Mom

…is good news.

Mom is doing really well. She finally broke through the 100 lb. barrier in getting her weight back up. And she is being switched to an every other week chemo regimen. She is sounding ambitious, even saying she is up for coming to our place for Thanksgiving. She hasn’t gone anywhere other than doctors offices

Tomorrow makes two weeks that my mom has been home, and so far so good. She’s been very careful about what she eats, but also focusing on trying to put some weight on her 95-pound frame. She’s had no nausea, not even after chemo. She has a supply of her magic lollipops, just in case

I have been working in health care for 20 years, and I continuously find myself stunned at the challenges of navigating the system. In 20 years, I have learned the questions to ask, the nuances, the resources, etc. My heart goes out to those who do not have the wherewithal or the advocate to help

Mom is finally home, feeling feisty. I spoke to her on the phone and her voice was strong. It will feel good for her to sleep in her own bed without the commotion of nurses coming and going all night. They were working to get her weight up, feeding her three milkshakes a day —

Mom seems to be recovering nicely, and there is talk of her going home tomorrow if she can hold down regular food. She has been off painkillers and nausea medicine, always a good sign. Her neighbors returned yesterday from a two-month cross-country RV trip and called me when they saw she was not there. It

Mom was moved into a private room, which is much more conducive to her overnight sleep and privacy. California has seen a boom in new hospital construction over the last decade and they have all private rooms to meet new patient privacy rules and to help minimize hospital infections. But her hospital hasn’t caught on

Back in the hospital for the fourth time in two months. At wits end.

Cancer is a game of numbers that only a Las Vegas bookie could keep straight. Every week or so, you are gaming new numbers discerned from yet another blood draw. Red blood cells–too low and you are anemic and need a blood transfusion. My mom has had several this year. White blood cells–too high and

Mom is being discharged from the hospital and going home today.