sweltering september

 Thursday (yesterday) Brutal summer temps are still with us! Yesterday was hot and humid - no time in the pool for me though - I'm back taking care of Mom for a few more days. She is starting to improve by leaps and bounds - I suspect that she will be somewhat independent within another week - at least until the radiation starts.

Mom had her first followup appointment with the surgeon who did the work - he was pleased with her progress and thought she looked great so I guess our hard work is paying off! Mom's weight has been stable the last few days which is almost a miracle :-)  Dr. Odell has made a change to Mom's med lineup and schedule - 6 hours between doses will make the periods of sleep longer at night but she's getting less so is in more pain. He said that it will start to improve in the next month (what the actual heck - a month!)...

We started watching 'Lincoln Lawyer' and 'the Diplomat' on Netflix in the last 2 days - they are both really good shows and totally addictive! It's a good distraction and makes the day flash by for both of us. And why is 'Lincoln' pronounced without the second 'L'?

Last night, (Thur),  Kirsten came to spell me for two nights - I got home in time for supper (no cooking A&W for the win!) I was asleep on the couch by 7:30 so at 8:30 finally tottered off to bed for a long, refreshing sleep. The change to Mom's med schedule was giving us a bit more time to sleep so I wasn't as dead tired as I was previously but I still needed a catch-up :-)

Carm has been holding down the fort like a pro - he even gave Lupa a bath and has been keeping the house in order and the pets well cared for. 

Today was a cooler and rainy day - second summer is over :-(

Awesome!

“Mom having breakfast and lunch in the kitchen”

“my dogs cuddled up against me”

“a quick swim”

“12 jars of potato zucchini soup”

a last hurrah for summer

 I'm outside on the deck enjoying the sweltering weather for another day. The high today is 33C with a humidex of 40C - a lazy and languid day.

Kirsten took over for me on Sunday night - I got home just after 6pm, Carm made an easy supper, I sat in a stupor on the sofa for a while then was into bed at 8:30! I slept until 7 the next morning… Yesterday I mooched around all day accomplishing nothing and was in bed early again for a long sleep. I was exhausted after only one full night sleep at home in a week. My bipolar is holding up under this test!

This morning I made a hearty, but smooth, broccoli soup for Mom - lentils, broccoli, and cream cheese for 200 calories per cup. Then we dashed out to the grocery store for a few more things to feed her. We are trying to get max calories into her and I think we are doing well - she had 1300 calories yesterday!

I spent an hour this morning putting Mom's statistics into a google doc and entering her food into a calorie counter so I know we are on track with her nutrition. Carm printed the last few days for me so we have something to show her doctor tomorrow. We can set up an appointment with a nutritionist but I think we'll wait another week by which time we will have worked out some more healthy foods for her so we can get input then, as I think we are doing pretty well so far.

Carm has been chopping up tomatoes for the freezer while I was gone, but now there are some zucchini that need to be taken care of - hopefully they can wait until I'm home again. I should have harvested some herbs as well!

… much later in the day! I'm back at Mom & Dad's for a few nights, leaving Carm with peace and quiet! Mom has improved over the 2 days I was away from her and it seems that we are keeping on top of the pain so it seems to be reducing.

Awesome!

“sultry weather”

“sweating on the deck”

“sleeping!”

“1300 calories!”

home again home again jiggidy jig

 Sunday… It’s second summer! We are under a heat warning with a humidex of 39C in the forecast for today! Kirsten is coming to stay with Mom for a few nights so I’ll go home and chill out on the deck for a few days before I come back to spell Kirsten.

Things are going well here and Mom is continuing to improve although she’s still in a lot of pain… it’s most likely the cancer that they weren’t able to remove… radiation can’t come soon enough. 

Mom was scared to leave the hospital but it turned out to be the best thing. It’s easier to keep on top of pain meds and just as importantly, water and food consumption. I’m getting her to eat each time she gets her meds, even in the middle of the night which I think is keeping her strength up better. It’s also much easier for me as everything is at hand. I do run up and down the stairs countless times in a day (great exercise for me!), and I have the counter in Mom’s bathroom littered with glasses, spoons, meds, and non-refrigerated foods to make my life a little easier. It takes about an hour every 4 hours to get her medicated, fed, and watered so it’s nice to have a proper resting place handy :-)

Yesterday Carm came by for a visit, bearing ingredients for a healthy lentil soup that I made for Mom to get some more calories and fibre into her. For having no onion, garlic, herbs, or spices, it didn’t taste too bad. I’ve slowly been increasing her food and liquid intake but it’s a hard slog. I probably haven’t mentioned that the cancer is in her mouth in her palate and jaw :-(  which is why eating and drinking are so difficult. Mom is an outstanding patient and takes my bullying well. 

Carm visited with Mom for a bit and then he and I deeked out to Tim Hortons for a bit of lunch - I scarfed down a breakfast sandwich, half an order of fries and a refreshing sparkling juice drink, and brought home Wendy’s Frostys for everyone (Mom ate a whole one!). I guess I was starving. Thankfully Dad is taking care of making our meals otherwise I might not eat at all!

Dad is doing okay but is very worried and it shows on his face. I feel bad that he is getting neglected while I’m here, but Mom is the main priority at the moment and I feel that I don’t want to leave her for too long. I’m sleeping in the spare room which is right across the hall from her so I can hear her if she needs something - she also has a bell, which she has only used once - so either she’s not demanding or I’m close enough that she doesn’t need it.

We watched ‘the Book Club’ last night which was pretty funny at times but it was a bit weird watching a movie about the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ book with my mother 😱

I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to be here for her. Even though she’s not 100%, we are still enjoying our time together. 🥰  (or at least I’m enjoying the time with her! Maybe she’s sick of my nagging: ‘Mangia, mangia’, ‘eat, eat’ as my Italian mother-in-law would have said.) I think I’m a better nurse than I ever thought I would be.

I guess that’s enough babbling about our trials! Have a great day!

Awesome!

“Mom continuing to improve"

“second summer!”

“chowing down at Tim’s”

“seeing my honey”