...not to distract from my mom and her fight to live....

but my sister told me that since my mom lives with her and her husband, Medicare wants to know the household income- so that THEY would be responsable for the Medical bills. My sister told me her husband said NO WAY that they are giving them that information. So, it seems now my mom will not recieve financial assistance.
I've also been told that children and grandchildren can now be held responsable for the debt of the parents.
So let me get this right....a child can go bankrupt trying to pay for past Medical (and other) bills their parents had incured...
WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DO WE LIVE IN???!!!!!

I Just Can NOT Believe That My Mom isn't dealing with enough already. now,- today SOMETHING ELSE!!!!I am so totally fearful that my mother will not be able to survive with all these ailments...

Hey Boo -
I called Mom this morning (didn't feel like going there again and wanted to make it to work on time for once this week). Anyway, she said they were going to do some kind of test today. Of course she couldn't remember what. She also said that Dr Gemma said that she has a hole in her heart. She told me that he or someone else was supposed to call me today to talk to me. I haven't heard from anyone yet though. If I don't hear, I'll ask the nurse when I get there this evening.
Other than that, she's getting her nutrition now and she still sounds pretty good.
Love you,
Sandi

I can hardly focus on anything else- and it's difficult to hold back the tears that constently fill my eyes.

I suppose at this point, the most important thing is that my mother does not experience pain. I pray that she feels none.

I love my mommy and will be there to hold her hand in 7 days.

PLEASE EVERYONE, PRAY FOR MY MOMMY.

Hey Boo -
Mom is not doing so good. I was there all night with her. She's so weak and she couldn't quite coughing. She's also in a lot of pain. The feeding IV did not work last night so they have to put a new one in today. This time they're going to do it in her thigh as her arms are too swollen. That's why they had problems with the other one. They gave her 2 units of blood through the night. They're also giving her antibiotics through the IV and orally and they give her pain meds both ways too.
Dr Gemma came in this morning and said she has a lot of fluid around her right lung that they're going to have to drain today. As a result of all the fluid, her right lung has collapsed. Dr Gemma said her right lung has a lot of infection. I have to take Mom next Tuesday to see Dr Daniel at UVA. If he's able to do anything for the wound, the first thing he'll have to do is remove her lung (per Dr Gemma).
I guess that's the whole update for now. I just got here again so I have to get some work done before I go back to the hospital. I'm really getting exhausted and Mom is so scarred and doesn't want to be left alone. She really enjoyed getting the flowers. That's the first thing she mentioned when I got there yesterday.
Love you,
Sandi

I try...but it's hard to think about much else besides my mom and what she is going thru...as well as the stress my sister is feeling.

I spoke to my mother briefly, for she could not talk for long without caughing- and that is something she must avoid for when she caughs, that's when her wound bleeds. I told her I love her- and I will see her soon- in 10 days exactly.

Today's email from my sister:

hey Boo -
I'm getting ready to go visit Mom before I go to work. I hated leaving her last night. She was in so much pain. The doctor was going to come see her before he left about upping her meds. Also everytime she coughed a lot, the blood would come out. At one point, she went to the bathroom and started yelling for me because it started bleeding again. It bled bad like it had that morning. The nurses came and changed her and cleaned her up. To me it looked like a lot of blood but it didn't phase the nurses.
Dr Gemma came in yesterday and ordered a lot of tests and they did a chest xray. Dr Lambert, a plastic surgeon is coming in today to see if he can do anything. If he can't, Dr Gemma said he's going to send her to Charlottesville (UVA) to see what they can do to get the wound healed. UVA is the best in the state.

I pray they can do something to help so that she improves soon.

THE BAD NEWS JUST KEEPS COMING...

My mom was admitted to the hospital again today…

Apparently she now has a broken blood vessel inside her wound area.
My sister tells me my mom is becoming more and more depressed, and eating less than she was before- which was not enough to heal her wound.

This continues and continues…and I am becoming depressed myself…I’m starting to believe that my mom is giving up…

Please Goddess, heal my mother’s body of infection and wound- and take all her cancer away.