A Short Note About Where I’ve Been
I apologize to my regular followers for not posting any articles this month. It’s still hard to find the words to talk about this.
Facing Family Medical Issues Together
Some people know that in the past few months, my family and I have been dealing with serious medical issues concerning my mother. She was diagnosed with both painful spinal compression fractures and myelodysplastic syndrome many months ago.
Those months were tough for all of us. Especially for Mum, who hated “causing trouble.” She was one of those stubborn patients.
As a family, we did what we could to help Mum get her blood transfusions. We tried to make everything better for her — from getting the food she liked and helping her find her favorite TV shows.
New health issues arose in the fall. After a hospital stay and time spent in short-term rehab, she seemed to be getting better. Until the weakness returned. And more pain.
For the first time, our family learned about the differences between palliative care and hospice. My mother wasn’t ready for hospice yet. She liked the doctor in charge of her palliative care and was willing to listen to his options.
Then, late last year, she suffered an extremely painful hip fracture. The emergency…
