Well, it's been just over a full week since my mom was transferred from
the cancer center, where she was given a blood transfusion ("for a
boost") and fluids, to an in-patient hospice center. Mom wanted to go to
an in-patient one because of, at the time, her inability to walk or
climb stairs. She refused to allow us to put a hospital bed on the main
floor of my brother's house, where she was staying.

The hospice coordinator at the cancer center discussed our options with
my mom and us. She gave us a pamphlet and contact info for the only two
in-patient hospice centers that are dedicated solely to hospice and not
just a nursing home. My brother and I visited both. One was kind of
dreary. The other was beautiful.

After month's of fighting this disease and dealing with the constant
referral issues, non-covered prescriptions, etc, due to her health
insurer, we were amazed when the hospice coordinator at the cancer
center told us that mom's insurer would pay for the full-time hospice.

So last Monday she was transferred directly from the cancer center via
ambulance. Within 4 days she was up walking around, and was awake and
totally coherent between the hours of 7:30am and 7pm. She's remained
that way since and is doing well. Many months of pain, worry, and
fatigue, have been replaced with one big problem: she's bored out of her
mind at times : ) She's the only "resident" at the hospice center who is
young (58) and is also the only one who is capable of carrying on a
conversation. The hospice nurses, volunteers, and staff are all
extremely friendly and chat with her quite often (they have one or two
hospice nurses and at least 2 volunteers on duty at all times, with only
about 10 patients at any one time at the center with a maximum of 14).
It's a beautiful place really, and I'm so grateful that mom is there.
She's doing so much better. On Sunday she went to a relative's baby
shower. The hospice center is not what you may be thinking - it is,
basically, an assisted living type place with the goal of comfort being
number one. Mom can leave anytime she wants. We can take her to a
restaurant, etc. She has her own private room that rivals most hotels
I've stayed at. And we were able to hang framed pictures of the family,
at her request, on all of the walls.

She's improved so much, and continues to improve, that I'm concerned
they may kick her out and say she's not qualified to be there : )

Prior to this her chemo treatments were putting her in the hospital due
to dehydration and low red blood counts. The chemo also took away her
lower body strength, and confined her to a bed 22 of every 24 hours per
day. Constant pain, diarreah/constipation swings, nausea, etc.

Mom's eating fairly well now. And she is ecstatic that, for the first
time since last November, she has done a normal "poo" the past two days.
Hopefully she'll have as much quality time as possible. I'm concerned
that the dehydration will occur again, as I don't know if that was due
to the chemo or the cancer. Her oncologist, prior to referring her to
hospice, said that her body did not process protein properly and somehow
this was causing her body to not absorb fluids properly, and that was
the reason for the dehydration. So the weeks of begging mom to drink as
much fluids as possible was all for naught really. It was an un-winnable
battle. The onc said it was due to the cancer, but I don't think he
really knew that for sure. Oh well, it's not important now. Mom is
finally fairly comfortable (relatively speaking).

mark