Brother in Hospice Care

I found out today, via an online forum my brother Paul uses to keep everyone updated, that he started hospice care yesterday. He said he was all hopped up on drugs and in a hospital bed at home. It just hit me hard at that point. Like I mentioned before, I was on the edge of being a sobbing mess and that just did it for me. My daughter was at preschool and fortunately my neighbor, who was working there today, said she would bring her home for me. When my neighbor pulled into the driveway to drop off KD she saw me crying and it was good to have someone offer some words of support at that point. She even offered to watch KD if I wanted to hop on a plane and go see my brother. WOW! I really appreciated her saying that.

I called my MIL and asked her if she could take the baby and KD and give them their lunch, I needed to collect myself and not be crying like that in front of them. I also wasn't in the mood to make lunch and figure all that out for everyone. She came over right away and I had a chance to call my other brother Nate and let him know what I read, and then I called my Aunt (my Mom's sister) to let her know what was going on. It has been too long since I gave her an update.

I called my brother's GF, Ruth, to see what was going on from her perspective. She didn't answer her phone but did call back while I was at church for the Maundy Thursday service. She explained that Paul was really out of it on the drugs and wasn't sure what his post said, but that he is going to get the radiation treatment that he has been wanting. Apparently it was going to cost them a lot of money to get the radiation for him and then she called the hospice people and they are going to take care of the majority of the cost! I think they have to pay $1500 upfront and then hospice will pay the balance. That is great news! I have my concerns that the treatment will do more harm than good, but praying that isn't the case.

Paul has a very large tumor (about the size of half a gallon of milk) in his groin. That is causing him a lot of pain and also a lot of difficulty when going to the bathroom. So the radiation treatment is happening in hopes that it will shrink the tumor enough to give him some relief. It will probably just grow back, but he is hoping that maybe it will grow back in a different shape and not cause so much problems with his bowel movements. That would be nice.

Hospice has started treating his pain, which is good. He was in so much pain he was in tears when I saw him. But I hope also that this radiation will reduce his pain to a level where he doesn't have to be so heavily doped up and therefore not as delusional as he has been because of the heavy medication.

I pray and I thank those of you who pray for my brother.