A few things

Hi family,



I have just a few pieces of information to share...and I encourage anyone else that has thoughts, or news (good news is always welcome!)...to share by clicking on comments and then clicking on anonymous (if you don't have a Google account). It is very easy to do. Please understand that what I write is only my perspective, and my attempt to keep everyone up to speed. I welcome all additional information and updates from others.



Let's see...Fran is coming in for the weekend...she is going to try to come once a month for an extended weekend. She will drive on Fridays, stay on Saturdays and Sundays, and then head home on Mondays. She should be here sometime late afternoon today, and will stay at our house. She wants to see Mom and Pops, but I'm sure she would love to hear from anyone else as well.



I had a very sweet visit with Mama yesterday. She enjoyed hearing my funny memory stories about when I was a little girl, and I did get her to laugh a few times. She was a having a very "sweet" day. She continued to say that she doesn't like where she is living. I think the unfamiliarity of it all is upsetting...but she was much calmer yesterday and agrees when I say that they will help her "brain work better". She is currently on a medicine called Adavan (sp?) which helps her with her anxiety. The director at this facility, Sandy...assured me that it is normal to have a period of adjustment, and she felt that Mama would adjust just fine to her surroundings within a couple of more weeks.



Tish, John, Margaret and I met with the Papa's doctor yesterday. He had not seen Papa in about five weeks. The neurologist had ordered tests for Papa about a month ago and had been concerned about the tests that indicated possible kidney failure. This has been a concern for a few years now...but the neurologist had indicated concern, so we wanted to get Papa's main doctor (Dr. Harris)'s opinion. Papa has gone down hill dramatically in the last two months, and so we had lots of questions and wanted to gain a better understanding of the test results.



Dr. Harris was actually very reassuring. He wants to re-run some of the tests and he does feel Papa is in kidney failure...but he also said he felt that he could have months left. My fear was that it was much more imminent. I had discussed with the director of the Forum, Nancy, the possible need for hospice. She indicated on Tuesday, that she felt it was time to discuss this with Dr. Harris due to his rapid decline. Dr. Harris however, said that we just need to be prepared for more decline, but that he did not feel it was going to be in the next few weeks. He did not recommend hospice at this time. When it comes time for hospice, the workers will come to Papa where he is living...They will work with him medically and spiritually to help him as he gets worse. Nancy has said her goal, is that Papa could remain in the current building he is in, with hospice coming there to provide services. Dr. Harris, however, mentioned that we do need to be prepared for Papa to possibly have to go to the Health Care Center that the Forum has as he gets worse. We also asked that Dr. Harris see Papa every three weeks, and then if any of us feel the need in between, we can request an additional visit. Dr. Harris comes to the Forum every Thursday afternoon.



So again, please feel free to add your thoughts (or even questions). I spoke with John this morning...and he said he thinks the baby will come in the next few days...I can't wait for happy news!



That's all for now.



Love,



Kate