I got my mom back, for a little while

Here's the text of an email I just sent my aunt:
"Mom had a really good morning. She got up around 7:30
wanting coffee and breakfast, so I gave her pain meds
first, then some coffee and she read the paper with real
concentration (something she hadn't really done in a few days). I
gave her her usual morning meds with some reservation,
but she wanted them, as she hadn't taken them
yesterday. About 45 minutes later we had breakfast--I
made a fruit medly and gave her some pumpkin pudding
I'd made to try and get her a bit more regular. Then
she took her prednisone, ate a 2nd half of English
muffin, and read the rest of the paper. The
long-acting pain meds really leave her mind more
clear. It was a really nice, normal morning. But then
a little while ater she ran out of energy and went to
bed, but not before having to hit the bathroom quickly
because of an oncoming vomiting session. Sigh.

I just talked our Hospice RN. He says I
shouldn't worry about giving Mom her regular meds,
just her pain meds and laxatives (because pain meds
cause constipation). I'd already been leaning in this
direction, since the other meds just seem kind of
cruel to insist on at this point. I asked him to be
candid with me about exactly where the cancer is in
her body, since I know it's in her lungs and lymph
system and wanted to know where else. He said it's
also in her spine and brain. Which I'd suspected also.
He says that's why she's declining so quickly. He
agrees with me that she probably has little time; I'm
thinking maybe 2-3 weeks, 4 weeks tops, and he said he
never knows for sure, but that sound about right.
Hospice is going to send a home health aide today to
show me how to give Mom a shower and do other things
that can make caregiving easier. Mom doesn't want help
from a stranger in the shower, so that's why I'm just
asking for tips. The aide, a woman from Russia, will come
3 times a week to help us. Also, they're sending someone
twice a week to do light-touch massage/Reiki. That'll be nice.
So that's the news for today. I'm sorry to have to
send it.

I love you,
April