Michelle LaBrosse Blogs

A month ago today my Mom was unconscious for 24 hours in a hospital in Venice, Florida, her left eyebrow twitching for five hours.   We had left Connecticut two days earlier where she had been put on hospice after a visit to her neuro-oncologist Sept. 22nd.   One of my brothers, my father and I  figured if she was on a death watch, why not go to Florida and enjoy whatever time she had left.   In Florida,  at the hospital after her second seizure, my Mom was again put on hospice.  Going into hospice was a condition to leave the hospital and bring my mom home.   Otherwise they were going to put her into a “rehabilitation” center.   None of us liked that idea and my parents have long term care insurance that covers in home health care.

ONE month later, my Mom is on the path to recovery.   We do have the hospice nurse in Florida in part to thank for this.   My mom was on a fast decline because of brain swelling due to the seizures caused by her brain tumor.   During her second seizure, the attending physician caring for my Mom when she was unconscious was insistent that my Mom’s quality of life would be much better if she had steroids –  if she were to wake from being unconscious.   She did wake up, but the second second seizure did set her back.   Her voice was inaudible as it was so weak.   She could no longer sit up.   She spent most of her days sleeping since they had doubled the dose of her anti-seizure medication to keep her from having seizures.    The attending neurologist did not want to give my Mom steroids – saying he wanted to “save” them for when they were really needed.   Fortunately the hospice folks disagreed.   The steroids were going to improve the quality of her life (they actually probably saved her life) so we were given a prescription.   The steroids helped her stay alive long enough for us to get her to the Burzynski clinic.

Now my Mom converses loud enough so we can all understand her and is becoming quite the comedian.   When asked if she had shortness of breath at the clinic – she replied “only when they throw cold water on me.”   My Mom can now sit on the couch without slouching and without supports.   She can reach for things without falling out of her wheel chair.   She can even walk in the pool.  She is eating  three times more food than she was a month ago and is awake and alert the majority of the day.   She has left side paralysis because of the swelling from the brain tumor – but the reflexes are starting to work again in her left leg and she can wiggle the toes on her left foot.   She can stand without as much support on her right leg.   She is gaining weight.   She is starting to write again and is learning how to count again.   Its pretty amazing to see the capabilities she lost from this brain tumor and how fast she is regaining them as the cancer is starting to go away.   Hope isn’t even required anymore as it’s just a known that she will continue to get better.   Her goal is to be able to walk by her grand daughter’s wedding in July.