294 is the score

Stan Here:

These blog things somehow keep score.  I think some people write blogs and somehow advertise on them.  So built in to the program they have some stats and a moment ago I looked at that.  I was interesting to me that the one I am writing now is the 294th time we have posted something on the blog and we tried to never do so unless something had changed.  I did count up the other day the total number of hospital days and that is 149.  There have been 9 pretty major surgical procedures.  Mixed in between have been some pretty good days, a few trips, some days of little or no pain, 3 grandchildren and a 4th on the way.  It was really hard the other day when Hospice came here and it took three of us to get Deb from a chair to her bed.  I asked the Hospice nurse later if I had just seen the last steps and she shook her head up and down.

I must tell you an amazing story.  The trips from the bed to the chair were getting more difficult by the day. Pretty much a walker and a person on each side to assist.  2 nights ago I slept on the couch in case anything was needed by Deb who sleeps in the living room on a hospital bed. I woke up around 3 and she was sitting in the chair and had done so unassisted.  I asked how she had reached the chair and she had no recall of the trip.   Hospice uses a term and it is called "terminal restlessness". I am told that they have had it happen when patients who are 90 years old and have not been out of bed for 6 months have been found at the end of a hall a long way from their room.

The latest around here is that each day we witness a declining condition.  This morning we had a pain pump installed that will control the pain but it will make it so that Deb is not able to respond all that much.  We had to do so because the pain and the restlessness had reached a point of even the slightest touch or bed adjustment leaving her calling out in pain.  Deb has not had any food now for 2 days and with the medication level now she will not eat, nor has any desire to eat.  She is able to open her eyes at times but not able to express much what we can do for her. Her parents came to see her today but even that was kind of hard as she just is not able to express the normal emotions that come with human life.

So  number 294 has to exist as a good score in bowling only, but very hard and sad to write.  Folks, it is just tough to watch. I am starting to understand that many of you have experienced something like this with a parent or spouse.  Forever I will have a deeper understanding of all who have needed to endure something like this.

Thanks for staying with us.

Stan