"Oh, Yeah!" she said drowsily....

we're in the waiting period after chemo and not much changes with my mom on a daily basis.  she ran a fever overnight and caused a little "extra" attention from the overnight resident and nurses.  with her immune system being what it is, they take her temperature quite frequently to make sure they notice the slightest sign of any infection.  they took a chest x-ray and continued with the IV anti-biotics.  by dawn she was feeling better.  she waited until 7:01am to call our house to talk to my dad. no worries, we were up.  (as my dad would say "we were up...we had to get up to answer the phone").  her temperature stayed close to normal all day and the chest x-ray didn't reveal any new issues.  just one of those things that happen during the process we're in (please don't tell my mother i ended a sentence with a preposition.....it's late).

today's main issue was a bloody nose (i know...eeeewww).  her platelets are very low. so once it starts, it's difficult to get it to stop.  she battled that most of the day until they gave her some more platelets.  they felt that would help it stop.

her throat is very sore so eating remains a little difficult.  swallowing is quite painful.  at one point she said that a root beer float would taste good.  so my dad ran to UDF and got a diet A&W and put it with some sugar-free ice cream they had in her unit.  she managed a few bites/drinks of that.  her (non-IV) diet now consists of mostly lemon ice, sugar free pudding and iced tea with an occasional boost.  

"Oh, Yeah!"

my mom says funny things when she has pain medication.  it makes us laugh a little (in a very respectful way, of course).  today she told me and greg that she just bought a new piano.  i asked her "what color"?  she said she didn't know.  i told her it was odd she would make such a major purchase and not even know what color it was.....

don't think that my mom is not fully lucid MOST of the time.  she is.  it's that short period right after she takes the pain medication that, even my dad would admit, makes us smile.  we're trying to smile more.  that has to help...right?

who knows what tomorrow brings?  what is that little quote that is going around now? "yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift....that's why they call it the present" (or something).  i used to think that saying was just for coffee mugs and bookmarks.  not so surprisingly, i find myself appreciating the present more lately.

as always, thanks for the continued prayers, posts, cards and emails.  they mean a lot.

blessings,

tim

  

greg got a haircut! (oh, and my mom's good)

another day on the journey, another brick in the wall.  i think today was good because it's saturday again and last saturday was a low point.  it was also good because we all got to visit and weren't busy with work.  

as usual, my dad was up and out early to the hospital.  my mom, i'm sure, was anxious to see him.  since my mom has been retaining a lot of fluid, the doctors gave her a diuretic to help things get "going".  well, going they got and my mom was up quite frequently during the night.  i think the doctors are in cahoots with the exercise therapists to get her moving around more.  my mom would prefer to play that game during the day, however.  if you can imagine this, they are trying to get 2 lbs (net) of fluid off each day.  that's what i call a liquid "diet".

when i got to the hospital this afternoon, my brothers, chris and greg, were there with my mom and dad.  my dad had left for a little bit to see drew play basketball. (my mom makes him go).  so we were all there watching my mom stare down a plateful of stir-fry vegetables and rice.  my mom didn't eat it because she said it was too spicy.  now...what are the odds of the hospital serving really spicy foods? my mom thinks ketchup (or catsup as she says) is spicy.  i think she did manage down a roll, lemon ice, and pudding.  progress.

it must have been a good day if the only real update is that my brother greg finally got his hair cut.  it was approaching 1970s, vintage greg philpott (i wish i had a picture to post).  

keep the prayers coming.  my mom gets out her prayer shawl and reads the bible everyday.  it must be helping.  i'm printing out the posts/emails and taking them to her.  they didn't deliver mail to her today (and i suspect they may not tomorrow). monday looks to be a heavy mail day.

thanks to all for the positive thoughts.

blessings,

tim  

Nurses or Angels?

a good friday....my mom and i spent about 5 hours together today as my dad got out for some errands (doctor's appt., haircut, lunch, swing by the condo).  i think he needed a little time away from the hospital.  he has pretty much been by my mom's side from dawn to dusk since she went in.

my mom ate better today and, for the first time in a few days, was up and down out of bed.  also, the physical therapists were in to give her a regiment of exercises she could do in her bed - mostly simple leg and arm exercises.  if you didn't know better, and saw her from a distance, you'd think she was practicing cheers or watching a sporting event on tv.  it gives me great joy to remind her to do the exercises or breathe into the little breathing device they gave her.

i would say her condition is fairly stable.  she is finished with the chemo drugs and is in recovery mode.  now we wait.

reading cards and notes was fun today.  there was a big stack of cards that came in the mail and plenty of emails and blog posts to read.  she only had me make a few phone calls.  she's still not up to talking a lot on the phone (that will come) so i get to talk and basically repeat what she is telling me.  (i'm gonna start dialing and handing her the phone).

there was a "strange" moment this morning.  my mom was tired and told me she wanted to have a "conversation with the Lord".  i think that's code for "stop talking to me because i'm gonna sleep a minute or two".  not ten minutes after she nodded off, the chaplain appeared at the door.  not two minutes after that, a nurse i had not met appeared.  her name was "Angel".  my mom's nurse was also mentoring a new nurse - who came in.  his name was "Peter".  so my mom says she's gonna have a conversation with God and then a chaplain, angel and peter show up....now you have to admit, that's a little eerie.  i'm just sayin'.

as always, thanks for the prayers.  i truly believe my mom is overwhelmed at how many people are reaching out to her.  "there are so many good people in the world - i think we're gonna be alright".  she continues to be a woman of great faith.

keep the prayers, cards and notes coming.  she loves them all.  

here's to a good weekend.

blessings,

tim

New Room, Less Meds and the "Nose"

today brought little in terms of "excitement".  the main goal of today was to get my mom out of the intensive care room and back to a "regular" room.  that finally got accomplished around 3:00 this afternoon. she moved a total of about 35 feet FROM room #3304 TO room #3305. this was the first time her feet hit the floor in the last 5 days.  luckily, if she sits in the right place, she can still keep a keen eye on the nurses station.

the visitors are starting to come back in greater numbers.  i joked yesterday that the professional spirituality quotient was high....well, i think we topped it today. there was actually a rabbi, a chaplain, a methodist minister, and a parish visitor. the prayers were loud and proud (can i get an AMEN?).  the comments on the blog, the greeting cards as well as email and facebook messages are all bringing my mom a smile.  my mom's co-workers sent one of those cards where everyone signs it and writes something funny....loved it. while she hasn't wanted a lot of visitors, you would never know it when they show up.  all of a sudden her personality kicks up a notch.  it's fun to watch.  

i posted a message and the above picture on the facebook group from my high school graduating class.  my mom was on the school board when i graduated so she got to give me my diploma.  doesn't she look happy?  don't i look like i have a really big nose?  anyway, my high school classmates have sent me a bunch of emails and you can read some posts here.  everybody knows my mom.

medically, she finished her last IV of chemotherapy drug.  they continue to take out/off different IVs and "spigots". she also got the oxygen taken off today.  they are still adding some nutrients via IV (like calcium and magnesium) when she needs it but, with the chemo done, IVs should continue to go away.   tonight, she had fish for dinner and is slowly getting her appetite back.  

thanks for the prayers and thoughts.  do me a favor and slip in a little prayer for my dad.  these are very long days for him, too.  

blessings,

the "nose"

Phone Calls and Clergy....

the last few days have brought some nice progress with my mom.  my dad and i were to the hospital early today.  as always, my mother was glad to see us.  she is definitely getting her spunk back (a little).  she was awake most of the morning and fairly chatty about the nurses and general level of care.  

chris, my dad and i were there for the morning rounds.  the doctor had only good things to say about her on his rounds.  as of tonight (wed), she is beginning her final 24 hours of the chemotherapy drug.  her white blood cells are very close to where they need to be and they keep managing the other aspects of her blood as needed (i think she got some platelets today). she also is starting to get rid of some of the fluid she has retained.  she has described her hands as those of the pillsbury dough boy.  following a couple of very tough days, she is falling in line with other "typical" patients on the bone marrow ward.  so much so, that they are moving her back to a regular room on the ward.  i think she will miss the view of the nurses station and all the activity.  she's also going to miss the fancy bed that they give to ICU patients.  

she also started eating a little today.  she has been on IV nourishment through the dialysis and other complications, but she said "tomorrow, i think i'll start eating more".  she hasn't really wanted to eat much up until now.  another good sign.

she did have a visit from our senior pastor today.  i wasn't there, but she was happy to see a new face.  she also was visited by the rabbi at the hospital.  rabbi "elena" and my mom got to be chums during last year's hospital stay. combined with a call from pastor dave late in the day, she had a nice triple shot of "professional" spirituality.  tomorrow, maybe a priest, a presbyterian and a baptist. (this is starting to sound like a bad joke).

tonight, instead of her usual reminder to my father to call her sister, she suggested that they both call her in the morning... 

i just stopped typing because i had to answer the phone...it was my mom.  she called to see how rusty, her dog, was doing with us.  after a brief conversation with maggie, she said her goodnights to my dad.

....as i was saying, she is planning on calling my aunt irma in the morning.  when i was a kid, there was nobody, and i mean NOBODY, that could talk on the phone longer than my mother.  perhaps a new age of phone talking is at (dough boy) hand.  with at least 3 more weeks in the hospital, everyone may get a call (or 10). i wonder if they have cordless patient phones....

on these days, the posts are easier to write.  good things always are.

please keep the thoughts and prayers coming.  there is no doubt in my mind that they are working.  

many blessings,

tim  

Momentum, Cards, and Productivity

another good day for my mom.  she got to get rid of the dialysis this morning and is one step closer to being mobile.  her chest x-ray this afternoon was read as "improving" pneumonia which, i told me dad, is a lot better than "declining" or "worsening" pneumonia.  she has been on oxygen for the past few days and they are weaning her from that as well.  we're taking all the good news we can right now.  it feels like positive momentum.

my dad finally figured out the alarm clock in his room at our house and got an early start today.  as is his routine, he had some god-awful looking vegetable juice and headed to the hospital early.  i think he has been encouraged by her progress and is eager to see what each day brings.  

she looks a lot better and with the machines and gizmos slowly going away, her attitude is improving.  my dad, chris and i read her the letters, cards and blog posts that she has been receiving.  after each card, she reminded my dad to update them on her progress.  it went something like this, "now jim, you need to call and give them an update.  you should really call them."  it was very nice to listen, out loud, to the kind things people say and all of the prayers and thoughts that are ongoing.  if any of you are going for the "most frequent" card writer....relax.  my sister-in-law, angie, has an insurmountable lead (yes, there is another angie philpott).  i would put the card/note reading as a highlight of her (my) day.  she is in room #3304 at Jewish Hospital, 4777 e. galbraith road, cincinnati, ohio 45236.

we are slowly seeing her personality come back when it comes to the nursing staff. today, she was "sermonizing" (as i call it) to the nurse about how everyone needs to "do their best" whatever their job is and that "hard work", in any profession, is noble (or something).  i may have failed to mention that her current room has a full glass wall facing the nursing station where all of the staff congregates.  i guess she has been "studying" the productivity of the staff over the last couple of days. more to come on that, i'm sure.

oh, the hat ideas are pouring in.  some of you may know that, for many years, my mom dressed up as a witch for halloween.  (some of us think it was more often than halloween).  there has been a request for that hat/wig combination.  it does suit her.  keep the ideas coming.

well, my dad is in bed and my aunt irma has been called.  all is as it should be here in madeira, ohio.  

a couple personal housekeeping notes (because i have gotten some emails):

-  comments now work easier on the blog.  sorry.  that was my fault.  i had the settings wrong.  see the comment on yesterday's post for specific instructions if it doesn't work for you now.

- i added the ability for everyone to email the post to people they know by clicking on the little envelope below.  feel free.

- yes, the shift key on my computer works fine.  thank you very much.

many blessings and thanks for the continued prayers,

tim

Another "good" day

as chemotherapy goes, i would characterize today as "good" for my mom.  she remains in the critical care unit of the bone marrow ward and is receiving excellent care.  she is still having dialysis and, to our knowledge, still has pneumonia although she has been on anti-biotics for that since saturday.  they gave her a morphine "button" today to help her with the pain.  it looks like she is a contestant on jeopardy.

so what makes it a good day then, tim?  (you ask)

well, this was the first day when she reluctantly told my dad that she thought she was feeling a little better.  now she does have the morphine, but she has so much wanted to feel better that, whatever the reason, it's a good day.

by the end of the day, her white blood cell count was almost to zero.  down from about 80,000.  this is a sign that the chemotherapy is doing what it needs to "kill" the bad cells (along with the good).  time will tell what her body is able to regenerate.  as i write this post, my dad is at my house talking to her ON THE PHONE.  she called here to make sure he called her sister.  dutifully, my dad called her sister.  despite all she is going through, she continues to worry (more) about the people around her.  she gives my dad a list of people to update every day.  count yourself lucky if you are on that list.  

she got some increased comfort today when they gave her a new bed.  it helps her change her position throughout the day.  she is basically immobile so this has provided some comfort as she spends the day in bed. 

her personal care physician visited today.  she hasn't been this excited to see a visitor since pastor dave weaver stopped in last thursday.  (i'm not jealous....really).  it's difficult to keep all the would-be visitors away from the hospital.  if you're reading this, you know my mother and she has a personal prayer army bigger than switzerland.  she only wants to see jim and "the boys" so we are enjoying the comforts of hospital chairs.  strangely enough, i've grown to appreciate the sound of my mother snoring (a little).  for a brief moment yesterday, all 4 boys and my dad were there.  the 6 of us haven't been alone in a room together for years probably.  i'm sad that i just realized that.

lastly, i have never known my mother to be a person who wore a hat.  sometimes she wears a baseball hat a little cocked to the side but it just doesn't look right on her.  following her stay in the hospital, she will probably wear a hat (or scarf) more often.  i'm sure she would appreciate any suggestions anyone has on what type of a hat or scarf to get.  i want her to wear a beret and talk with an accent.  chris wants her to wear a chef's hat.  please send her your ideas and we'll have her decide.  i always struggle with what to buy her for mother's day.

seriously, thank you very much for your continued prayers and thoughts for my mother.  it is no coincidence that she is feeling better with such a "family" of people standing with her.

blessings,

tim