A Doable Week, and I'm on Hospice

This has been a very doable week for me. From Sunday afternoon until today, Friday, pain levels have been very cooperative. I'm EXTREMELY grateful for this and make my gratitude known through prayer often. Besides all of your prayers on my behalf which I SO appreciate, it must also be the higher dosage of one of my meds helping. It makes me drowsier but that doesn't bother me. Besides, the drowsiness has been a nice benefit at night time--I've been sleeping better! Most nights this week I've gone to sleep around midnight and woken up to my 7:00am pill alarm. I love when that happens.

I continue to do my PT in the evenings at my bedside. My PT is mostly for leg strength and balance. Yesterday my legs felt a little weak for the first time as I walked with my walker from the bedroom to the bathroom, which worried me. Today I started adding a few more gentle squats at my bedside when I get the chance. I want to keep my legs strong so I can continue to move myself around the apartment. It would be ridiculous to need help getting to the bathroom, etc.

Appetite is good. Although I have lost 25-30 pounds since my diagnosis in February, I have gained 3 or 4 pounds over the last few weeks since I'm eating more chocolate and peanut butter. *urp* No regrets.

Energy levels are good, although I don't need much for lying around on the bed 24/7 or walker-ing 10' from bed to the bathroom.

As of yesterday I'm now on hospice. I know, I know, just let that sink in for a minute. This means I no longer contact my regular doctors. Anytime I need anything, I call hospice. Their purpose is to keep me comfortable.  I get to stay at home and the hospice nurse, comes to me. I can have her come see me on a schedule from one to seven days per week. We're starting with once a week, on Wednesdays. I can call them anytime day or night. If I need someone, they will send someone to me day or night. There will be no calling of 911, nor going to the ER, unless I fall and break an arm, or something. My nurse will bring any medications I need. If I need any durable goods, like a hospital bed, or anything else, they will have it delivered to me quickly.

One thing you get right up front is a comfort care kit. It is a collection of seven medications to have on hand in case you need something immediately. If I call and they feel I need to take one of these, I will already have it and won't need to go pick it up or wait for delivery. We looked through these and hadn't heard of any of them before, but are glad to have them on hand just in case. I'm kind of hoping to "graduate" before anything is bad enough to need these items. Still, I'm grateful to have them on hand.

I keep hearing good things about hospice from some of you, and I'm sure there's more to it than I'm remembering.

Even though we don't like what's happening to me right now, all the surrounding conditions could not be any more ideal. This does not go unnoticed by us.