Year 1: Mama - In Loving Memory

Al-fatihah..
We miss you Mama.. Rest in Peace..

Cheerio…

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Mariuca | Bella

100th Day...

…since Mama’s passing and we still miss her so much. Her memory still lives on fresh and even now sometimes I can’t believe she’s really gone. Each time I go to my father-in-law’s place, I half expect her to just walk down the stairs to greet us.

We had “tahlil” at the mosque on Thursday, a day set aside by the mosque for such events,  to commemorate that day.  It was nice to see all the relatives again praying and citing the “yasin” together. “Alhamdulliah”

“We miss you MAMA… Rest in Peace..”

Cheerio…

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In Loving Memory: Mama **

In loving memory
Mama
19 April 1943 -8 April 2010
14 Rabiul Akhir 1362 – 25 Rabiul Akhir 1431

My mama (mother-in-law) was laid to rest today at the Lembah Keramat Muslim Cemetery.

She suffered from lung cancer which was made worst by a brain tumor which was discovered during her radiotherapy treatment. She fought hard but alas Allah didn’t want her to suffer anymore and she was returned to him at 2.22am today..

Mama was a very special lady that I was proud to regard as my own mother. She treated me well throughout the ten years that I had been her daughter-in-law. I loved her and would sorely miss her and and her memory would lived on for the rest of my life.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un

Al-fatihah…

I want to thank everyone with the condolence wishes. It was very much appreciated by me and Azwaj.

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Monica
Emila

Turn for the Worse

Abah text us today with a message that said.. “Mama is having difficulty breathing”. We immediately rushed over to their house.

Mama is getting worse. She is gasping for air and it seemed Abah had called her doctor to see if we should send her to the hospital but her doctor told Abah there is nothing much they can do for her and for us to be prepared….

We’re at home now but heading over there again once A’s client leave.

Pray for her please…

Thanks…

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Mariuca
Monica

Not All Doctors Know What They Are Doing**

Yesterday mama feeding tube got to be changed to a new one. Since mama is bed ridden the only way to bring her to the hospital is via ambulance so instead Abah decided to call this doctor who did house call, with a nearby clinic, to come over.

The Doctor came over, cleaned mama’s mouth and got rid of some secretion from mama’s throat. Then she put in the tube. However, apparently she didn’t do a good job as the tube was push way too inside so much so that it was not possible to feed mama. The doctor came back and reinserted the tube. This time when the SIL started to feed mama, the food came back out!

So now, Abah decided there is no way out but to call for the ambulance and bring once again to Damai Hospital to see what went wrong. Hopefully mama does not have to be readmitted 🙁

Cheerio…

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Monica
Gagay

Stress Acne

Mama had an appointment this morning at the Damai Service Hospital as a follow up to her two day stay last weekend. As she vomited late last night after a hard coughing session, at the hospital today, they cleared out her lungs and inserted a new feeding tube. The doctor advised Abah to continue with the steroids as that might make her stronger and more awake than now.

After settling Mama at home, Azwaj and I went to the nearest pharmacy to get Abah some acne treatment lotion. It seems he’s breaking out from all this stress!

Cheerio…

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Mariuca
Gagay

Swollen Lymphatic Gland *

Just when we had some good news, we are hit by another not so good news.. Although unconfirmed, doctors are suspecting that Mama’s cancer have spread to the lymphatic gland.

Mama neck have been swollen since coming back from the hospital last week but we all thought it was from the water retention caused by the steroids. Anyway, last Tuesday, Abah felt it and found it to be very hard. He called his doctor friend and he was told that the cancer might have spread to the lymphatic gland. When asked what sort of treatment mama should go through for it, the doctor said at this point because Mama is very weak, it is just best to keep her comfortable until we get a proper diagnosis.

Mama is still on the feeding tube. We are feeding her milk and porridge (blended and strained) to make her stronger.

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Mariuca
Gagay

Mama Under Observation

I’m back in KL people and with some update on Mama’s condition.

Shortly after speaking with Azwaj this morning, he text me again saying that his sisters were able to feed Mama some water and that sort of re-hydrated her a bit and her condition stabilize so Abah called off the ambulance. However at about 11am, after speaking to his doctor friend who suggested that he goes to Damai Service Hospital for a day treatment of perhaps some water and food drip, an ambulance was again called to bring Mama to the service hospital.

Upon reaching the hospital, the radiotherapist and an oncology doctor attended to Mama and took some x-tray to see how Mama was progressing. Surprise, surprise, they did not detect any brain tumor and the cancer in her lungs are all gone. Of course, they suggested a detailed examination of MRI and what not but from what they can see, Mama is home-free! However, there was a slight infection in her lungs perhaps from Saturday when she vomited and some of that vomit had entered her lungs causing her to develop a mild fever. Luckily that could be cured easily.

Mama is now at Damai Service Hospital, which is like 10minutes away from home, resting and is on food and sodium drip for a two day observation stay. Abah took a room that is meant for two patients and paid for both beds so he can accompany her both nights. We are all happy as the room is very nice with it’s own tv, toilet, microwave oven and even water softener so we know both mama and abah would be comfortable there tonight.

Phew.. what a relief! and thanks so much for all your kind words and prayers.. love ya!

Cheerio…

 

Waiting for Ambulance**

Just got a text from Azwaj saying that he’s waiting for the ambulance to bring Mama to the hospital. I immediately call for update and it seems Mama is very very weak because she has not been eating well. She is also in and out of consciousness and her hands were shaking.

I’m so worried now and am so thankful that I have the first coach out later today.

Please pray for my Mama…thanks!

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David
Mariuca

Mama Had A Seizure

I was checking out some beautiful pictures of Minka Aire fans online when the house phone rang at 11.30pm.

It was Abah and we just knew something was wrong. It seems Mama just had a seizure. Although she is sleeping soundly now, Abah is worried as this is the first time she had it since the hospital stay in December. He wants to bring her to the doctor tomorrow. He wanted Azwaj to bring them there but since he knows my trip back to Singapore is also on Friday morning, Abah just wanted to confirm timing and availability.

Oh wow!.. This really puts a damper on my mood.. I hope everything is ok when I’m gone..Worse case scenario I postpone my trip by one day or not go at all, which would leave my mommy disappointed… hmm..

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Bill
Shemah

Random Rambling

Azwaj really got me breaking sweat yesterday when he called to let me know Mama might be staying at our place for a while. As I mentioned in my other blog, I went on super LJ mode, mopping the floor, cleaning the Toilets and even spring cleaning the guest room so that Mama and Abah would be comfortable, only to be told that they are not coming after all 🙁

Oh well, nothing like a little stressed situation to get the laziness out of the system eh? lol! … Anyway, I can’t believe that today is already Friday. Where did my week go? I still remember last Saturday when I picked my songs for Music Monday and now it’s time to pick another three song AGAIN.. lol!

I still got tons to do before going back to Singapore next Friday to attend my niece’s wedding. There’s custom banners to do and layout to finish. Am also hoping Awan would be ok enough to visit the vet to get spayed on Monday and wishing that the incision would not be too big so that there will be no need to revisit the vet to open any stitches (or so Doc Sharon told me).

So much thing.. so little time to do it.. Life is good 😉

Cheerio…

Mama's Clinic Visit

Just returned home in time to avoid the heavy rain.

We were at the Oncology Clinic of the KL General Hospital this morning where Mama had her second clinic visit since her hospitalization and radiotherapy treatment in December . The doctor was really impressed with Mama’s progress as she is now able to control her hand movement well and her lungs (which was partially removed due to the cancer in May) is also doing very well, no wheezing and not making any strange noises. The doctor also said that with proper physiotherapy Mama may even get strong enough to walk again!

Abah asked the doctor about Mama’s short memory span and also her state of confusion and was told that is normal for patients with brain tumor. Overall, the clinic visit went great and Mama’s next appointment is on 11 February 2010.

Once home, mama was tired but we managed to feed her lunch and her medicine before she totally fell into a deep slumber. Since abah said he could manage for the afternoon, we left to get some Anilox for Azwaj’s client and then hurry home before it rained.

Cheerio…

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Gagay
Mariuca

The Brain Tumor is Acting Up

Mama have been rambling non-stop from yesterday. She started spelling her name and everyone else’s for that matter. She started calling tv stands for example as something else and she also started counting non-stop.

She also called us by different names. For example, she started calling out my name yesterday and I rushed to her side.. but she said..

Mama: LJ LJ
LJ: Yes Mama I’m here
Mama: LJ call LJ.. I want her to ask her how I do I go to sleep
LJ: Mama, this is LJ.. just close your eyes and try to sleep ok
Mama: No No.. I want LJ to tell me how to sleep
LJ: Mama, look at me and tell me who I am
Mama: LJ
LJ: Ok.. so I’m here
Mama: I want the real LJ (pinching my check, quite painfully I might add)
LJ: Oh mama..

I then went to search Abah and ask him what to do and he told me she might mean someone else but the name that comes out would be someone else’s and true enough when Abah pestered her to think real hard who she wanted to see, she said another name and it was her daughter, my sister-in-law.

Sigh…

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Gagay
Mariuca

Sleep Mama Sleep

Not sure why but it is so difficult to get Mama to sleep. It’s not that she is not tired because you can actually see that she is whenever she starts rambling and does not make sense. Even the sleeping pill that the doctor gave her didn’t work. This is really taking it’s toll on Abah who takes care of her at night because if she does not sleep, Abah can’t get his sleep either.

She’s been doing so well but since she stop getting her sleep, she’s becoming weaker and more grumpy and that is definitely not helping her situation. We’re thinking making music can lull her to sleep. Perhaps we should look into some ipods options and select soothing tunes to help her to relax and get her much needed sleep.

Sleep Mama Sleep!

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Monica
Mariuca

Tiring Day

Our day started early this Monday at 8am with me and Azwaj bringing breakfast for Abah and Mama. But by the time we arrived, Abah had just settled Mama’s breakfast and morning wash and she was already lying comfortably on the bed.

According to Abah, Mama’s condition has not been good since yesterday because she didn’t have any appetite and have not been eating well. Abah suspects that the cancer had gone to the bone but can’t be sure without proper testing and since mama’s condition has not improved, the doctor didn’t want to carry out any more tests on her. As Mama slip in and out of sleep, Abah told us that Mama had said she was going somewhere soon and when asked where, she said she didn’t know where and when but she just knows that she is going. Could it just be the brain tumor speaking?

After helping Abah out with the laundry, Mama requested for me to clip her fingernails. It seems that each time Azwaj tries to do it, Mama would pull her hands or legs. However I managed to do it and all through the day, I can see her “admiring” her nails.. lol!..

Then comes lunch which could last anything between 30 minutes to an hour. Fortunately though this time around she had her appetite back and she ate a bowl of porridge, two slices of bread that Abah laced with some supplements, a banana fritter, and a pear. In the meantime, Abah took this opportunity to do some of his own paperwork like paying bills, checking out motorhome warranty and what not.

Another thing about Mama’s situation is that she can hardly sleep and she dose in and out of sleep every 2 or 3 minutes. When she wakes up, she want company and is always asking for reassurance and she would go like “is this ok”, “am I doing it right” or “can I do this” etc etc.. . So we take turns to always be around her and reassuring her.

Next, we left at around 3pm to do our own grocery shopping. We only later return to Mama and Abah at around 6.30pm. I then fed Mama dinner (another round of good appetite.. I think she enjoys me feeding her.. lol), had our dinner there and return home at around 9pm totally exhausted.

My day is still not done. I still have tonnes to do online but I am so sleepy already.. sigh!!

Cheerio…

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Mariuca
David

Mama's Hospital Bed **

Since mama is much stronger and able to move small steps now, Azwaj and his siblings have come up with a routine that have me and Azwaj coming in the morning with breakfast for abah and mama, and then a sister would come by around noon with lunch and we would go home and then that sister would return home around 5pm to be taken over by another sister with dinner. The system works and everyone is happy especially the patient 🙂

Anyway, we were home yesterday evening after returning from our morning “shift” with mama when abah called to see if we were able to come again to the house and helped out with moving some stuff around. It seems mama’s cousin had come over and offered a hospital bed that she had in her storeroom. She, a nurse herself, bought it when her own late mother was ill.

So now, mama is on this fantastic hospital bed that makes her so much comfortable and so much easier for us as well since now whenever she wants to sit up, we just crank her up 🙂

Thank you to Chu Nani for this favor. You have our gratitude!

Cheerio…

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Mariuca
Monica

She's Sitting On Her Own *

Usual routine in the morning is for Azwaj to carry mama from her bed, do a slight “tango” movement where he would position mama just nice for the wheelchair to come into position. This morning though, Azwaj was in the garden sweeping some dead leaves and abah said he would carry mama. I was on standby. Since mama is now strong enough, abah pulled her up from her lying position and then suddenly she was sitting up without support! Though wobbly, it was definitely a great achievement for mama. I rushed to call Azwaj in and we all had tears in our eyes watching the great moment.

We left the house in the afternoon and return later that night to Abah saying that mama has been sitting and trying to stand and that she has requested a walker for her to hold on to when she stands. I don’t think she is strong enough but since she is confident and wanting to be supportive, we went ahead to buy her a walker. Unfortunately the pharmacy are all closed due to the holiday so we will try again tomorrow.

All in all, a fantastic day indeed.. oh by the way.. Merry Christmas to all my friends and blog buddies who are celebrating this joyous day!

Cheerio…

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Mariuca

Slow and Steady

Mama is getting better with each day. From not being able to move her arms, she is now able to lift them up, slow but she is able to. Sitting up is still difficult and she needed to be propped up by pillows. She still needs to be fed as her co-ordination is still bad.

Her radiotherapy session is over and doctors wants her to rest off it for two months. Right now she is primarily on steroids to try to shrink the tumor. They would evaluate again in that time before deciding further course of action.

Expenses have been high. From medication to diapers to potentially a live-in-nurse, should mama’s condition becomes worse, what Abah really needs now is a Medicare supplement insurance. Unfortunately in Malaysia, even the term of medical insurance is something that people are still getting use. Even I don’t have one 🙁

Slow and steady… that’s what we’re all hoping for!

Cheerio…

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Mariuca
Monica

Mama's Coming Home *

Mama is being discharged today though on trial basis to see how she would cope without the sodium chloride drip. She is currently still bed ridden but since there is no radiotherapy treatment over the weekend, Abah thought it would be nice if she spend some time at home with the family.

Abah also paid up for the hospital bed till Monday, just in case she needs to be re-admitted again during the weekend.

Yeay.. Mama’s coming home!

Cheerio…

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Gagay

Getting Better*

I didn’t visit mama today as my mother was too tired to go and I didn’t want to leave her home alone. However, Azwaj told me that mama is getting much better. After a second round of radiotherapy, she is now able to lift her right hand (she wasn’t able before). She can even talk much clearer and managed to eat much more porridge than yesterday.

Yes.. thing are looking up for Mama!

Cheerio…

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Monica