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I’ve not been as active as I might wish here and I see this group has not been too active but here I am again, where I was when this group first started. My FIL died Nov 2007. My MIL has done well until the last week or so and the decline has been alarming. I’m not sure who will read this but I’m glad for the place to write it.
We have been first coping with debiliatating pain. The damned if you do and damned if you don’t world of narcotic pain relievers. I did ask about the Tens machine to no avail. Dr wanted hospital, MIL wanted otherwise and so here we are on 10 mg Oxycotin twice a day and 5/325 Percocets as needed (3-5 times daily and which we will try to cut back). She can’t stay awake at the moment or assist due to the degree of pain meds.
She has Stage 4 Multiple Myeloma and we now know its everywhere and has spread significantly in the area of the most pain. We consult with a radiation dr next week. Twice before this has provided prolonged (4-6 mos) pain relief with no need for narcotics (just some Tylenol here and there).
There is a hellacious yeast infection in her genital area of which I only became aware on Thurs night. Went into diaper rash treatment mode and called the dr Fri morning. By Fri afternoon, the nurse in his office drew off 1100 ml of urine. We are not getting much urine output now but some is going in uncollectible places at the moment. If it seems dire, we will be in ER for draining by Sun morning. She’s on oral meds and ointment for this and the yeast infection seems already to be responding. We have done 2 grueling shower sitz baths last night and this morning but it’s worth it.
She’s unable to use the phone and will call for me, during the night, though I’m not there and wonder why I don’t come. She’s minimally, in the strictest sense of the word, communicable. Our goals for the day - more time awake, less pain meds, more food, more movement. Her strength is declining at a rapid rate.
She is seeing things or hallucinating, whichever definition works for you. She’s seeing “people” who aren’t there - vaguely. As a spiritual person, to me this is not good news for her prognosis but I search my heart, are we at that point where she goes not to return? I don’t feel it yet, and that is not over-optimism on my part but hope only. We are definitely at a serious point, a crisis point, a balance point - where it can go either way and I’ve not a clear feeling for which way we’re tilting - perhaps towards the no return, at the moment. Our will for her to live is the bolster, though she has not lost hers, it is not actively engaged either.
More later - I’m sure.
Deborah
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