An Update on Mom

This is an update on  my mother's condition.  She is still in the hospital, and the doctor expects to dismiss her mid-week, next week.  She will likely be released to in-home hospice care in Partridge, with family members providing as much care as we can manage.

While the initial infections seem to be abating, the side effects from the antibiotics have not gone away, the most obvious being skin infections, rashes, etc.  These cause her discomfort.  

She has had one very lucid day this week, in which she was able to take a good deal of pleasure in the presence of her two daughters who traveled from a distance to see her, along with granddaughters they brought with them.  At other times, she has been conversant and cognizant of who was with her and helping her.  These developments are a cherished gift.  With a lot of help, she has moved into a chair occasionally, and even walked a few steps several times.  Walking is something we did not expect her to be able to do.  In some of these ways, she seems better than she was when she arrived at the hospital.

The doctor has cautioned us, however, by saying that she is not really better than she was when she arrived at the hospital; she is worse.  From my non-professional perspective it seems that he is referring to her longevity and prospects for long-term improvement rather than more superficial indicators.  Yesterday he gave us a piece of information that provides further context for his cautionary comments.

Every morning, the doctor has gotten a Complete Blood Count reading.  Her white blood cell count has climbed steadily, and is now quite high.  Usually, at this reading, a person is very ill and has a high fever.  Mom's temperature is only slightly elevated, if elevated at all.  This makes the doctor suspect that she has a mild case of leukemia.  Definitive diagnosis is not his goal or ours, given the arduous process that would entail.  The doctor believes that this condition, whatever it is, is not more likely to shorten her life than some of the other health compromises that she has.

We're grateful, again, for a doctor who is on the same page as we are in relation to end-of-life issues.

One surprising benefit of being at the Lyons Hospital is that the person we're working with in making arrangements for Mom's care after dismissal is Evelyn Wagler Sauer, who is the daughter of my dad's lifelong friend and co-minister, Willie Wagler.  She's a great help.

A complication of planning for Mom's care at home is that Lowell and Judy have plans to leave for about four weeks.  That would leave us minus a significant part of our care-giving force here.  They have tickets to fly to Costa Rica this coming Monday to spend time caring for Judy's parents, and to visit Judy's brother Pablo's family in Nicaragua.   We're all praying for them to know whether they should change their plans, and invite you to join us.   An Arenal reunion (for the first Beachy group that settled in Costa Rica), loss of ticket money, a need in Costa Rica, and a normal winter slow-down in Lowell's farming and building activities are all in favor of leaving the travel plans as they are.  A care-giving need here and uncertainty about what the next four weeks will hold make it difficult to decide to leave.

Thanks to those of you who are taking an interest in our family's journey.  We appreciate it.