Hi again! Still Elyse here.

Mom is still at the acute rehab facility. Some of you may know that today, May 12th, is her birthday! She doesn’t want any fuss made, but if you could send her a message here or a text, I’m sure she’d appreciate the love!

Things have been really difficult. She is still unable to walk without assistance because of the lymphadema. She’ll need a wheel chair when she comes home. She’s on a lot of pain meds, so she’s been sleeping a lot, and she’s been a little out of it even when she’s awake. She’s getting little bits of PT and OT here and there, but the pain makes it difficult. Her hemoglobin levels were very low, so she got a blood transfusion last Thursday night, so hopefully that will help with energy.

She’s been in the hospital and rehab since April 17th. I’ve only been able to see her in person once since then. It’s really lonely and disheartening and there’s a lot of demorialization and depression that comes with being isolated and in pain. The doctors are hoping she can be discharged tomorrow, May 13th and continue recovery at home. They think that’s probably best for her overall well being. Being alone for that long has taken a toll.

When she comes home, we will have in home OT, PT, and probably once a week home nursing to check in on her, as well as caregiving support. It’s a lot of change, but we’re hopeful we can get the pain under control and continue recovery so we can continue fighting the cancer. Working is also very important to her and I know she’s hopeful she can catch up and finish out this tax season.

We’re just trying to take everything one day at a time. It’s been a really difficult month. There’s better days and bad days. I miss my mom so much. I miss the mundane things like her nightly good night phone calls or coming to her house and seeing her working in her office. I miss watching Wheel of Fortune with her. I really miss going to Disneyland with her. I miss just seeing her walking around. Just in October we were on a cruise of the Mediterranean. We rode vespas in Rome. I feel like I took so much for granted. I pray everyday she’ll be able to walk again, but I’ve accepted that we might just have to adapt. As long as we’re together, that’s really all that matters.

Thank you for reading. If you have the time to send some birthday love to my mom, it would mean so much. Your kind words truly help more than you know!

Elyse