Tag Archives: dying
It Ain’t Pretty
There is an optical effect called the ‘waterfall illusion’. If you have ever watched the credits scroll by at the end of a movie, or scroll a computer screen, and then look at a still picture, it appears to move in the opposite direction. A similar thing happened this morning, when I looked in on […]
The Status is Quo
Nothing new. Although she hasn’t had anything to eat or drink in the past 4-5 days, my niece’s condition has not changed much. Cancer is winning. She is non-communicative, and breathing very hard. Many people who knew her have been by to see her and tell her they love her. There is not much else […]
Scare
Had a scare today. While I was at work when I got a call that our loved one’s (C’s) status had changed. She is in hospice care at home. When I got there, C’s breathing was very shallow. She wasn’t moving and did not respond beyond some slurred words, when questioned. Just yesterday was having a […]
Not Afraid
We have been having trouble with cancer lately. Suffice it to say hospice care is the order of the day. Our afflicted loved one is in good spirits, even if not feeling that well. She likes to “tell it like it is” as well as to be told the straight story, without sugar coating. She is […]
Palliative Care – Dream
Yesterday I expressed my difficulties dealing with decisions that must be made when one prepares an advanced healthcare directive. I saw this sign in the hospital today. I wish it were that easy.
Palliative Care
We met with the palliative care folks today. They talked a lot about the Advanced Healthcare Directive. The gist of it is, you can change your mind at any point, but if you have decided, for example, that you don’t want to be revived, you put it in your directive, if you become unconscious, your loved ones can just […]
Clawing
What would you do to hang on to life? The procedure didn’t work. Breath won’t come easier. Scratches down the throat on the inside, pain of healing an invasion, for nothing. Where to from here?
Busy Day
Today was busy. I followed my brother Dave around to multiple appointments to make arrangements for Mom’s funeral.He did all the work. I’m very proud of my brother. Mom just turned 90 years of age less than two weeks ago. She was bright and alert at her party, but the day I left to return […]
Bleak
I just got home from a visit back east to see my mother, on the occasion of her 90th birthday. I spent a lot of time in New Jersey when I was younger and the word that comes to my mind to describe the the winter environ is ‘bleak’. This is especially true of the […]
