We decided to put off chemo because the 2nd round really knocked her down, and my hope was that she would get stronger and we would resume the treatment, but that is not going to happen.

We had a followup meeting with her oncologist, and her recommendation was to abandon chemo all together and consider hospice. 

My mom's marked decline in health since April was a sign that the chemo was doing more harm than good.  When I brought her down from Amarillo, she walked through the door, and for the past month she has been confined to the bed.  Walking even a few steps is a struggle for her.

We had a preliminary meeting with hospice on Monday to learn more about the program and yesterday we signed the paperwork.

By entering into hospice, your focus shifts from fighting the cancer and prolonging life to just managing symptoms of the disease and maximizing quality of life in the remaining time.

The oncologist said that she 'didn't have weeks to live, or years, but likely several months'

It was tough to hear, but mom had been preparing herself for it.

She will remain with us for as long as possible, and hospice with be coming by several times a week to assist with anything we need.

​That's all for now.

Mom was just not bouncing back well after the chemo dose... even when we lowered the dose this last time.  When I brought her down from Amarillo, but needed a cane to get around, and for the last month she has mostly been confined to the bed and being wheeled to her doctor appointments.

The overall weakness is probably from a combination of things, but we really need to get her back on her feet before another round of chemo.

Cousin Linda is coming for another visit on Monday and it will be a lighter week with only a couple doctor visits.

All for now.

So the 2nd round of Chemo (a lower dose) hit her pretty hard and it's taken her longer to bounce back.  She is also dealing with a new issue, swelling in her right leg and foot.  They ruled out a blood clot, which is good, so that means lymphedema... not super serious, but it needs to be addresses.  We have an appointment with a specialist next week, but we are trying to get that pushed up.  The swelling has affected her sleep which really knocks her out the next day.

On a good note, I have been so busy dealing with mom's physical health that I have not been following up on her financial stuff.  She was managing it until the chemo knocked her down and she stopped paying her bills... :(  I asked my brother to wrangle that and he is getting her back on track.

The good news is, he resolved her long standing feud with AT&T and got her phone service turned back on.  Feel free to give her call.  If you would like to call and don't have her number, send me a message on FB.

We were scheduled for another round of Chemo this week, but we have decided to push it off until she gets stronger.  She can only walk about 6 feet before getting out of breath.  We are doing physical therapy, but there is not much to work with once the chemo hits you.

​All for now.  Have a great holiday.