Monday Mom Update

It seems like these days end up feeling almost long a month.  Mom has struggled following Chemo last week.  She had difficulty keeping anything down and was throwing up quite a bit.  Her anti-nausea medicines have been helpful and she has been trying to eat. She also received some IV fluids last Friday. The family in Utah are amazing and have been with her night and day helping her through this time.  She has developed some bed sores from sitting too much and her leg has been swollen as well.  They have done an ultra sound to make sure she doesn't have clots and think it might just be from not elevating her legs. 

Her back has hurt for months, most likely from one of the tumors, and it has been more comfortable for her to sleep in her chair.  But this has caused other issues as well.  Alisa said the most beautiful and strong thing to Mom last week she said, "You are going to have to fight as much as you can and then we will pull or push you the rest of the way."  She is fighting, but so are each of us to help get her the rest of the way.

Progressively though over the weekend she has shown some improvement.  I received a text on Saturday that she had eaten 5 bites of food.  We had a little party here in Denver.  Small steps are cause for celebration.  Today she has done even better.  I received a text that she had eaten 10 bites of ground spaghetti and it had tasted good (because of the stint she had to have it ground up).  This was another tender mercy.  She rode in the car for two drives today and even was able to lay down on the couch for a few minutes tonight. 

She continues to feel discouraged, I mean who can blame her.  So many things seem to keep going wrong, but she told me today that yesterday she was feeling discouraged and she prayed that she would be able to make it through this.  She had a dream that she was able to walk upstairs, and do dishes and other things in the kitchen. She felt like that was Father in Heaven letting her know things will improve. 

Throughout the last few weeks I have really reflected about what matters most.  So many of the things I worry about on a daily basis, matter so little when you are face to face with mortality.  When I heard Mom talk about her dream and the tender mercy it was for her, I thought how much I take for granted, like that a cookie tastes good to me.  That I can get up on my own and walk into my kitchen to work.  That my body is my own and not inhabited by Cancer.  I am learning so much from watching my Mom navigate this treacherous storm, I wish she did not have to cross through these tumultuous waters and yet I am in constant awe of her ability to do it gracefully.