Thanks for all the support, y'all. I had another talk with her, and she is doing okay. she didn't want to tell my youngest brother, so I did that and it went fine. I think the biggest hurdle coming up is my other brother, who is ready to jump on a plane from Lomdon and force her to go to a lot of doctors and find someone who will give her chemo or whatever. She had already decided that she would not get chemo, and was very glad that the doctor told her it was not indicatedin her case.

Scrappy, I am very sorry. I hope she's not in any discomfort and can have that pep and enjoyment for a long time to come. If there is anything I can do, or just listen, I am here.

I actually feel like I can, in specific circumstances, understand not wanting to do chemo. It is just so brutal and can end up causing more harm than even potential good in the elderly or otherwise weakened. I'm really grateful that no doctor tried to push it for my dad because that would have been an awful conversation with my stepmom.

but basically my brother is awesome.

He really is.

I could probably get all of that done in 15-30 minutes. I just have to start.

This is me and the last 5% of unpacking. But I did get a big chunk down today. Like, um, putting together bookcases that I bought after Thanksgiving. I am hoping that it was only last Thx and not the year before. Ugh. I wish you motivation.

Lawrence Fishburne is awesomesauce in Matrix. Keanu is just whoa. And not always in a good way. But the rest of this movie is totally worth my watching again.

She had already decided that she would not get chemo, and was very glad that the doctor told her it was not indicated in her case.

It's hard but I am glad that she's able to determine her own course of treatment. I hope your brother can accept this too.

So... tom is up because he's having trouble breathing. He originally said that his chest hurt, but now seems to have identified the side/rib area where he fell as the point of soreness. I had him take a gas-x (he drank way more soda than usual today, and there was dome belching) and an ativan (after quick reasearch indicates they are not contra-indicated.)

I sm so tired and worried. What if it's s heart attack???

Scrappy, will your older brother respect your mother's wishes? I hope so. None of you need that stress.

What if it's s heart attack???

Has he had a history of cardiac related symptoms? Has he had any cardiac tests? Does the trouble breathing ease off if he moves to a different position? Does he have aches in his joints?

Even if it is a heart attack, if he's otherwise healthy and it's minor--there are such things--he will probably come out of it OK.

Scary as hell, I know. But Hubby has single handedly raised the survival rate for heart attacks in our county. It's not necessarily the utterly catastrophic thing it could be.

I'm glad that your mother's doctors gave her the option of no chemo, especially at her age. With a slow growing cancer she'll have a much better experience if she's not going through those treatments. With my MiL it was a different story because her cancer was so aggressive.

Sending vibes Tom's way, Nora.

I sm so tired and worried.

I am sure you are.

Is there a nurse line or hotline that you can call about his symptoms? Perhaps an aspirin just to be precautionary?

I am sorry. It's hard to worry about loved ones and be partially helpless.

Oh Nora, how scary! Healthy vibes to Tom and calming vibes to you.

Scrappy, I wish I knew what to say. Nothing ever seems adequate in circumstances like these.

Cass, go you with productivity! Unpacking is so damned hard.

meara, I'm sorry your job is being so annoying.

That sounds completely achievable. And remember, she's here to visit. You don't have to win any housekeeping awards, just make things comfortable.

Thanks, it was. I just finished, and now I'm going to go crawl into bed to try to get at least 6 good hours of sleep before my alarm goes off. Love you people. Truly. Having a safe place to go when I'm alone and freaking out is such a gift.