Life Is Difficult ...

Hello,

My sister was admitted to TMC Wednesday afternoon (2-24).

Abdominal CT shows a large necrotic abdominal mass, grapefruit-size. It's a long story but they put in a gastric tube and are pumped her stomach contents which was full of blood and other really gross crap...

She hasn't eaten since last Thursday (best we can tell, it could be longer), she is slowly losing her mind said really bizarre things totally out of context but that could well be a side effect of starvation.

When we were in the ER (I called 911 to pick her up, she had rubber legs and couldn't remember how to work her portable oxygen tank) she was hallucinating said there were bugs on my shirt collar and cuffs...it's bad.

She can't go back home. I asked her today if she thought she could take care of herself alone and she said 'no'. I called Hospice and they are going to do an assessment today. I'm also going to check into Group Care Facilities, as well as Handmaker's nursing home and some others.

I've gathered all the bills which she stopped paying in January. I have to file a tax extension. Her toilet is leaking, the garbage disposal isn't working...it goes on.

I took the dog to the vet; he's 18. She wasn't feeding herself and the dog was half-starved. He's blind, deaf and old - Bruno is too playful and I have the pool - blind dog & pool without a fence don't mix. When I took Buddy to the vet her suggestion was euthanize, which I did with an extremely broken heart, but I can't tell my sister right now - it would be too much.

Her cancer is 'gone' per Dr. Ketchel (Oncology)... I have the pathology reports it spread a bit (but 'a bit' as far as cancer goes might as well be 'a lot'). But the surgeon, Dr. Lowell, was clear, in October '09, when he said "I got all the cancer in the area I was in". I knew then it had spread.

The hospitalist, came in to see me (I have POA) yesterday morning and when I said I didn't believe we should go through surgery she agreed. The hospitalist said "her cancer has spread to the point where doing surgery on the (large grapefruit-size) mass would be futile." I really like the Hospitalist she doesn't beat around the bush and definitely tells it like it is --> she's the first in the past year!

She has a bled and Dr. Peterson (GI) is going to run a scope today to see where it's coming from.

Your prayers would be appreciated. I knew this would come and even if one is prepared it's just hard.

The hardest part was telling our father....no one should ever have to bury a child (he'll be 94 in June and my sister is 71) and honestly it broke my heart.

I'm sure I rambled a bit and I apologize. Your prayers would be appreciated.