The last line from SAGA #6 was...
The last line from SAGA #6 was…”We live, we die. That’s just how it is. “ What I neglected to tell y’all, was that my death is not imminent. People hear the word ‘Hospice’ and think, “about to happen now”. Not true. Think Jimmy Carter!
I look pretty much the same, except for some weight loss, and I’m doing about the same things I’ve been doing for months, except for food consumption, which has been limited due to my being Whipplized! Remember that procedure? Back on August 14th? SAGA #3. But my digestive tract is adjusting to the newly created plumbing, with the added benefit of enzymes (no longer adequate from the pancreas) taken in capsule form before meals.
Don’t misunderstand. This well being will change at some point and start to decline. I will probably develop pain as the cancer grows, and be weakened to the point of seeking comfort in my bed with a dose of pain killers. But no one at Hospice has been able to give me a time-line. So I live one day at a time doing what pleases me.
Right now, I am dealing with one of the added features of cancer – constipation! There are many reasons for a person becoming constipated, none of which I will discuss here (thank goodness). What I find fascinating are illustrated stool charts which are found online. I never knew these existed. If I had known, I wouldn’t have had trouble trying to define my stool with one of the 7 shapes on the charts. Here is one example - I.E .sheep shit, cluster of grapes, corn on the cob, sausage or snake, soft blobs, mushy blobs, and liquid. I’m not kidding!
I hope I didn’t gross anyone out with that information. It was meant as an introduction to my next series of observations about the progression of physical and mental events when dying. No one talks about this very much. I want to try. Let me know if you don’t want to receive this new series. I’ll understand.