Happy New Year!

We have received so many cards, calls, and messages over the last few weeks. Be certain: we feel the love.

We wish for a peaceful and happy 2012 for all of you.

so it goes

David has made the decision to stop treatment and go on hospice care. The treatments weren't really doing much in the way of making him feel better. In fact, the latest one required a 48-hour infusion time so for two days he had to wear a fanny pack with a pump in it. It was cumbersome and made sitting and sleeping uncomfortable. David isn't really doing a whole lot besides sitting and sleeping so you can imagine that this was not a fun weekend for him.

We met with his oncologist last Friday and she fully supported his decision. She will still be kept in the loop about David's progress but all of his care going forward is being managed by the Heartland Hospice team. His regular nurse will come to the house about once a week to check in, take his vitals and answer any questions. A social worker came out to meet us and is going to be helping me navigate the Medicaid application process. They have also taken over all of his prescriptions: not only do they deliver everything to the house but we don't have to pay copays any more! They offer just about anything you can think of including equipment, bereavement counselling, massage therapists, home health aides, volunteers and so on.

We both feel a not-so-small sense of relief. First, I'm glad that we were able to come to this decision in our own time. Second, there will be no more driving to appointments, blood draws, allergy testing, fanny packs or lunches at the U of M Hospital cafeteria. Our focus now is on staying warm, pain-free and comfortable.

David is sleeping a great deal of the time now which makes it less likely that he'll be up for phone calls or visitors but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try if you feel so inclined: please leave a comment or email if you've got something to say or give a call if you feel like talking or want to set up a visit.

Thanks for reading.