Sorry to hear your news too Odie. I'll pray for you too.

Ya know, in the midst of all this, I have to say that I look upon life
as a gift from God. I did nothing to earn it. Now that the time is
coming to give it back, I can't complain. I'm in my late 50s so I've
seen a lot of life and a lot of the world. I've accomplished things I
though I could never do. I've felt love more than most. I'm not
exactly looking forward to it, but when I do die, I know it will be a
good day to die.

I have a pet interest in astronomy and astrophysics (my hero is John
Polkinghorne http://www.polkinghorne.org/) and can't help but believe
that all that universe above us is there for a purpose. I can't quote
scripture and verse but there is something inside me that pulls me to
believe that it's all a big playground. I'm looking forward to having
fun.

But... I ain't dead yet!! And there's still plenty of living yet to
do. In typical I Love Raymond fashion, I told my wife that now we have
to have as much sex as possible ;-)

Life is good.

Did you hear about the man who thought he was dead? This guy firmly
believed he was dead, even though he was a living,
normally-functioning human being. Well, his wife persuaded him to
visit a psychiatrist, who tried in vain to convince him that he was in
fact alive. Finally, the psychiatrist hit upon a plan. He showed the
man medical reports and scientific evidence that dead men do not
bleed. After thoroughly convincing the man that dead men do not bleed,
the psychiatrist took out a pin and pricked the man’s finger. When the
man saw the drop of blood trickle down his finger, his eyes bugged
out. "Ha!" he cried, "Dead men do bleed after all!"
--An argument used by christian philosopher William Lane Craig
[http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/menus/] to illustrate the
power of pre-suppositions)

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 18:01:18 GMT, "Odette \(AKA Odie\)"
<oyuhas@cfl.rr.com> wrotF:

"Odette \(AKA Odie\)" <oyuhas@cfl.rr.com> wrote in
news:Onvzf.7911$Zj7.5966@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:

Hi, Odie,

Have you discussed this with your husband?  It's your & his decision, of
course. Maybe you want to leave familiar surroundings as part of the
process?  Everyone's different, but please consider your choices
carefully.

From my own experience:
The last week I spent with Socks at home was one of the most tender times
of our marriage. Of course, we had no way of knowing it would be his
final days.  Yes, he needed constant care & monitoring.  But he got up &
sat in a chair regularly - on his own, I was able to bathe him on a
shower chair (he developed a deep need for cleanliness) & most nights he
wanted to sleep with me & our kitties in our bed.  Hospice bed was 2
flights down in family room, but we got him upstairs & comfortable.  We
had dinner guests the night before he was transferred to the hospice pain
control center, where he died a few days later. The quality of our time
together was far greater at home than in hospice.  We even went to a
Broncos football game that week (amazes me now to think of how we
managed). He spent 1 night of that week in a nursing home where he became
confused, upset & agitated. That was a very long night for me.  He became
childlike, wanting/needing his mommy (me).

Staying at home does require constant care & a lot of people can't manage
that or maybe don't want it.  Socks had his Aunt Ruth who moved in with
us for the last 2 months, She administered his meds around the clock -
it's demanding work. She engaged him in games when friends visited, kept
him company while I worked. She was away when his pain levels required
that he enter the hospice center.  We had planned a home death, but
things don't always play out as planned.

You will choose what is right for you, Odie.  I only hope you consider
all your options & discuss with a number of people (hubby at top of
list).

All my best,
Fig

Ahhhhh... The Adirondacks... heaven on earth (except during black fly
season when it's the opposite).  I don't know how this new drug
regiment will affect me. Fatigue is one major side effect, so is bad
acne... so I may end up like a couch potato teenager. But with no more
60-hour workweeks I could hike at as slow a pace as I wish.

Although we may move soon, I certainly will continue hanging out at
this ng. The people here are great blessings to me, 'specially you
Fig. Thanks.

--joe