Jeanne is resting much more comfortably now that we have an appropriate bed for her. Hospice delivered a "hospital" bed to our home last week. She is enjoying the ability to adjust the positions in the bed. As well, they brought an air pressure mattress, which gives her much needed support.
She has not taken any pain medication for over a week, now. Her biggest discomfort is caused by the fluid build-up in her abdomen. We have taken her to the hospital four times over the past four weeks to have the fluid drained (called a paracentesis). But, we are finding she needs these done more frequently, and the volume of fluid drawn is increasing. The first two were done ten days apart. Now, we are finding she cannot go more than five days. (sorry, if this is too much information for you.)
I imagine many of you are missing Jeanne writing these blog posts. My updates are so spartan in comparison. So, I will try to be more descriptive.
Let me start by saying Jeanne still has very much her sense of humor and wit, but more so, her care and kindness toward others is still evident. She is very tired, though, and spends her most of her days in the bed. She gets up on occasion to raid the refrigerator, or stoke the wood stove. She is not as strong as physically as she used to be, so I prefer to be with her if she does get out of bed. I also prefer to not leave her alone, but she wants us to all leave at least for a while , so she can have peace and quiet.
She said I was hovering around her. So, I have tried to back off. At least she did not say I was smothering her!
Everyone has been incredibly generous with their support, prayers, and kindness. There are more offers of assistance than we have needs to fulfill.
We have received many emails, cards, and letters expressing deep felt care and concern for Jeanne. She cherishes each one.
She has not taken any pain medication for over a week, now. Her biggest discomfort is caused by the fluid build-up in her abdomen. We have taken her to the hospital four times over the past four weeks to have the fluid drained (called a paracentesis). But, we are finding she needs these done more frequently, and the volume of fluid drawn is increasing. The first two were done ten days apart. Now, we are finding she cannot go more than five days. (sorry, if this is too much information for you.)
I imagine many of you are missing Jeanne writing these blog posts. My updates are so spartan in comparison. So, I will try to be more descriptive.
Let me start by saying Jeanne still has very much her sense of humor and wit, but more so, her care and kindness toward others is still evident. She is very tired, though, and spends her most of her days in the bed. She gets up on occasion to raid the refrigerator, or stoke the wood stove. She is not as strong as physically as she used to be, so I prefer to be with her if she does get out of bed. I also prefer to not leave her alone, but she wants us to all leave at least for a while , so she can have peace and quiet.
She said I was hovering around her. So, I have tried to back off. At least she did not say I was smothering her!
Everyone has been incredibly generous with their support, prayers, and kindness. There are more offers of assistance than we have needs to fulfill.
We have received many emails, cards, and letters expressing deep felt care and concern for Jeanne. She cherishes each one.
Thank you,
Pat Hazleton
