Making good progress this week on my path with terminal cancer. I seem to be losing muscle mass and gaining ascites fluid buildup. This is causing fluid pressure in my abdomen and on my dislocated rib and hip problem, and therefore is causing a lot of pain. With the increasing fluid buildup in my abdomen I now have very little space left in my stomach for food. This is causing major acid reflux.
We discussed these problems with my hospice nurse. I now have a hospital bed, which my husband spent hours wrapping the mattress, trying to contain its perfume smell. We also had to wrap the controls and wires with plastic wrap because I’m so allergic to perfumes. It is helping me sleep better.
Last night I began taking the pain reliever fentanyl. It comes in a small clear skin patch which releases a small dose of the medicine continuously for 72 hours. It did take down the pain level, and I slept well all night. This morning I started taking a pill for the acid reflux. It will take a while to see how effective it is.
My husband now gives me a ride in the wheelchair from one end of the house to the other, but I can still walk around a little bit in a small area, and dress myself. I cannot stand even for a few moments, due to pain, so I sit on a stool at the sink to brush my teeth. This last week I’ve struggled with eating. Even with only eating small snacks at a time, I’ve had trouble with the acid reflux, and was only able to get in 500 calories a day for the last few days, so I’m very weak. I hope the new medicine will help me eat better this next week.
So, I feel like I’ve made definite progress this week on my journey home. I’ve also had some wonderful visits with friends and family, in the sunshine on our patio.
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