mom

Mom hasn't been feeling well for much of the summer, but she's kept going.  Her ears continue to annoy her -- it's like she hears through a long tube -- and she's been feeling tired and losing weight.  She was seeing a family practice doc in Preston and he tried some different stuff to help with thyroid (maybe weight and tiredness) but it didn't help at all.  So she made an appointment with her endocrinologist in Ogden.  The soonest appointment was like two months out, in September.  She also met with 2 different ENT docs to try to get answers about her ear problems, but they could do nothing to help.  In the meantime, mom and dad decided to try to get a new family practice doc in Pocatello.  Again, she had to wait forever to get an appointment, in September.  During all this waiting, she got a cough that wouldn't go away and she began having night sweats.  She finally went to the instacare and was prescribed some antibiotics and told that she would be fine until she met with the family doc in about 2-3 weeks.  During that time, the appointment for the endocrinologist came up.  She went and was told that her thyroid was perfect and the medication was just right.  So, her problems were not because the thyroid was out of whack.  On to the next appointment with the family doc (Dr. Nielsen) a couple weeks later.  After giving her a thorough check-up and going through her issues, he ordered some lab tests and a CAT scan on her upper body.  He also prescribed a nasal spray for her cough in the meantime. Well, it takes time to get those appointments set up -- so here goes another week or so.  Mom & Dad decided to ask for a release from the temple that week because its too hard on Mom.  Eighteen and a half years they have served faithfully in the Logan temple for two days each week!  The next day, the doc office calls and asks mom to come in because they found something on the CAT scan and have all the tests back.  On October 2 (my birthday) the doc told mom that they found some spots on her lymph nodes in her stomach and abdomen.  They look like lymphoma. Cancer. A biopsy needs to be done to determine exactly what the spots are, and then depending on the results, the treatment.  Another 4-5 days later, the biopsy is done.  Mom has suddenly become weaker, and has a lot of nausea.  At the biopsy appointment, she gets some pain medication and anti-nausea medication.  This helps a bit, but she hardly eats and drinks anything.  A good thing she has to take pills because that makes her drink!  She is getting weaker and weaker and spends a lot of time sleeping.  A week later, we still haven't got the biopsy report back, so the doc changes the appointment for two days later.  Then the office calls again and they still don't have the report -- the lab had to send it to another lab, because they couldn't run all the tests on it!  Dad told the doc this was unacceptable and that Mom was getting weaker and weaker.  They needed to be seen that day.  They went up later that afternoon and met with Dr. Nielsen. He could immediately see that her condition had deteriorated rapidly.  He prescribed another nausea drug since the other one wasn't working that well, and a steroid to stimulate her appetite and help with inflammation.  Also, an anti-gout medication to help curb any ill side effects from all the other medication.  He also got mom started with home health care and promised to track down the biopsy.  He also made an appointment for mom to see an oncologist, but the soonest they could put her in is next Thursday. Mom was absolutely exhausted from spending the afternoon at the doctor in Pocatello.  She ate basically nothing that day. The next day, Friday, the home care people came to the house and met with mom and dad. Mom was feeling a bit better but still getting weaker. She started using a walker to move around the house so she wouldn't fall.  She only walks from room to room at a time, her legs are so weak.  On Saturday, we spent a few hours in the morning and early afternoon with her.  Mark and the boys were there too.  It was such a beautiful autumn day (sunny and warm) that we built a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for lunch.  Mom made it outside to sit in the warm sun and eat a hot dog with us.  When it was time for us to leave, she wasn't ready to go back inside, so she stayed out in the sun for awhile longer.  That was a pretty good day.  Sunday wasn't nearly as good.  She was tired and weak.  Early Monday morning, she got up to use the bathroom and then dad helped her back to bed.  She barely made it to the bed before her legs gave out.  The next time she got up it took both Dad and Kathleen to get her up and to the bathroom or chair.  Dad called Dr. Neilsen on his cell phone to discuss this latest development.  Dr. Nielsen said she needed to be on hospice care - now.  The hospice team came out Monday afternoon to evaluate and get things going.  Dad was so relieved to hear they could provide medical attention and equipment to take care of mom and to have medicare pay for it.  Dr. Nielsen also made a home visit that evening.  He evaluated Mom and then told them about the biopsy results he'd been able to track down that day.  Diagnosis:  Hodgkins lymphoma in its later stages. Mom is so weak and tired, that they will not be taking her to meet with an oncologist.  We will just care for her at home as long as possible.  Yesterday evening, Tuesday, mom was short of breath and was so weak she couldn't hold a spoon.  Dad and Kathleen hooked up the oxygen and she started doing better.  Today -- I don't know.  I haven't checked on them yet.  Moms health is deteriorating at amazing speed.  It makes me so sad.