Update

My mom has been transferred to the Life Care Center of Westminster for rehab. The last few days have been hectic with trying to get her settled into the new facility. New rules and schedules and needs. She is not terribly fond of her new schedule. For those of you who know my mother, you can just imagine her pleasure at being awakened for breakfast in the dining room at 6:30 a.m. Yesterday, when the dietitian asked if she needed any supplemental snacks, my mother responded with, "Goodness no!" She has started her physical therapy and is getting stronger every day. She has a long way to go but there is forward progress. She sleeps a lot now to help her recover. The nurses said rest is an important part of her recovery. However, if you would like to stop by, feel free to visit for a few minutes. There isn't a lot of space and only one chair for visitors. My mom has a roommate and not a lot of room for plants or flowers so cards are your best bet if you want to bring something to show her you care. The center is located on the northeast corner of approximately 77th and Sheridan. Across from the Kaiser building. 7751 Zenobia Court.

Today

Today has been another day of the maybe moving to rehab game. The move to rehab has been complicated by many factors. I now have permission from my mother to share some additional details. During some of the tests, they discovered that she had fluid in her lungs and abdomen. Not huge amounts but still any fluid isn't usually a good sign. We don't know if the cancer has returned or not as we are unable to sample any fluid due to the blood thinners. Those blood thinners make any type of procedure more risky. In this case, the risks outweigh the benefits. She had asked us to not tell anyone until she had a chance to tell all of us kids. They put her on some diuretics to see if they couldn't get rid of some of the fluid. They performed an xray today to see if there was more fluid or less. That was one piece of the decision regarding rehab. The other piece of the decision was her left leg. She was experiencing pain in her left leg where the clot developed. Actually, the pain was more centered around her knee. The doctor drained some of the fluid off her knee to see if he couldn't relieve the pain. Both things went well. The xrays look good, no significant change which is good news and the knee draining went well as well so we are off to rehab. My mom is nervous but also a little excited to be on her way. I'll let you know more later.

Small Setback

Today we found out that my mom has developed a blod clot in her left leg. While not the best of news, she is taking it well. Apparently, developing a clot in the left leg when you had surgery on your right hip, means you get to be on injectable blood thinners for the rest of your life. It isn't uncommon in patients who have had cancer to be more prone to blood clots because their blood becomes thicker. Due to the blod clot, the earliest that she would move to rehab is Wednesday. We did find her a place nearby which seems very nice. I'll let you know where and when she moves. In the meantime, my mom is sick of hospital food but doesn't want anything from outside either. They keep bringing her Ensure shakes and she keeps sending them home with all of us. Her appetite isn't the best but she is eating.

A few people have stopped by to see her or have called her which helps break up the days. It has been the perfect amount of visitors and calls - not too much to overwhelm her. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support. We are truly blessed!