Rose's Place: 2018

This afternoon I helped Dad back the baler into the shed. While he worked the hydraulic levers in the tractor he had me disconnect hoses between the tractor and the baler.for him. The first one came off after a few tugs. As I began to pull the second hose, I got a hydraulic oil shower from the first connector I pulled. I thought Dad was being funny & I cracked up after I jumped from the surprise. He told me that is not supposed to happen. He was not trying to be funny and kept apologizing to me. I thought it was funny. Do you suppose hydraulic oil will soften my skin?

Dad went to the house after we got everything unhooked. I mowed and transplanted mums. He does not know it yet but I even used the leaf blower and blew out the east 2/3 of the machine shed for him so he would have a clean area to work on the other tractor.

After all that I decided it was time to get rid of the oily clothes & get in the shower. Next the clothes will get a Dawn scrubbing and washed as well.

I even cooked meat loaf, baked potatoes, and apple crisp for supper. Now to clean up the kitchen.

It was a good day.

Rose

One year ago today, Karen & I took Mom into the ER in Wichita to get her help for diminishing health that her regular doctor kept telling us it is just that she is getting old. She just turned 80 and had always been a strong healthy woman.

To back up a bit---I had been having a lot of concern about Mom's health and wellness. Mom had been getting weaker, had a lot of fluid retention in her belly and legs, ankles & feet, short of breath, not eating and looked like her face, shoulders and chest were shrinking away and her memory was a mess. She could not carry on a conversation without getting lost in the middle of a sentence, not finding words, and not even being able to follow any activity around her. She mostly sat unaware. At the family reunion the end of July I asked each of my siblings to talk with Mom and watch her and I wanted their impressions afterwards. She could not even get up off the chair without a lot of help from the young strong grandsons raising her up to her feet.

Over the weekend there were a lot of conversations between my siblings and Dad about Mom. It was agreed that we needed to see another doctor and decided to do this through the ER in Wichita in order to get her seen where they would have to check her out thoroughly. We were going to a doctor in Salina for a cyst in Mom's mouth so we went on to Wichita to do this.

When she was examined and tests run, it was discovered that her heart was in A-fib and was believed to be in heart failure. The chest x-ray showed a shadow in the left breast and was believed to be breast cancer. This was an accidental find. Mom got an ambulance ride from St. Theresa hospital to St. Francis hospital where she could get better care for the heart. She was in the hospital for 5 days.

We were in Wichita for follow up appointments and tests for a total of 3 weeks. Mom was diagnosed
with the following:
1. A-fib
2. Congestive Heart Failure
3. 3 leaking heart valves
4. Heart working at 30 %
5. Breast cancer in the left breast
6. Additional tumors deep in the chest wall muscle and in the neck
7. Renal failure

In the hospital, Mom had amazing care from the doctors, residents, med students, and nursing staff. Through all this she had Dr. Andre Saad as her cardiologist. She also was assigned Dr. Ronnie Moussa as nephrologist while in the hospital. We requested Dr. Dennis Moore, Jr. as her oncologist because he had treated her for the colon cancer she had 9 years ago and she was in a 10 year study.

Over the past year we have made many trips to Wichita for doctor appointments and Mom has been admitted to the hospital three additional times. We are so grateful for great doctors treating Mom. It has been a long year but a successful one. Mom still has cancer, A-fib and heart failure. The kidney functions stay within acceptable levels with close watch and balancing medications. We return to Wichita to see all 3 of her doctors next week.

I am so grateful I am living on the farm and able to see Mom & Dad every day. I am grateful to be able to help them. I would not want to be any place else doing anything else at this time in life than to be able to do this. I am so blessed that I am able to see and spend time with my parents every day. I feel my siblings are missing out on this type of relationship with Mom & Dad. Each have their own way through visits and phone calls to keep in touch. I am also grateful that we have been able to stay at Karen's house in Wichita as our second home during health care times. This is so much easier on all of us than to be traveling to Denver and staying in hotels.

Today Mom gets out of the house to ride the Ranger with Dad in the mornings. She will come up to my house to visit when she has "wheels". She shows interest in her sewing room again. She jokes around and is in very good spirits. A year ago I did not think she would be here any longer. Dad did not think she would come home from Wichita alive. She has lost around 70 pounds, still short of breath, weak, eats little and does not cook much, does not remember things but she is 81 and still a vital part of our family. Thank God for all our blessings.

Rose