Saturday, February 10, 2007

Spring in the Napa Valley & Caregiving in Person






It has been raining every day since my arrival - yesterday I walked for a couple of hours and enjoyed the smells and sights of the emerging springtime. You can see the mustard is beginning to bloom - the beautiful garden belongs to the venerable French Laundry, Thomas Keller's acclaimed restaurant in Yountville. The produce from these gardens is served in the restaurant.

My mom's medical tests came back negative for cancer and tumors - hooray. Now to discover why her body is not making red blood cells - she had an iron IV infusion on Wednesday and the doc ordered another blood test to check her body's ability to assimilate iron.

The tough part is now, "she is all well." The level of denial is astounding. I am using patience and love - however, it really is difficult at times.

An old friend of the family, who is my age, is arriving today from the City, she will be with us for the weekend. J and I are going to try and begin some conversations with mom about a move to have more supports in her daily life. J is like another daughter to my mom and I am grateful that she is coming.

Wish us luck.

4 comments:

  1. I am wishing you great luck Suzann...but most of all great patience and strength. One of the hardest parts of caregiving is helping to maintain that person's mental attitude toward it all. Very often it's their worst enemy. It can be for all of us. I'm very glad your mom's tests came back negative. But as you're finding out....that's just half the battle. It's a hard, exhausting and frustrating time sweetie....stay strong....sending you lots of love....

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  2. I am glad with the good news about your Mom's health! Good luck to you both!

    Beautiful photos, too!

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  3. oh, i do, i do - wish you luck! both my parents live in denial. despite medical problems, falls, physical inability to shop and clean, and multiple other issues pointing to cognitive changes in handling business issues, there is a stubborn resistance by my father to accept the fact that it is time to change their lifestyle to one which accommodates their current needs. it is so difficult to handle this with patience when safety seems to be compromised by this stubborness. so good luck, suzann.

    glad to hear it is not cancer, and hope whatever the culprit is that it is not too serious. best wishes to your mom and safe travels for you!

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  4. I really wish you the best of luck. You all need these days.
    Anemia, if that will be the conclusion, ain't that hard to live with (Anna had it all her life, but in her age, it's no problem any longer. Let me add, she enjoy some glasses of red wine during the week - and eats lot's of vegs plentyfull of iron - remember organic - else the minerals are vanished). hm a long parenthesis.

    Great pictures from Napa Valley. good to see the sun not allways shines there:))

    Hope everything will end up with a solution everybody can and will accept. Good luck.

    =^.^=

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