Thank God for Hospice

Since we have had the privilege of having Hospice it sure has made us all feel better. The weekend nurse Jeannine came on Saturday and relieved Tom of the terrible pain that he had been experiencing due to severe constipation. Once that problem was taken care of, he seemed to improve considerably. We had the best nights sleep that we had had in weeks. He only got up once during the night and not the 7-8 times that he had been getting up. He continues to be very tired and is sleeping quite a bit. The nurses aide was here this morning and helped me give him a shower. He ate a great breakfast and was in good humor when our weekday nurse Carole came to visit. But as soon as she left he was completely exhausted and slept for a couple of hours. The Hospice Chaplain, Michael sat with us for over an hour this afternoon. As Tom was sleeping for the first 45 mintues he was here, he just spoke with Mike and I. When Tom got up he wanted to meet with him. I really feel that this was just what Tom needed. The Chaplain asked if Tom would like him to visit again and Tom said yes. Again, he was completely exhausted and went back to sleep shortly after Michael's visit was over. I was hoping to see some improvement in Tom's energy level by today, but there does not seem to be much of that yet. Our Michael, probably said it the best. He said, "Mom, Dad has had 5 poisons (the brain tumor, chemo, radiation, steroids and his own body's waste) in his body for quite a while now and it is going to take him some time to build up his strength." Of course he was right, but patience has never been one of my strong points!

Tom continues to make us laugh all the time! He has not lost his wonderful sense of humor one bit. Everyone one that comes into our house remarks that they can immediately feel both the love and laughter that we have as a family. With all of the loving support of our family and friends we face each challange as it comes.

It has been wonderful having Mike with us this week. I told him the other day that I would not know what to do without him here to help me get Tom up from the couch. His remark back to me was that he was so very glad to be able to do it as each time he got his Dad up from the couch it gave him another opportunity to give him a hug! A special thanks to Tina for her unselfishness and blessings that Mike was able to spend this week with us.

Tom's sisters Mary and Judy and Mary's husband Jim are driving down tomorrow from New York. They are planning on staying to the weekend. I know that Tom is really looking forward to seeing them as are Mike, Sean, Anna and I.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we face each new day and each new challenge.

Love,
Tom & Lynne
Mike & Tina
Sean & Anna