Not Giving Up
For nearly a week, my mother has battled nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and has been able to eat or drink very little. She has steadily lost weight and is losing color and strength. She has sores around her mouth that the nurse believes are related to nutritional deficiency.
She is taking a powerful antibiotic to counteract an infection. It's hard to know, but the digestive upset may be partly a side effect of the antibiotic.
Today the nurse who visits her through Home Health Care recommended that we ask for a feeding tube to be implanted in her abdomen, noting that she is beginning to dehydrate. Doing this is an outpatient procedure, and nutrients can then be given at home by non-professional caregivers.
She noted that sometimes people feel that it's their time to go, and they don't want this kind of intervention. She asked Mom directly, "Are you ready to give up?"
We're all relieved that she answered with a definite "No."
All Mom's vital signs are good. Her heart, lungs, and kidneys seem to be functioning well. But her stomach needs a lot of help. Usually appetite returns, and normal eating becomes possible again under circumstances like this. Then the tube can be removed. We certainly hope for such an outcome. Even while the tube is present, any normal eating that can happen is an option.
The nurse who visited today was very affirming of the care Mom is receiving. She assured Dad, Linda, and Lois, who were there, that they're doing all that anyone could do, and that what they've already done has gone above and beyond the call of duty.
In what has been happening with Mom, we see the need for both diligence in trying to improve things, and peace about that which can't be changed. This takes a lot of talking to God, and listening to Him and to each other.
I suspect this holiday season will henceforth forever be referred to in our family as The Year of Mom's Surgery.
All over the world, private or public dramas play out every year. This year has been a year of traumatic events for others besides us. On this anniversary of the Asian tsunami, it's especially appropriate to remember that trials are common to man.
The marvel is that so much of our lives is free of them. And even in this worried time, we celebrate with good food and family times.
We look to the future. That Easter weekend wedding in the family will be there to look forward to after the holidays are past. And after that, there will be other good things to anticipate.
Trials and triumph are all of a piece when it comes to living well.
She is taking a powerful antibiotic to counteract an infection. It's hard to know, but the digestive upset may be partly a side effect of the antibiotic.
Today the nurse who visits her through Home Health Care recommended that we ask for a feeding tube to be implanted in her abdomen, noting that she is beginning to dehydrate. Doing this is an outpatient procedure, and nutrients can then be given at home by non-professional caregivers.
She noted that sometimes people feel that it's their time to go, and they don't want this kind of intervention. She asked Mom directly, "Are you ready to give up?"
We're all relieved that she answered with a definite "No."
All Mom's vital signs are good. Her heart, lungs, and kidneys seem to be functioning well. But her stomach needs a lot of help. Usually appetite returns, and normal eating becomes possible again under circumstances like this. Then the tube can be removed. We certainly hope for such an outcome. Even while the tube is present, any normal eating that can happen is an option.
The nurse who visited today was very affirming of the care Mom is receiving. She assured Dad, Linda, and Lois, who were there, that they're doing all that anyone could do, and that what they've already done has gone above and beyond the call of duty.
In what has been happening with Mom, we see the need for both diligence in trying to improve things, and peace about that which can't be changed. This takes a lot of talking to God, and listening to Him and to each other.
I suspect this holiday season will henceforth forever be referred to in our family as The Year of Mom's Surgery.
All over the world, private or public dramas play out every year. This year has been a year of traumatic events for others besides us. On this anniversary of the Asian tsunami, it's especially appropriate to remember that trials are common to man.
The marvel is that so much of our lives is free of them. And even in this worried time, we celebrate with good food and family times.
We look to the future. That Easter weekend wedding in the family will be there to look forward to after the holidays are past. And after that, there will be other good things to anticipate.
Trials and triumph are all of a piece when it comes to living well.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:26 PM
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