Loads on the brain

Things aren't looking great with Grandma W. My heart tells me that this is the beginning of a rapid end. Her sisters are coming this week for a week long stay and honestly, I am wondering if she is just hanging on to be with them one last time and then will rapidly decline. I am just fooling myself, she is already rapidly declining. It's too hard to write thoughts right now. I think you all know anyway. I will just end in posting the last two updates from Aunt DD. Please pray. Please. And in your prayers, PLEASE remember to include my brother. Being so far away is really upsetting him right now and he is having a hard time dealing with grief and homesickness. Not a good combo. It makes me sad. Thank you again.

In an email Tuesday April 8:

Hi,
Yesterday we saw Dr Hervert (Mom's primary dr). Nothing really new there except he added to the physical therapy to work on balance as well as her strengthening excersises. She also went for fluids on monday and her weight is down another 2 pounds.
Today we saw the neurologist, Dr Edwards. She ordered MRIs and a EEG. They showed she has had a small stroke (showed up in the brain stem). This area of your brain has to do with your walking. The frontal lobe
(which affects your coordination) showed the brain signals were not connecting and sending the proper signals
to help her walk. Dr E thinks due to radiation, hardening of the arteries and small blood vessel disease or the combination of the three, and then the stroke on top of that, this is why she has no warning, she just goes down.
There is nothing we can do. Keep up the PT, see if it will help, but no medication will help. She also got lectured about using her walker at all times. She is also now going to have more help at the Homestead.
The MRI also showed she has a compound fracture of a vertebrae. It was not a broken rib. The pain radiated
around the left side. But is healing nicely. We know this happened at her house be fore we moved her. It was
on my shift so we know exactly when it happened. And no, she wasn't using the walker then either.
So we have some answers, not much for help though. And so the journey goes on.
We meet with her cancer dr, Dr Bruno, friday. This is the one I'm dreading. I'm afraid we waited to long to start
the chemo up again, and I'm afraid they'll want to start the chemo again, and she is too weak.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Denise

In an email on Wednesday April 9:

Forget the dr's appt on friday. . . Mom was admitted to the hospital this afternoon. The Homestead called this morning (becoming a morning ritual anymore). Mom fell in her room at 5 a.m. She did not call for assistance
and of course, went down. They know she simply forgets, and after yesterdays appt, we now know why. But
they do not know what else to do with her but put her in a wheelchair for her own safety. Something she was not ready to do yet. When I got back from lunch, I got another phone call from the Homestead, something is not right with your mother. They put phone calls into her 3 dr's but no one was returning calls and they thought she should be taken to the ER for evaluation. Seems she could not remember anything from this morning; not the 5 oclock
fall, not going to the cancer ctr for 3 hrs for fluids, doesn't remember eating lunch. But she did remember the
Homestead talking to her about the wheelchair this morning, she did remember physical therapy coming after lunch and she could not stand for them. Her left side is weaker and droopy. Tests from the ER did not show another
stroke. As a matter of fact, everything looked fine. She was very coherent with Don & I in the ER. So we are
baffled. Dr Hervert (her primary dr) had her admitted to the 2nd floor. Not ICU but something similar to that.
Usually she has to go to 4th, the oncology floor. Also, her house sold last night. We close on it May 9. She took this very well.
We look forward to her sisters from the west coming and spending a week with her; hopefully, she'll be out of the
hosiptal by then.
Thank you to everyone at work for your support and hugs. I love you too, Shelby. And I hope I didn't ruin your birthday, Linda.
KEEP PRAYING<
Denise