Hospice has now found nurses to fill all 3 shifts for us, 8-4, 4-midnight, midnight-8. Annie, our nurse supervisor, was here this morning. She has no plans to take us off continuous care again. All nurses are helping Janette be as comfortable and maintain as much dignity and autonomy as possible.
Janette was moving better after I last wrote and seemed more alert. She's still alert, still shuffling her feet well enough, but is more tired today. Sleepy, she says about herself.
She hasn't had much food for 3 weeks now and there's only so long her body can maintain itself on minimal fluids. Her condition is holding stable with those little rolls of up and down. Hospice does not classify her as "imminently dying." Annie tells me when she gets there, it will be obvious. Then, how much time she takes is unpredictable, 2 days, 30 minutes, it's completely her own timing.
Janette has no pain and no discomfort. She seems to have no needs, emotional or otherwise. Well, except for autonomy. As weak as she is now, she still insisted on cleaning own face and teeth this morning. She also told Wendy to sit up straight when she joined us at breakfast. Otherwise, she doesn't seem to need or want to interact with us or the world. It's all part of the normal dying process, and even that normal is different for each person.
Today, Sept 2, is my father's birthday. He would be 83 today.
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