Mom

Today I was supposed to be on a plane to Italy for three weeks to celebrate ten years that GS proposed along the hillside overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Instead I was with mom at an infusion center, then at the hospital getting her ready for a blood transfusion tomorrow. Makes the thought of planning seem […]

Mom continues to hold her own. While she still complains of the fatigue, she has made enormous progress since a couple weeks ago. This morning she joined me in the garden as I planted four tomato plants. She directed me on where to put them, how to prepare the soil, etc. That was a significant

We’ve returned from the first round of chemo in what is now Cycle 2. Again, it’s once a week and the schedule goes like this: Week 1: carboplatin + gemzar Week 2: repeat Week 3: gemzar only Week 4: break Then we start on Cycle 3. Mom held up well and is now taking a

I came across this article in The New York Times, as the headline grabbed my attention: Caregiving as a “Roller-Coaster Ride From Hell” While the article focuses on the role of wife as caregiver, a few things resonated as the role of daughter as caregiver. In particular, the second paragraph struck a chord. So I

Good news. Mom has perked up. She’s still not eating much, but she’s not throwing up and engages in conversation. Today she worked on her word search puzzles again for the first time in two weeks. And now she’s watching the Portuguese soap opera, also the first time she’s watched TV in nearly two weeks.

The New Testament has a story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. I was reminded of this story yesterday. Mom had a terrible week with nausea and vomiting, unable to keep anything down. I’d called the infusion center yesterday morning, worried about not only nutrition but more importantly hydration. She was virtually immobile. So

It started yesterday. Mom was having a hard time keeping food down. By night time, she couldn’t even hold on to a few tablespoons of simple vegetable broth that I’d made. This morning, it started all over. My mom has nothing in her stomach and yet keeps coming up with something. We had a 10:30

Over the last year, I have read a lot about cancer in general and bladder cancer specifically. While most of my “day job” is focused on advances in pharmaceuticals, genomics, and biotechnology, I have noted an interesting trend in what I have been reading. “Establishment medicine” has finally recognized the role of integrated medicine in

Easter weekend was relatively quiet. My dear friend JS came on Saturday, bringing positive energy, familiar stories, a smile and laughter to mom’s house. What a breath of fresh air. I had decided to make traditional Portuguese Easter bread, even though my mom would not be able to eat much, if any. Something about that

The house is quiet. I used a clothes pin to attach a sign on the front door: “Sleeping. Please do not disturb.” It’s Good Friday, and a high chance that unannounced visitors may drop by on their way home from church. My mother is in no condition to receive guests. I’ve put her to bed