It has been a LONG time...

It has been a long time since I last blogged about Joe's cancer journey and the health antics of my parents.

Well. it still gets very tricky trying to manuver sanely though the schedules and keeping things straight.

Mom's health is still VERY fragile,sadly most of it her own doing. I still firmly believe that if she even really tried to do as she was directed, she would be in such a better place. For now, she is "content" to hole herself up in her cottage and cut herself off from everyone.
She refuses to go anywhere until she makes the journey to HUP, in Philadelphia to see a neurosurgeon. I think this should have been suggested many moons ago, but I don't think Mom would have entertained the idea anyway.
Today, is that appt for her in Philly, which almost did not happen due to her reaction to strong doses of antibiotics.
We are hoping she gets the answer that she wants. but realistically, Deb and I do not believe she will make it through surgery.. and then there is the rehab portion of the surgery that I do not think she has taken into consideration. And once again, for her safety, she should go to a rehab facility.
Guess we will find out some infor later today or tomorrow.
I do know that Dad cannot continue to care for Mom without completely draining himself.  We do think that maybe it is time for them to consider Assisted living.  Mom's health is very iffy from day to day and she falls very easily. Dad cannot pick her up.. and possibly the next time she falls, she may break a hip. Not a pretty sight.

Dad is trying to hold the fort down, but with his sight deteriorating, it is very hard. He gets VERY frustrated when he cannot read what he has written. He has taken charge of his inability to "read" a good book by getting audio books,so he can still enjoy his favorite authors.

You can hear the stress and just how tired he is,in his voice.

Now onto Joe:
What can I say, the cancer seemed to be responding to the treatments he had received until Dec. His latest PET scan shows that it is back.. and in full force.
Sadly, I think the time has come when we have to face what we don't want to recognize.  The dr always told Joe that they were not going to be able to cure him of this...but it did look like he was going to "beat" it in some way until that last PET scan.  I am sure that was truly a one-two punch. He followed ALL the rules, seemed to be doing well and then BAM!
I do think he really understands the magnitude of what he is facing.. and while at the drs office he was very brave to keep his emotions in check....but I can believe at home, he let them all come out. OR at least I hope he did.
There was a message sent that a letter is to arrive here within a week written by Joe.. and possibly one by Dad.  Not sure if these are exactly the same letters.. or Joe and Dad's views on what we may expect, or what Joe wants us to do to support him while he battles the cancer.  Waiting for these letters,is like waiting for colllege acceptance letters. You want them to get here.. but then not sure we really want to read them.
All I can do, is be there for him... that is all I have. I do not have a miracle drug or magic spell that will get this out of his system. So my time is all I can offer to him.... and he does appreciate it.
Even though we really never saw eye to eye..and that may have caused us to drift apart, he does realize that my being able to just give him a full day, without boundaries shows that family is important.

So we have two things to wait for.... the "letters" that are supposed to arrive any day.. that may tell us the next part of the chapter for Joe.. and the word from the neurosurgeon in Philly as to the next step to possibly improve Mom's daily living.