OTTER's CalorieKing Blog
She's gone...
Thursday, December 11th 2008
December 11, 2008, 7:57 p.m. Eastern Time...My middle sister passed away this evening after a four year fight with cancer. She was 45 years old.
The very end was peaceful, even joyful. Surrounded by friends and our stepmom, there was laughter in her room as her breathing slowed and then stopped.
My baby sister and I visited her body within the hour, said our last good-byes, and now our family begins the process of gathering the threads of her life to put to rest.
Tha...
Nursing Visit Today...
Tuesday, December 9th 2008
Middle sister is changing so fast. We had a home aide visit today, so middle sister had her little bird bath, and got to sit in the wheelchair and enjoy fresh pear as she looked out the window to the wintery sky.Then our hospice nurse came to visit. We spoke with her for about an hour. I understand now that we could be days from the end, because middle sister has already begun showing the signs of body functions shutting down.
I'm coping by living in the minute, minute-to-minute. ...
A Day of Worship, Halleleujah!
Sunday, December 7th 2008
Church visit this morning during later service, when there is Music! Gave me time to weep, time to smile, time to reflect, time to appreciate that me and my family are not the only ones in transition. Gotta stop introducing myself as "visiting a sister in last stages of cancer." I want to be a visitor, and see what happens after the introduction phase.Found a good little pamphlet for my 2-1/2 year old niece, will give it to her parents. Hope it is accepted with the spirit i...
It's not a science, it is an art...
Saturday, December 6th 2008
care of a hospice patient, that is.Middle sister has spent the last 24 hours in a state of near catatonia. Her medications were changed, with all good intentions. But learning the full ingredients of the anti-nausea medication revealed that it contained three meds to which middle sister has never had good reactions.
Now we're not sure if she'll have the chance to have lucid days before she lapses into the worser times that are coming.
A near hour-long conversation with the on-ca...
Hospice kicking in...
Friday, December 5th 2008
Coordination of care through hospice is beginning to kick in. We've used the night nurse's services 2x since Tuesday, but just met our assigned nurse and social worker today.With change to medications, there should be some relief from the nausea and vomitting middle sister is experiencing. Also, she will be weaned off morphine and put on to methadone, which should give her better pain management. Finally, there are better steps that will be taken to control edema and help with constipat...