After an 11 hour hibernation, I began to feel like myself again. I guess sleep really does matter. Exercise would probably help my mental outlook as well. I haven’t been to the gym since the 13th, I think. I will try to fit in more sleep, exercise and food so that this all works a bit better for all concerned. Without some downtime and good sleep, it will be hard to take care of everything. Mom had a good night last night too! She walked using a walker, three times today and worked with an occupational therapist. She is getting stronger everyday. Thank god! She will need her strength especially since both radiation and chemo start a week from tomorrow. I think she will get considerably weaker when that begins, so now we are in prep mode.

My first order of business is to get all of her carpets removed. Luckily there is hardwood under all that old carpet. And don’t worry, she is on board with this. The carpets are more likely to trip her up with a walker and I want to make sure we minimize any possibility of a fall. I also need to have a good sturdy ramp built. If anyone knows of anyone who can do this, please reach out to me, because I will try and get this all accomplished this week. I am hoping to have her back home before the beginning of treatment. The next and equally important step is to find a night time sitter so I can still go home at night and spend time with my husband and recharge. I think it is quite possible that after she gets through the first 6 week period of radiation and chemo, her life may start to resemble what it was before the diagnosis. Definitely keeping my fingers crossed and my thumbs pressed (that’s what we say in Germany instead of fingers crossed-trying to cover all the bases). We are also hoping to get her a nice bed with an electric base so she can be more comfortable.

So many friends have come to visit her and the cabinet in her hospital room is full of thoughtful gifts and flowers. We appreciate you all so much!

So, all in all, I think we are on the right track.