:) Hi Barb,

How did the visit with your sister go?

Have you heard anything new about your dad?

I'm going to NY on April 28 to be with my Mom for a week. I last saw her in October, and over such a long time there is usually a lot of deterioration.
It's a little scary. But she surprises us all by hanging in there. In December the doctor gave her 'months' to live.....

Love,

Martha

I was surprised to see my sister looked about the same as she did the last time I saw her about 3 years ago.

Long story short: My sister was misdiagnosed. She does have a mass in her lung but it was concluded with the second opinion that she most likely does not have cancer at this time. She may file a lawsuit on this because she and the family were so traumatized with the original diagnosis.

She does have emphysema and was recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. CF is a disease that usually is diagnosed at a very young age. But for the time, she is doing better than I expected.

I was going to do her spring cleaning for her but I had a disc slip in my lower back the day after I got there. So I spent my time sitting mostly in a recliner. My sister and I did have some very good quality time together despite our pain. A week later, I am still trying to recover. I may have to go to the doctor but all he'll do is rx muscle relaxers. I've been through this several times before. The last time, I wound up in the ER. So this time, I think I did good to drive the 13 hours back home.

I missed the storms that ripped through Oklahoma and produced a few tornadoes there by just a few hours. There were 3 tornadoes near my sister. One was in her town. A few things were knocked over in her yard and a fence and tree limb were knocked down. But all things considered, she made it through ok. No damage to the house or anyone in it.

Martha, your mom is a very strong and determined woman. Even in her frail physical state, her will seems to be very strong.

I know you're scared. I was terrified of seeing my sister. That's why it took me 5 months to make the decision to go see her. But I am so glad I went.

Love, Barb