Mother's Day / Auntie Glecy's Birthday

(Left to right) Auntie Aida, Mom, Auntie Glecy, Auntie Julie, Auntie Cora, Uncle Ascio

Better late than never. Here's a picture from Mother's Day. Cousin Chris had a little shindig at her apartment to celebrate Auntie Glecy's Birthday. It was also the first function Mom attended since her surgery. Uncle Rex was also in attendance and said mass in the afternoon. 

~Thank you, Chris, for emailing me this picture. Thank you for hanging out and visiting with my Mom last Friday, too.

Day 87: Backseat driving

The good news is that Mom is looking and feeling better than ever. She is more independent, on the go,  more active, and doing more and more regular chores and errands. She's looking forward to driving herself on errands. 

Yesterday I brought mom to her ultrasound appointment. I have noticed that Mom insists on giving driving directions whenever I drive her anywhere. Which is fine if I have never been to that place or am unfamiliar with the area. But these are places that I've driven to so many times: the hospital (hello?), the cemetery, the post office, the mall, Seafood Ranch! Driving in L.A., there are many different types of routes to get to one place. It's part of being a true L.A. driver, knowing your alternate routes just in case you get stuck in traffic or if for whatever reason, you are involved in a high speed chase. But not according to my Mom. Type A. There's only one route that is the best route.

All in all, this (and many other quirks and habits) is a sign that Mom is getting better. Even though the backseat driving directions, literally, drives me crazy, I have to smile in the fact that we are getting our Mom back. 

Here is one of my favorite recent pictures of Mom. We were just talking about the last time she was in Vegas (2010). This picture was taken at that time. 

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I love the fact that someone wrote my Mom and told her my posts were "hilarious" and enjoyed reading mom's blog.  I finally have proof! LOL  Okay, I know this blog isn't about me, but I just had to share (I know my brother  is shaking his head right now). 

Thank you to our subscribers who follow our blog. It is motivating and inspiring for me to post stories about Mom and her journey to recovery and a new chapter in her life.

If you want to read about Mom's story, where it all began, click here. 

We will continue to keep you posted on how Mom is doing. More importantly, I wanted to thank you so much for your cards and emails, texts and voicemails, prayers and intentions. It means so much to Mom and our family. 

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Day 80: White blood cells and T-Tubes

Mom just came back from her latest clinic visit. They took off two more medications off her list. Her white cell blood count is still lower than normal, however, of those white cells, most of them are the ones that fight infection. She is advised to just avoid sick people, don't stand next to someone that is coughing, etc. We advised mom to wear a mask during one of her prayer group meetings. She wasn't so enthusiastic about that. 

Mom still has a T-Tube attached to her side. She cannot immerse it in water, so taking baths, and swimming are absolutely out of the question. It's connected to the bile duct and it's one of the tools doctors use to monitor Mom's progress. The doctor said they will probably remove it after Fourth of July so that she can "enjoy the holiday." I'm sure Mom doesn't care about that. She just wants it removed as soon as possible so she doesn't have that tube hanging from her side. Mom should be happy to know that she is right on top of her "3 month" schedule. I know her Type A personality is rejoicing.

Day 77: Type A Personality

It must be part of her Type A personality. The tendency to want to be exact and precise. Even when it comes to her health and recovery. The doctors have told Mom  that she would be under careful observation for the first three months. The words THREE MONTHS have been burning in Mom's mind since the day she got out of surgery. Even though we tell Mom it's an estimation and that we should take as much precautions as possible to ensure a solid recovery, Mom keeps insisting she will not need us after THREE MONTHS. She insists that she will be okay and we can continue with work and our personal life. I'm sure Mom just wants to be more independent and wants us to go on with our normal lives. Or it may be that she's tired of us critiquing her food choices ("That's too high in potassium!" "That's a high carb!" "Seafood Ranch, again, Mom!"), poking and pricking her with daily blood tests, or inadvertently poisoning her with our lackluster cooking. 

Because of her strong determination and will to make that benchmark, she has been doing really well. I almost forget for a second that she didn't have her transplant when I see her cooking, washing clothes, and  reading her Kindle. She even made me breakfast today: rice, corned beef hash, scrambled egg, coffee. I felt a little bad that she was serving me, but relished in the moment of Mom's normalcy. 

Good news from her last clinic visit is that we no longer have to prick and prod her with needles anymore. Her blood sugar levels have gone back to normal levels. Her immunosuppressant (medications to suppress her immune system) prescriptions are adjusted every couple days. Doctors are still trying to find the perfect recipe of medications that will keep Mom stable. At this time, her white blood count is lower than normal, and she is susceptible to illness, so we are advising that Mom keep the social events to a bare minimum. We'll find out more tomorrow when she goes to her regular clinic visit at UCLA.