A turning point

Yesterday was a pivotal day. Betsey had an appointment for an MRI at Anschutz Medical Campus, which is outside Denver, about 60 miles from the Shay's house. We had been planning to use the car to get Betsey there, but it increasingly seemed that that would be a difficult trip - transferring Betsey from bed to wheelchair to car, then the long ride in the car, transfers at the hospital, and then the same again on the return trip. So Ellen and I opted to spring for a transport service and found a reasonably good deal with Apex Paramedics out of Denver. They came at 10:30am, and it made the whole process so much smoother and easier for Betsey, who was able to essentially be in a comfortable position all day. The exception was the MRI itself, but that would have been true in any case.

The spiffy Apex van - a Mercedes Sprinter

Making it easy for us

But, it was a long, long day for Betsey. We did not get home until after 7p.m. - almost nine hours. A lot of that was just waiting. Betsey, fortunately, did not have to be sitting in a wheelchair. For us, it was sitting in waiting rooms, first at the Outpatient Imaging Center, and then later at the Cancer Center while Betsey had some blood work done and had an appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Domek. Rob stayed with Betsey. We spent some time with her in a "holding area," and again in "Procedure Room #2," but mostly we were in waiting lounges. We did get a bit to eat at the hospital cafe, including a lemon popsicle for Ellen:

A bit of refreshment!

Cancer Center Waiting Lounge

The report from the MRI and the tests was not a surprise, but it was very sad: the tumor is growing, Dr. Domek said there is no more she can do, so treatment has been discontinued, and Betsey is being transferred officially into Hospice Care. In Procedure Room #2, which is where Betsey and Rob met with Dr. Domek, we met Dr. Domek's scheduler, Mel, who has gotten to know Betsey very well over the past 18 months. She is a very caring person, and she stayed with Betsey for some time, reassuring her. They looked so beautiful together, I asked for a portrait

Mel and Betsey

 Rob picked up some medications while we waited with Mel, and soon Apex arrived to bring Betsey back home. Ellen and I had driven in our car, so we too left, and we saw some very stormy weather on the way back to Boulder.

Storm ahead!

Meanwhile, Gertie had to be in her cage all day while we were gone. We hoped it didn't thunder at the house, because Gertie hates  thunder. She was very glad to get outside when we got home.

Gerttie

Today was much quieter. Betsey wanted an "egg in a hole" or whatever it's called - a piece of toast fried with an egg in a hole in the center. She ate well, and then I read aloud for about an hour. That was very nice, because I had not had the chance to do that for a while. Then I talked with John about arrangements for his coming out to see his sister. That is still in  the works. Then I made a shopping trip to Rite Aid for a prescription refill for me, and some other things. and a stop at Ideal Market for some groceries. While I was gone, Emma left and her car broke down about a mile or so down the road. No cell service there, so she had to walk back to the house to csll AAA!