After sleeping, living and eating for six years on a chaise lounge, my back and shoulders are still adjusting to the extra support from a traditional mattress. I know I’ll get used to this, because I had a good night’s sleep last night, that’s for sure.
You know what? I think I need to clarify something with all of you. I know I frequently refer to the wonderful people who show up at our home to provide my medical care as a “hospice C.N.A.” or a “hospice R.N.” Actually … Accord Hospice also provides palliative care, which is the correct term for the services I’ve been receiving … including all of my medical care in-home, bathing and hygiene, medications (including three different opioids for pain), same-day prescription delivery to our home plus my new electric hospital bed. I’m not on end of life care, even though I’ll certainly continue to receive care from Accord for as long as I live because I’m not “getting better” and nobody can figure out how to change that.
The bottom line is, I’ve been in a steady decline for years … and during the last six months the speed at which I’ve declined has been frightening. (In January I was able to walk all over the house using a cane. Today I can’t even stand up!) I was hospitalized three times this year before the end of May. On Memorial Day weekend I was discharged from Baylor Hospital under the auspices of Accord, with a free ambulance ride and a nurse, a medical team and an oxygen generator waiting for me at home … along with my sister, Robin, who was visiting from Chicago. I never had it so good!
HEY. TRY TO LEARN SOMETHING. Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life for patients (and their families) facing a life-threatening illness through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other health issues, plus emotional and spiritual support. [NOTE: Unlimited Popsicles are highly recommended.]
Tomorrow, God willing, I want to get up, sit on my bench and spend time at my computer workstation. I’ve got all kinds of projects to do for The Howdygram Store … greeting card and mug designs and even some ideas for new products. Woo-hoo!
It’s nearly midnight now, I’m watching Hans Christian Andersen (1952) starring Danny Kaye, and I think I’d better publish this post right away because I’ve been losing my goddamn Internet connection every 15 minutes for the last hour … and it’s driving me nuts already.
Thank you for reading this. I think the Alamo is worth remembering only if you don’t have anything else to do.
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