I'm on vacation this week, which has been very relaxing. A quick weekend get-away with my friend Lisa (to Dublin, Ohio for an Irish Festival), followed by lots of time with my mom and dad...just permission to not think about deadlines for a whole week: heaven!
I woke this morning to news of the latest terrorist plot disrupted (please God) and was reminded of how many dramas, on every imaginable scale, are being acted out minute-by-minute. Perspective is good.
Anyway, here's the latest in my own personal drama:
It's been a couple eventful weeks since my last update...The visit from [my youngest brother] Vern didn't turn out quite as expected, as Mom was admitted to the hospital the day he arrived (Wed., July 26) and was finally discharged the day he left (Mon., July 31). We spent a lot of quality time in her hospital room, though, and things have improved considerably since then.
Mom was admitted because of dehydration, low appetite, nausea, and lack of energy. We were attributing all of this to the chemo/cancer, but it turns out that the real culprit was one of her heart medications—she had three times the amount of dygoxin in her system than she should have. (Since her valve repair surgery over a year ago, she's been taking this to control her heart rate.)
Now that this has been taken care of, she's been like a new woman. Still some pain, but much more energy, appetite, etc. The doctors suspended her chemo treatments as a result, and she just started a new cycle today. After two more treatments (next week and the week after), they'll finally do the CT scan we've been waiting for so that we can see how the chemo has been working.
Thank you all so much for your love and prayers. The notes and cards really help Mom—and all of us.
