Today I'll go sign the papers that will allow hospice care to start. She'll still be in the same facility, same room; there will be added services for her and for her family as she moves closer to death. I heard from the nurse on duty Sunday that Lee was refusing to take her medications. She already was refusing food and liquids. I probably would, too. They think she may have aspirated something she drank into her right lung, so she can't have anything through a straw now, and it all has to be thickened. This means she is offered icky boxed nutrient-rich milk shakes, thickened fruit drinks, and pureed foods. She refuses them all--vehemently. Her jaw clamps shut, she turns her head from side to side, and won't swallow.
She is on IV fluids to keep her hydrated, and I think there's glucose in there, too. Not much to keep a body going, even one that lies still in the bed all the time. If she keeps on as she is, she won't last much longer. If she has a change of heart and starts to accept meds (at the very least), she'll be around a while more.
Her grand-daughter is asking me if she's really at the end now, and how long do I think it's going to take... There's no way I can answer that question. Is she a lot nearer the end now? Yes. How long? If the nurses and docs won't guess, how can I?
Later:
The papers are signed, and I had a long talk with the admissions nurse for Hospice Inspiris. If they're all like her, Lee will be in good hands.
She is no longer on IV fluids, and is refusing anything by mouth. How long will she live this way? A few days, maybe. I feel so sad to see her this way.
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| Grandma Lee's 76th Birthday, May 2010. Better times. |
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