallowing is part of that problem). She has had a couple of falls as well. Last week, my dad went to check in on her in the morning and he found her laying on the bathroom floor, halfway into his closet. The bruising up and down her side confirms our suspicions that she somehow fell and was unable to get up.
I know what you all might suggest: hospice. At our last evaluation, they told us there was nothing they can do until she either: no longer walks, develops an infection/pneumonia (has some other medical need), is in pain. Even lack of eating or dehydration won't qualify her. Yet, home health was coming in for a few weeks and has decided to close her case because there is nothing they can do for her; they are in the business of helping people get better (the nurse agreed that hospice is more appropriate for the situation). So right now, Mom is falling between the gaps of our healthcare system. I'm not going down without a fight, though. After talking with several people in my online FTD support group, and upon their insistence, I have put in another call to a different hospice company. Speaking to those who have been through this, or are currently going through the same thing, my initial instinct has been confirmed: that Mom's time left with us is limited. Whether we have weeks or months, I can't say. If she continues her decline at this rate, I would say a few months at best. Needless to say, these are rough waters for us right now :(
Friday, July 7, 2017
First Annual Memory Masquerade
To start with, we have received our very first grant, through the County of Riverside, to help fund the event. It wasn't large (the largest grants they are giving out are $1,000, which is what we received), but it helped a lot and gave us (the committee) the confidence we needed to move forward. For the first time, we were able to secure sponsors for our event and we received some great donations for our silent auction! Some of the awesome things we received include a helicopter ride, lunch with the Mayor of Riverside, an autographed copy of Kimberly Williams-Paisley's book, professional photography packages...the list goes on! Best of all, we had support from friends, family, and others within the dementia community.
In the months before the event, I became very anxious and worried. What if, after all of this planning and prepping, nobody showed up? What if we only broke even with our overhead costs or worse, what if we ended up in the negative? Other (more experienced) members of my committee tried to reassure me that no matter what, it would be a success. They told me that if we got 40-50 people out to a first-time gala, it would be a success; if we broke even in our expenses or made just one or two thousand dollars, it would be a success. I told them I wanted to shoot higher: my goal was 100 people and $10,000. I saw some of my volunteers wince as I said it. They told me I should expect half of that. I started to second guess myself. I decided I better not set my hopes too high. If we could reach those numbers, I'd be thrilled; but if we only had 40 people show up, I knew I'd be really discouraged.
Fast forward past all of the tedious details leading up to the night of the gala. Nobody wants to read about all of the sweat and tears that went into it! Suffice it to say that it was a lot of hard work but I am proud to say that the evening was a big success. We ended up with 75 people on our guest list and we raised over $9,000!! (That does NOT count in the value of everything that was donated to us for the event!) Even though we didn't quite reach the goal I had set, it exceeded my realistic expectations of the evening. We had rotary club members and representatives from the city and the Mayor of Jurupa Valley (a long time friend of our family) came and emceed the event. One of the greatest things for me, on a personal level, was to have so many family members come out to support what we are doing. My dad and his sister and brother-in-law came, one of my mom's brothers (and his wife) came, my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and a couple of my husband's siblings came. My twin brother and his wife came in from Arizona. For most of these family members, it was their first time attending a foundation event. It meant so much to me to have them all there. I was so happy that they could see what it is that we are accomplishing with the foundation.
There were some things that I would do differently for next year, but all-in-all it was a very successful event. Our guests all seemed to enjoy themselves. We had a photo booth (with a photographer on spot) which really added a lot to the evening. The decorations turned out beautiful. I think everyone went away feeling that it was a lovely evening. As we were cleaning up, one of our volunteers (who has been to just about every charity event in the city) made the comment to me, "This is by far THEE best first time gala I have EVER been to." Needless to say, I was on cloud 9 for the next few days!!
It is hard to put into words what this foundation means to me. It is so much more than just raising money to help other people. Of course, that is why I started it; I wanted to help other people and build a community of support for those going through this horrible disease. But this is also a way for me to remember my mom, to keep her alive and a part of my life. When she is no longer here with us physically, this will be her legacy. Through this foundation, we are able to keep her memory alive and honor the life she led. We are able to give people that same opportunity-to honor and remember their loved ones. It is so easy to be overcome with grief when going through this journey, but this has truly helped me to work through that grief. It gives me a sense of purpose and the opportunity to "make lemonade out of the lemons". I am excited to see where this next year brings the foundation, and really looking forward to making the Memory Masquerade even bigger and better next year!
Parts of the event were videoed and will be featured in the documentary that is being filmed about our family journey with dementia (it's due to be completed by the end of this summer!) I will definitely share that documentary when it is finished. In the meantime, here are some fun photos of the evening!
Some set up and decoration pictures:
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