All About Kim

This new year started off with hope! My dad's last chemotherapy was last month and the effects have worn off by now. He is experiencing quite a lot of pain in his back that the chemo medicine had masked. He is on strong pain killers and isn't eating much. They say the radiation treatments may take away some of the pain. They are due to start next Tuesday.

Complications!! Sunday morning my dad suffered a stroke! He is in the hospital and seems to be doing okay, so far. They have him on morphine around the clock. He is very doped up, but we are hopeful.

Dad's not doing real well. The morphine they have him on causes him to have an upset stomach and so he doesn't eat anything. He is a little more lucid now, but has times when he imagines all sorts of things, and has no idea where he is. Everyone says it's the morphine that does that. A physical therapist has him up walking daily, but he isn't really into it much. His left side is very weak and he hasn't got much control over it yet. Several of us kids and grandkids have been taking turns staying nights with my mom, but now my daughter Meghan has volunteered to stay indefinitely.

After a week at the regular hospital, they moved my dad to a convalescent home so that he can recover and have more in-depth physical therapy. He has a private room and we are allowed to be there anytime, and bring personal items from home. The doctor thinks that he has a good chance of recovering enough to get back home and eventually start his radiation treatments. He is still on morphine and is not eating much. The nurses here are just so sweet to him. We are all taking turns sitting with him, trying to get him to eat. One by one all the kids and grandkids have come from around the state to visit him.

After a week at the convalescent home, my dad suffered another stroke and passed away suddenly on Jan. 27. We are beside ourselves! Even the doctor was stunned. It just wasn't what any of us expected to happen. Thank goodness so many of us were here at the time it happened. With such a large family (7 kids, 6 mates, 11 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren) it is easier to comfort one another through these hard times. We have decided to have dad's memorial service in a week (Feb. 3) to allow time for his 2 brothers to make arrangements to fly out here from back east, if they can.

Some of the wonderful people in our congregation have been taking turns bringing dinners to mom's house for her and Meghan to eat every night! They just can't eat all the food that is being supplied, and my mom has had to call and ask some of them not to bring anything some nights! All of the other kids have gone back to their homes, leaving my brother Jim and his wife Martha, Meghan and I the main ones 'holding down the fort'. We have flexible schedules and are able to arrange things so we can be with mom. We have been taking turns. She has been with dad almost 55 years, and is not used to being alone.

Things this month seem to be starting to feel more normal. I am finally starting to have sewing classes again and am trying to get back into the swing of things. Mom is doing pretty good, although both of us have "weepy" days occasionally. The other day I reminded myself to call my dad about something to do with my car, before I had even realized it! I guess that's normal, at least that's what other people say happened to them in similar situations.

I have some wedding dress and bridesmaids' dress alterations coming up this next month and also am working on a suit for myself that I started several months ago. It is black pinstripe--not exactly a springtime look, but I figure if I don't finish it now, I never will! Plus, taxes are due and I had to file an extension because I couldn't get all my stuff together in time! I have been so neglectful of all my own stuff lately, but I am starting to get things organized around here.