Back from the Hospital

Jake here with another update.

Nancy had a good 3 days in the hospital, where her doctor and nurses were able to determine the right medications and dosages to ensure she remains comfortable. She was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and was VERY happy to be home. She is feeling soooooooo much better now than she did last weekend (or than at any point over the past month). The key change from before is the fact that Nancy now has a portable IV pump to continuously give her pain medications. A couple of anti-nausea medications will be given through her IV as well.

We’re with a different hospice provider now, and we’re awaiting our first visit from the nurse who does the intake process. She will train me how to administer the other 2 anti-nausea meds through her IV… Really she is continuing the training we started with her inpatient nurse right before she was discharged. We’ve spent so many years observing the process every week when she received chemotherapy that it is easy to pick up.

Nancy is feeling so much better that I’m expecting a very different daily routine. Her diet won’t be limited to a few spoonfuls of Jell-O or soup. She will probably be awake more. She’s going to be in a better mood since she’s not living in misery. I’m looking forward to tomorrow to see what the new normal is. Of course we’ll have to ease into it so she doesn’t overdo it. We’re both so grateful to Nancy’s oncologist for following up with us and then advocating for the change.

One positive constant throughout her hospice care has been the continuous stream of cards for Nancy. One of the highlights of the day during her hospital stay was mail call. She loves to hear from you, so feel free to keep sending her your notes of encouragement and love! We don’t have much space left on the dining room table, so I’m thinking about our spillover options. I’ve attached an updated picture of our card real estate situation. Oh, and you’ll notice another side table with a card placed on top. Since I received my first card (thanks, Kris!), I figured I needed my own card table!