The Tender Work of Caring for Mom

Before mom started her five days of chemo at the end of May, she was not feeling well at all. She's had some gut issues that have set her back a bit. It came on the tail end of her six week break from the previous treatment when she was actually feeling pretty good. So it's been a major bummer and has left mom feeling weak and woozy.  We've had some medication adjustments and talked with the nurses so we have a plan in place. She got through her first round of this wave of chemo. Then we met with her oncology team last week to follow up on the weak and woozy symptoms. Dr. Partin suggested mom go to the infusion center to get an iv drip to give her a boost. She was such a trooper getting that 2-hour bag in. It was definitely worth it as she's been feeling much better the last few days.  As we ended our conversation with Dr. Partin, he asked if we had any more questions so we casually asked him for his expert advice on how much Downton Abbey he recommends we should be wat...

Naturally, we started off the week with cards and beautiful blooms for Mother's day. Mark and Angie sent a gorgeous bouquet for mom to enjoy. It was a special day for mom with several wonderful things in the days following.   Mom had her follow-up MRI post radiation and chemo. A few days later, the results indicated that there are no traces of the glioblastoma and no recurrence anywhere to be found. After all mom has been through, this was the BEST NEWS EVER! Her radiation oncologist discharged her and handed everything over to her chemo oncologist who we are now continuing treatment with.  For Mother's Day, mom got new leather couches. Her designer feather couches have served her well over the years and she was ready for something new. We did a little shopping and found the perfect leather set. It suits her great room perfectly and she's loving the new look.  The next makeover came when the young women in her ward came over to give her garden beds some new life. The...