Foothills country hospice

Wow, what a great place! We found out Friday morning that a room came available at the inn and we had to move Saturday morning. I decided to start the move Friday due to the high volume of crap mishelle has accumulated over the last couple of months of being in hospital. I filled the whole back of my van, the woman does not travel light!

We will not miss the hustle and bustle of unit 47. they are totally wonderful there but Oh My God .... Mishelle had about 8 room mates the last weeks there and it's hard to deal with other peoples schedules. It did however put some things into perspective. Last week I was driving to the hospital all in a flap about mishelle and the horrible things she was having to go through. All I could think of was what a terrible way to have to go. Then she got her new room mate. I was sponge bathing Mishelle when the new ladies Doctor and a surgeon came in to talk to her. The curtain that separates the beds leaves zero privacy and I was a little perturbed about the invasion at that time. It became immediately clear that it was us that were invading. The poor woman was explaining how she was in constant pain due to the baseball sized bed sores on her back side. That wearing a diaper was making it 100 times worse and that she needed a team of 3 people to help her roll to her side. The Doctor's didn't comment on that but instead wanted to review her options. The spoke of how she had a large section of bone removed from her arm which rendered it useless. This was due to a large tumor that had to be removed. Now another one was growing on her hip and leg and they were trying to decide if they should operate and put a steel rod into her leg. She asked if they could remove the tumor, they said no. She spoke of the incredible amount of pain she was having.

For the 3 days that she was there she only had 2 visitors. And they didn't stay to long.
This horrible insight made me appreciate Mishelles situation. We seem blessed in comparison.

It felt a little weird to be leaving the safety of the hospital. A final step that we could not take back. There will be no more heroic attempt to fix what is broken. When things go sideways, we grab the holy shit handle and go for the ride.

A transport ambulance was called in to take her there. At first I thought "why an ambulance? I could drive her." We had just had her home last weekend. But this speaks to how when you are around someone all the time that you fail to recognize how much weaker she has become in just a week. She now needs help to sit up in bed or get up from a sitting position. She just does not have the umpf to force herself up. She is a skinny mini but still is surprisingly heavy. She has no fat on her bum and has a very sore spot on her tail bone. It looks like a burn. She is completely obstructed again and it's not likely that this will reverse this time.

There is no way I would have been able to drive her ... she totally needed the ambulance. The drivers were great and Sandi rode in the ambulance and I followed behind. I cried all the way there and just when I composed myself, we turned the corner to the driveway to the hospice. The full panoramic view of the mountains was totally breathtaking. And I once again started to bawl. Who ever put that hospice there will earn a special place in heaven. If you come and it is a clear day, prepare to be blown away.

So, we got her in her room and she was elated! No speakers announcing who needs what drugs no one wandering into her room unannounced. A free flat screen TV. A big leather reclining chair and a large comfy couch. Beautifully decorated. A huge bathroom with a shower that she can sit in a chair. I think that the universe must have been listening when we asked for this place as a first pick. Nothing else in this journey has gone our way until now.
Check out the link to see the place.
countryhospice.org

I hope that those of you who are reading this will have the chance to come out and see Mishelle. I believe we have only a few weeks, however with that being said ... Mishelle still believes that she is going to beat this thing. She has the most incredible tenacity we have ever seen. To me, the weaker she becomes the more innocent and sweet she becomes. I know it's hard for some people to see someone when they are at the end of their life. They look sick. But if you can look past that and just look into her big beautiful blue green eyes, here you will see love, strength acceptance, a life time of experience and most importantly hope.

I will update again soon.