Here is a picture of my mom in her 20s. She is so beautiful and still is today. Her memory is progressively getting worse. She believes she is getting better because her head wound (from her surgery in July) is finally healing (but still has a way to go). She doesn't think she needs the hospice nurses and aides anymore, so I reminded her that she still has melanoma, something she is in denial about. Her legs are swelling and not going down. She is maintaining her weight and her appetite has remained the same. But she has more episodes of lower blood pressure (causing dizzy spells) and quick declines in blood sugar (causing hypoglycemia-hot flashes, nausea, etc.).
My dad is concerned we are going to put her and/or him in a nursing home and that is the LAST thing I would ever do. We are bringing in a hospital bed to put in the extra room when she needs it. At this point, they want to stay together in their bed, but should her health decline rapidly, the hospital bed will be there. I think that was a hard decision for my parents to make because it means that they have to see she is not going to get better.
My dad's health concerns me because he is skin and bones. He shuffles at times and is weaker. He is taking such good care of my mom, but she argues with him and gets frustrated that he can't hear. I finally flat out told them that he is getting new hearing aids. They are upset about the cost, but he can't hear me on the phone and that is an absolute necessity.
I am drained, but keep on going. My husband and kids also bear the burden of my parents' health issues. I am so grateful to my father-in-law, Gene, who has been a rock and has understood what we're going through.
Please pray for us, and also for my friends who are battling cancer, Dan and Matt. Remember that all we can do is live day by day for Jesus and bring honor and glory to Him.
Love,
Anita
1 comment:
Anita,
I am truly sorry that you are bearing such a heavy load right now. I know that your parents mean the world to you as you do to them. I never could begin to understand what you and your family is going through but I know that OUR GOD is bigger than any melanoma, or dementia. I know that He heals each and every day people with much more severe diseases, and I know that He is completely capable of healing your mother. Unfortunately healing doesn't always come in the form that we humanly would like. I will continue to pray for your family, you in particular. I will pray for peace and completion of a healing, whether a physical healing or the ultimate healing of calling your mother home to be with Him. I also will pray for God's grace to cover you, His arms to support you when you are struggling to stand, and for complete understanding and knowledge of who your mother is in Christ. Prayers for your family, your husband, and children as well. They will need an extra measure of God's love and peace too. I will also lift your father up and pray for His peace, and grace to see him through the difficult roads he will be ultimately facing. Please know that if you ever need someone to talk to, and ear to bend... I am usually available. 540-479-1625
Feel free to vent too...either in email or phone... either way...you need to unload once and while, and I will remain a sounding board.
email me at kcgeorge212@yahoo.com
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