snow, rain & tears

The snow and Rain seem to fit with the mood of the day.  Adele's health is deteriorating and because of this we as a family have put a do not resuscitate order into affect.   A do not resuscitate (DNR) order tells medical professionals not to perform CPR. This means that doctors and nurses will not attempt emergency CPR if Adele's heartbeat stops.   

The DNR was chosen after speaking with the doctors last night.  The chemotherapy was not successful in shrieking the tumor, instead there has been growth.  The tumor is causing extreme havoc within Adele's frail body.  This enables her to live the life that we all know she wants to live.  So if her heart did stop and CPR was successful in restoring a heartbeat this would only allow her to resume the lifestyle she is currently living.

Also with Adele's illness, CPR may not work or may only partially work, leaving her in a worse medical state than before her heart had stopped.  This is why the DNR was chosen.  We know that she would prefer to be cared for without aggressive efforts at resuscitation.

Some additional symptoms Adele seems to be experiences...

• Changes in the shape of your fingers and nails called finger clubbing
• Swelling of the face caused by a blockage of a main blood vessel (superior vena cava obstruction)
• Swelling in the neck caused by enlarged lymph nodes
• Shortness of breath caused by fluid around the lungs (called pleural effusion)

She remains under sedation in the ICU.  But does respond occasionally to friendly visitors with a flutter of her eyes, moving of her lips and movement in her arms and legs.


Thorns and stings
And those such things
Just make stronger
Our angel wings.
~Terri Guillemets