Tag: palliative care

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Enough

Hannah

I’m lying in bed as the last light of day seeps in the bottom of my bay windows.  The plasticky smell of oxygen whispers against my pillow with every breath, and I count how many times the back door chirps open as the kids run in and out to grab things for the box fort they are making.  They are soaking in the warmth the summer evenings still offer, even though school is back in session.  We have just wrapped up a whirlwind adventure of a summer vacation, and as I lie in the comfortable quiet I find myself wondering if it was enough.

We planned big.  There was hardly a week that we were not out traveling or exploring or trying out some new adventure.  We knew it was good and our family needed it. At the beginning of the summer we talked about shifting our focus to the memories and the legacies we were creating of our time together.  We definitely made big and wonderful memories, but I’m left troubling over the mundane. It is easy to make memories when it’s fun and exciting, but are we making good memories in the grind of every day?  I try to think back on my own childhood and remember the small moments.  I want my children to reminisce on our dinners around the table, braiding hair in the mornings before school, and snuggling in for a book before bedtime.  I want them to remember these things because these are the things that feel so inherently me. It will be easy to remember the thrill of a concert or the awe of a canoe ride, but I hope the kindness and love and adoration I have for them seeps deep into their souls so that when they think back on the days of packing school lunches and rubbing backs in my bed they will be overcome with the remembering of the safety and love that was there. We may still have a wild adventure or two, but for me, I’m going to be focusing on these little moments and making sure they count far into eternity.

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Incurable Hope

Hannah

It has been a long six years trying to find a diagnosis. Based on my symptoms and the way they have progressively worsened, we’ve known it was some kind of degenerative neuromuscular disease, but we haven’t quite known the prognosis. Early on it was thought to be MS, and I was able to work through it, making some modifications to how I did things, but vastly able to continue life as normal. Things continued to decline though, and I found myself losing the strength and endurance I needed to continue working as a paramedic. This is when I cut back to part time paramedic, and also took an office job in organ donation. As fulfilling as that was, I eventually found myself no longer able to make the drive, or even remain upright for the hours that it required. Eventually I had to face that I could no longer safely work in any job, and I needed to save what little energy I had for my family and friends.

It’s been a frightening journey at times, especially with the unknowns, but we are beginning to have some clarity. A recent brain MRI showed significant damage to my brain stem, and basal ganglia, which are responsible for many of the automatic functions of the body. This information shed light on why I was having symptoms related to that area of the brain, like trouble regulating my breathing. All of these pieces started to fit together and pointed to Multiple System Atrophy. In some ways this was a relief, as the contenders like ALS have a very short length of survivability. MSA comes with its own fatal prognosis though, typically within 5-15 years. Being at year six, I already feel blessed for the time I’ve had and continue to enjoy. I’ve tried to stay in the moment and be continually grateful, although I’ll admit that sometimes my attitude stinks and I fall into a grumpy state of forgetting the gifts I’ve been given.

I know that God knows my heart and hears my prayers, and those of so many who love me. I know that He can take this suffering from me if He chooses to. But even if He doesn’t, I will still choose hope and thank Him for every moment He allows me to have earthside.

I hope you’ll help me, dear readers, to continue to find Hope and Grace in the day to day. I know that it’s there, and sometimes I just need help to lift my eyes up for it. Please don’t treat me differently; let’s laugh and dance and do big and small things without fear of the future. I’m ready for today, how about you?

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Leaning In

Hannah

This past week we wrestled as we processed some new information. The brokenness can seem so overwhelming at times when we forget to give over control. We had a hard conversation with our little people, and we leaned in hard over the weekend to find the good in our story.

Saturday we supervised as our new high school freshman invited over several friends to celebrate saying goodbye to middle school. It was a mess of s’mores, slip n slides, rain, and lots of smiles and laughs.

Sunday was the first time I’ve made it physically to church in months. It was wonderful to sit among community, and to get to visit with a few of the kind women that have been reaching out to help meet our needs at home.

Monday morning we loaded up to watch a small parade in one of our neighboring towns, and then visited the dairy farm nearby to feed the animals and enjoy the most delicious freshly made ice cream.

Every time I push past the exhaustion and hurting to get to see joy and connection on my babies’ faces, it eases the discomfort in my bones and brings me the richest joy I can imagine. I’m so thankful I can still get up and embrace the best of our days. If you’re sitting on the sidelines, would you get up too? I promise it’s worth it. We’ve been given so much beauty to enjoy, let’s not miss it!

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For the Love of Palliative Care

Hannah

For the better part of a year or more my weeks have had to revolve around appointments. With 14 separate specialists each handling a different aspect of my health, you can imagine how the calendar filled up.  Most of these doctors have done me well, and helped me cope with the different challenges of  having a degenerative neuromuscular disease, but the past several months have left me exhausted each time I’ve had to leave my home, and resenting the several times a week that I had to spend my daily energy on seeing a doctor.  Helpful, yes, but the truth is there is no cure, and they’re all just doing their best to help me be more comfortable and handle the unpleasant side effects of my condition.

My husband and I had a very honest conversation about all this, and agreed it was time to get hospice involved.  Instead of running all the time from doctor to doctor, I wanted to spend more time at home with my loves spending what energy I do have on them.  I needed all the doctors consolidated into one master plan. It was the /best/ decision. 

The palliative care people? They’re a different breed.  I remembered this from my days working on the ambulance, but it was reaffirmed to me the first time I met my new team.  They aren’t out to find me a cure; their goal is to keep me as comfortable as I can be with what I’ve got, and that is exactly what I needed.  I was met with such kindness.  They weren’t rushed and bothered like so many; they took the time to see and understand me. They acknowledged and affirmed everything I was going through and feeling, and they committed to only do what I needed most.

Our days have slowed down.  I have found myself with more energy because there is less running around.  I’m so deeply grateful to shift our goals and focus on loving each other even more. My doctor is so kind, and readily available when I need something.  When I landed in the hospital with septic pneumonia recently, my palliative care team was there, and they were the ones who stayed extra in my room and laid comforting hands on me while we spoke, asked me how I was feeling, and truly sympathized with the pain I was experiencing and wanted to help.  I am learning a whole new level of compassion from these people, and I can’t help but wonder if I show the same love when someone needs me.  I sure aim to, and I’m thankful to have such incredible examples showing me the way.

Please leave me a comment, it lets me know you’re listening!