I spent the day over at Mom and Dad’s house.   I got there a little after 9:30 this morning, and Mom had just finished taking a shower and getting dressed.   She was able to wash her hair, too, so then I combed her hair, dried it and curled it for her.  Then she brushed her teeth and finished getting ready.

Peggy, the hospice nurse came out to the house at 11:30.   She spent 2 hours with us explaining the new portable oxygen tank, morphine information, and some points and tips for Mom’s comfort.   I’ll go into that more later…..

Last night was a rough night for Mom.  She couldn’t quite get comfortable and then when she did, she had such a pain in her side from being in her recliner all day and night!  She did take some Aleve around 3 AM to relieve the pain and help her get back to sleep.

Peggy taught us all about morphine and its effects on opening up the airways for patients who have some trouble breathing.  Morphine is a narcotic, so when it is taken orally, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, opening up all the blood vessels.  This helps the lungs out by being able to pump more oxygenated blood effectively, easing Mom’s trouble breathing.  I hope that makes sense……I’ve explained it numerous times today….so forgive me if it doesn’t make any sense now.

After Peggy left, we ate some lunch.  Mom had some barley vegetable soup from Trader Joe’s and some crackers.  She was pretty tired then, so after I did dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, I headed into the spare bedroom to type out the morphine directions and information to post near her for when any other person is over watching her.  I also made up a medication log for her so we can keep track of when she takes what.  Then, I made a quick spreadsheet/calendar for her to keep by the phone as all of these hospice people call and make appointments to come over.   She had been jotting them all down on pieces of paper, but now they are all on a chart for her to easily read and know when people are coming by to see her.

Pastor came over for an hour this afternoon.  It was nice to chat with her.  She is such an awesome person to be around when you need support.   She instantly makes you feel comfortable and at ease with life.  Pastor always also just knows the right things to say and how to say them.  She also has the uncanny ability to talk about anything and everything, which is what Mom needed today.   Mom’s afternoon got a bit more rough than her morning, so I think it was great that Pastor had been over.

During Pastor visit, Mom’s sister, Mabel arrived.  Mabel and I sat and chatted for quite a bit this afternoon while Mom dozed off.  Then around 4:15 or so, Mom started to have difficulty catching her breath.  Her breathing was quite labored.  She suddenly opened her eyes and said that she thought she should maybe try the morphine.   So, I administered her first dose of morphine this afternoon.  We waited the 10 minutes to see how well it started working.  Mom found some relief, but not quite, so I called the hospice and they had me administer a second dose.  The 2nd dose seemed to do the job, so that is where we will stay right now for doses.  Now that we have found her “effective dose,” it should work for 4-6 hours for her.   When that dose stops being effective, the nurse will then adjust it accordingly.

I left after I knew Mom was ok with her meds.  Mom, Dad, and Mabel were going to eat some supper, so I headed home to be with Hubby and Punky.   After our dinner, we packed Punky’s bathtime stuff and his jammies and headed back over to their house for her daily dose of Punky!   🙂

He had fun with Mabel, Grandma, and Bacca!  (grandpa)  He took a bath and did so well cleaning up his toys that Bacca gave him a cookie!   He REALLY liked that!

After everyone received their hugs and kisses from Punky, we packed up and headed home.

Punky is now in bed, Hubby is cleaning up the kitchen, and I am updating this for all  of you.

Thanks again for all of your comments, emails, cards, phone calls, and prayers.  Mom really enjoys hearing from everyone!  Thank you!