Tuesday morning

Thanks so much for all your faith and prayers. We can really feel the presence of angels giving us strength and comfort.

Jim is now in that never never land between life and death. He is sometimes coherent, sometimes not. He is fighting the good fight however, and is not giving in easily.

Last week he started wandering around the house a lot, aimlessly. He would walk into the kitchen, stand there, then walk to the living room, stand there, etc. When we would talk to him, sometimes he would understand and respond, sometimes he would close his eyes and not respond at all. He had a hard time being still. Our hospice nurse told us that this is called terminal restlessness. It happens quite a bit in terminal cancer patients.

Jims parents and my parents both came down for a few days to see him. Brittany also is here, she is staying to help. Nicole came down for the weekend, and Jim perked up quite a bit over the weekend. He was lucid, aware, and had a surge of energy that took him through Sunday afternoon. He even wanted to go to Church Sunday, so we all went to the deaf branch with him. He was able to stay for all of Sac Meeting. He ate several meals over the weekend, and we had a wonderful and enjoyable time with all the family being here.

Sunday evening he started to slip back into the restless stage. We have someone with him 24/7, making sure he does not fall or try the stairs. He is not sleeping well at night, kind of walks around the house a lot. Walking is becoming harder for him. It takes him several minutes to stand up, then he stands for a long time before trying to move. The hospice nurse can't believe he can still get himself up, much less walk around the house. He is on a lot of medication for pain, but can't swallow pills so he has drops by mouth. We also have some cream we rub on his wrists, which helps with pain and also calms him.

His vital signs are still strong. His blood pressure is good, and heart beat is even but rapid. He is still breathing well from one lung, and does not seem to be air hungry. That is a blessing. He is still drinking liquids, but not eating solid food. The hospice nurse comes every day now.

He has been quite confused this morning. I asked him if he was hurting and wanted pain meds, and he shook his head no. A minute later he asked Brittany why no one had brought him a drink and his pain meds, because he just told her he wanted them. (He didn't.) We give him pain meds about every two hours, around the clock.

I'm not sure how long he will continue to be mobile, possibly a few days. He is laying on the bed sleeping now. Sometimes when Brittany says hi to him, he will give her the sweetest smile. He seems so innocent and trusting.

We don't know how much longer he will be with us, maybe a few weeks. There is a peaceful, calm feeling in our home, and we know the Spirit of the Lord is here with us. We know there are spirits here from the other side, excited and eager to welcome Jim into the next realm. We are so grateful for the Gospel, and the principle of eternal families. We know that we will be together again in the next life, and throughout eternity.