Laura is starting Home Hospice

I am starting this blog again to try to let people know what is happening and to let Laura's friends and family see pics of her. Laura has started home hospice and stopped all treatments for her cancer. The cancer in her lungs and brain is growing quickly and her cognitive abilities are slipping quickly. Laura, the kids and I decided that it was best to stop treatments and the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy now to give her some good days, weeks, and months while she still knows us all.

Laura is generally at peace and happy. Some days she knows she is in hospice but many days she does not know. She cannot follow a conversation, but likes to have people around and she likes listening to people. When she talks about half the time it is on topic and about half the time she says something that feels like that strange state of mind as you are just going to sleep and you start to dream bizarre things and you jolt awake wondering where that came from. She says stuff that is often related to the conversation but totally different as well as  not based in reality. She is definitely hallucinating things, events and people. Laura is not in any pain right now and isn't taking any pain meds. One funny conversation we had a few days ago when there were people visiting was, "Do you want to take a nap?" Laura:" Yes I do, but I do not want to be alone. What's a girl to do? Well, you could keep talking to the people on our deck and leave the door open and I could nap in that strange bed in our living room and still hear you talking." Which she did.  I must tell you, we have moved our bedroom downstairs so she does not have to use the stair since she falls most days and has no balance at all.  

The hardest thing has been the relocation of her bedroom and using the down stairs shower.  Every night, she gets disoriented after going to the bathroom. We have about a dozen bells on the curtains going into our new bedroom so I wake up when she gets up and I can get her back to bed.  She really does not like having the living room as our room. In general, Laura is happy and loves to eat. She is eating well and eats cake almost every day which is a beautiful thing. I will try to update this blog regularly.

 Ami and Julia out on a lunch date with Laura at the Buoy Beer.

Joey and Laura

reading at the Whisler's house

Arria and Laura enjoying sunset

Moria and Louis having some Laura time

Cousin Tim helping pick peas

Out to dinner with Ani and the cousins!

Mia, the Cancer Dog, keeping close track of Laura

Laura loves weeding.  Even weeding all the sweet peas, a quarter of the bush beans and many flowers, but she loves to weed!

Laura's childhood friend Lauren came out just before Laura went into hospice

Richard came down from Seattle with so many pastries! It was glorious, but the food and seeing him.

Julie came for a visit

She is ok with the bedroom when there is breakfast in bed (every day)

I just love this picture.

This is at the last appointment with Dr. Lysette. Somehow strangely and sadly fitting Taeryn was at the appointment with us when we decided to stop treatments and start home hospice.