It has been a rough summer. My mother-in-love went into hospice and passed away from pancreatic cancer on June 26, and our kids (there are six of them plus spouses and children) came home Memorial Day weekend for final visits as well as the 4th of July weekend for the funeral. A houseful of family is fun and cheers me up, but it also throws me off my routine and things do not get done.
My mother was hospitalized for a week with pneumonia and has been unable to return to her assisted living apartment, instead going into the skilled nursing wing at University Place. She has needed me for emotional support and so I have been going to visit her daily for an hour or more.
Lisa has been ill all summer, having had nine doctors' visits. At the last one, she was told she may need surgery on her ear. Then, last night she became ill again, passed out in the bathroom, and hit her head as she fell, leaving a large goose egg on her forehead. Poor girl!
Finally, I am having a spinal fusion this week. I have two collapsed discs which has allowed the vertebrae to press on the nerve running down the front of my right leg. That's caused the leg to be numb and very weak, and I have lost much of its strength and function. It has gotten weaker and weaker at an alarming rate, and I do not want to end up in a wheel chair.
I hope to be more regular again in my blogging post-op, but I won't be able to drive out to visit Abby for a few weeks. I am going to miss her so much!
So, if you are wondering why I am not writing, now you have the explanation.
The Summer of '16 has been the worst summer I have ever experienced.
Showing posts with label hospice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospice. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
Not the Summer We Expected
This is not turning out to be the summer we had expected. I am grateful to have this girl to help with stress relief.
The very first day of summer break, our daughter, Lisa, became ill with cellulitis and a lung infection. (Three weeks later, she is still ill.)
The next day, my neurosurgeon gave me the news that I had two collapsed discs in my back and that I needed a partial spinal fusion. That's now scheduled for later this summer in July. (No wonder I was having problems keeping up with my students whenever we walked someplace!) I am very stressed about the surgery, wondering if I will be healed enough to start the school year with my class - I do not want to have a substitute teacher begin it for me.
Craig's mom was hospitalized a few days after that and then went into hospice for pancreatic cancer. That's a whole new territory for us to negotiate, tinged with sadness and concern as pancreatic cancer is very painful in its end stages.
A week later, my mother went into the hospital for a week with pneumonia and a strep infection that had migrated into her lungs. I divided my time between our moms, sitting with one, then going to see the other. (I am thankful to be out of school and able to spend the time with them!)
Our kids and their families all came into town to say goodbye to Craig's mom, so we have been hosting lots and lots of people in our home. It has been good to be able to be together as we go through some tough times
With all the intense emotions, busy days, worry, and stress, I have to work to carve out my barn time. But when I see that pretty head raise as I approach, and hear Abby nicker at me in greeting, my spirits lift and I am glad I squeezed in some time with her.
The stress doesn't look to lessen any time soon, so I will be taking advantage of all the horse therapy I can get!
The very first day of summer break, our daughter, Lisa, became ill with cellulitis and a lung infection. (Three weeks later, she is still ill.)
The next day, my neurosurgeon gave me the news that I had two collapsed discs in my back and that I needed a partial spinal fusion. That's now scheduled for later this summer in July. (No wonder I was having problems keeping up with my students whenever we walked someplace!) I am very stressed about the surgery, wondering if I will be healed enough to start the school year with my class - I do not want to have a substitute teacher begin it for me.
Craig's mom was hospitalized a few days after that and then went into hospice for pancreatic cancer. That's a whole new territory for us to negotiate, tinged with sadness and concern as pancreatic cancer is very painful in its end stages.
A week later, my mother went into the hospital for a week with pneumonia and a strep infection that had migrated into her lungs. I divided my time between our moms, sitting with one, then going to see the other. (I am thankful to be out of school and able to spend the time with them!)
Our kids and their families all came into town to say goodbye to Craig's mom, so we have been hosting lots and lots of people in our home. It has been good to be able to be together as we go through some tough times
With all the intense emotions, busy days, worry, and stress, I have to work to carve out my barn time. But when I see that pretty head raise as I approach, and hear Abby nicker at me in greeting, my spirits lift and I am glad I squeezed in some time with her.
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