Happy Mothers' Day to Me

...or rather, to Mom.

Continuing her much-better-than-expected experience this cycle, Mom was actually released from the hospital today/Saturday mid-day (which is the normal time to go home for the treatment cycle but the first time she's actually been able to do it). What a great early Mothers' Day gift.

Friday night Mom was feeling well enough to eat real food, so Phyllis and Carolyn went to the market and came back with a wonderful deli spread. Evidently they "picnicked" in Mom's room until quite late at night, talking about any and all subjects other than Mom's treatment.

Because the digestive issues got way better overnight and her creatinine levels had fallen, Mom got the ok to head out of the hospital and move to home care. Of course Mom being Mom she promptly insisted on taking P & C out to lunch on the way home to thank them, totally over-pushed herself, and ended up crashed with a slight set-back by late afternoon. However after a long nap, some medicine, and a chat with her physician it sounds like she's back on the recovery track and is sufficiently chastened that she promises to behave during the next few days.

The good news doesn't just end there though. Not only was she able to get out of the hospital earlier, but she was also cleared to return to Corvallis on Monday. Up to this point she's ended up staying in Portland for most of the week after treatment both because she was required to come back in for blood tests to make sure she was doing okay and because even without that, she didn't have the strength or feel well enough to make the drive home. But now (barring any setbacks over the next day or so), she should be able to be taken home and get back to her own bed, own dog, and own friends much sooner than any of us could have predicted.

A huge thank you to Phyllis, Carolyn and Bobbie who really stepped up this week and made it possible for Jon and me (and for Lori and Brian) to take a step back in intensity of care and be comfortable that she was still in excellent hands. With our own sleep deprivation to deal with and 2 two-week old babies (plus 2 toddlers) to care for that was a huge gift to our families as well.