GoTravel, I am so profoundly sorry for your loss. I pray for you and your family.

GoTravel, I am so sorry for the loss of your stepson.

Divinaggie, I have been in the same situation as you and not knowing what is normal & not normal for hospice. Same problem with the nurse not showing up for hours. If I had to do it again I would switch hospices immediately, especially after hearing all the stories about wonderful hospice care. Best wishes to you.

GoTravel, I'm so sorry for your loss. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Go...! My condolences to you and your family. My warm thoughts and best wishes to all of you in this hard time.

I am at work and cannot read all of these right now, but OMG, GoTravel!! So very, very sorry!!

I'll check back w/everyone else later. In the meantime, thoughts and prayers to GoTravel.

GoTravel--I am truly sorry about your loss. My heart reaches out to you in this horrible time.

GoT, I am so very sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Hugs, AnnMarie

GoTravel, I am so sorry. Please know we are thinking warm thoughts of you, even if we don't know you in person.

GoTravel, I am so sorry for you and your family's loss.

GoTravel: I'm so very sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers for you and your family.

Prayers for all dealing with loss: GoTravel, P_M, bennnie, etc. You are in our hearts.

Jorr's rant...disgusting.

Hugs to Ethel, JJ5, and Kenm.

Happy B-day, Otto!

Rave: sunshine and warmer temps in IL.

Rave: DS has big 8th grade dance tomorrow night. He looks so handsome in his outfit.

TGIF!!

GoT- we were posting at the same time.... sooooo sorry. Hugs from your fodor family.

gotravel..warm and kind thoughts to your family at this time.

Thanks everyone.

GoT, so sorry- what happened? How sudden and I totally understand if you don't want to say for whatever reasons, but that is just terrible. Was it an accident? Your husband must be in shock and grief- and I hope you can help him through it as only a spouse can.

divingaggie, we have SO much in common. I too am not as happy with Hospice as I thought I would be. It's helpful- but not an entire answer by any means. You really need for some people and situations, a full time nurse. But for some diseases and individual's end stages of disease they work quite well.

Hospice nurses and aids are very special people regardless.

Oh GoTravel, I am so sorry, I would be soheartbroken if I lost one of my stepsons. You and your family are in my prayers.

Jorr, I hadn't heard of this disgusting immoral group. I believe in Free Speach but this is one time I don't..there is a limit as to what should be allowed. And I agree with others, good for the Bikers.

To all of you who have lost loved ones and to those of you who have loved ones with illness I send my very best wishes that all will recover soon.

And to all you caretakers, please take care of yourselves, try no matter how difficult it is to get a bit of a break so you can carry on with your loving obligations.

Rave: No rants in my personal life this week, had a quiet peaceful week and got caught up with everything I got behind with while I had a terrible virus for a month.

Rant: Extreme groups of any kind that cause heartbreak and stress to others.

Wishes that everyone find some joy in their lives this weekend.

Rant: I live in a small town in the Oklahoma Panhandle and we lost a 21 year old soldier in Iraq last week. His funeral is Tuesday. I heard at lunch today that those idiot protestors plan to protest at his funeral.


Rave: Many businesses in town plan to close and the town is going to turn out in mass to surround the grieving family as to protect them from the protestors. I pray the Veteran Biker group pays us a visit too.

Rave: I fully understand the need for freedom of speech. I will never understand heartless intolerance....especially in the name of God.

Go Travel...heartbraking news, lo siento.

The BEIR VII report was released in Feb and has implications for all of us as former, current and future patients.

http://mp.medscape.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y...4t0D240HKcA0EK

BEIR = Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation.

Rave: Renewed my MX FM-3 visa today and will have it returned before leaving for China (I'll get back here legally).

Rant: I'm always amazed at what is done in the name of religion.

Feliz fin de semana.

M

GoT. I am <u>so</u> very sorry for your loss! We don't really &quot;know&quot; you, but feel as if we do, and have heard you mention your stepson before, so it is shocking to read this.

divingaggie and JJ5...I'm so sorry your experiences have been mixed with hospice. Divingaggie, we never experienced what you did, but then we weren't in a position to have to call for an emergency nurse's visit either. I do hear far far more positive about them than negative, always, but I do feel they vary from area to area too. My Mom had both a hospice nurse and a home helper, and my brothers and I (and our spouses) had a social worker to help us through the emotional journey. Nurse came at a scheduled time each week to evaluate her, adjust meds, and answer any of our questions, and home helper was there several times a week...at least every other day during the week. She was invaluable for handling those personal chores for my Mom which I wasn't comfortable with, and for spelling me from the stress. I'd go out and run for miles while she was there, and it was the dead of winter in the Berkshires! At the end we understood the process so well, thanks to their assistance, that we were calm in the face of it all. Their attitude and demeanor was surreal, considering what they face all day every day! Or perhaps because of that their attitude is what it is? Hopefully you can talk out any issues you have had. They truly are a wonderful resource in most cases.

AnnMarie...selfishly, I'm delighted you are staying! :)

GoTravel
So very, very sorry.

JJ5--I pray for you as well. It's amazing how no matter how tough we think our situation is, there are always people out there (and here on Fodor's) who are going through the same thing.

And as GoTravel pointed out, life gets thrown back into perspective every once in a while. Makes you thankful for what you do have.

Big Rave: My beautiful gift from up above, my sweet son, who already knows when his mommy needs hugs and kisses. He goes to bed when asked, and he cleans up after himself. What a sweet and precious boy! :-) (I don't know how to do the smilies yet...)