Once it became evident that the cancer was spreading, we knew we had decisions to make, and we had to make them quickly. The time for hospice care had arrived. We knew and understood that. Oh, but it was a hard decision for all of us. We knew that by bringing in hospice, we were giving up the fight and admitting defeat. Yes, we knew all along that Daddy was not going to survive this cancer, but getting him hospice care made us face it.
Because of the location of this metastasized cancer, the doctor wanted to do radiation. He felt that the cancer would render his right arm as unusable in a short amount of time. Usually Hospice does not take patients who are still undergoing ratiation or chemotherapy. However, this radiation was considered to be a comfort measure and Hospice allowed it. Our first Hospice experience was a difficult one for reasons I will discuss in another post.
I had reservations about the radiation, but was assured that Daddy should have no ill effects from the treatments. He had three or four radiation treatments before he left the hospital and, with the exception of feeling more fatigue, seemed to be tolerating them well.
Meanwhile, back at the nursing home, Mother was eagerly awaiting Daddy’s arrival. She had been living in a room alone, with no roommate, so that Daddy could just moved right in without have to change Mother to another room. Mother was doing fairly well. She was still confused about many things and would cry to go home. My sister went to see her every day, sometimes twice a day. Our relationship with the nursing home staff will be discussed in another post.
Next post: The transition is made. Taco salad and Chocolate chip cookie dough ic
When the Family Has Cancer 