Hi Lilbear,
I've been thinking about you. How did Christmas work out? Did your father stay in the hospital or come home?
You are so right that these sudden changes - doing better and then doing poorly again - can be very confusing. This is actually a fairly common phenonemon. The Virtual Hospice team explains it in the article "When Death is Near". I've copied this excerpt here:
Sudden improvements
-- "Patients whose health seems to be deteriorating can also surprise family and friends with their ability to suddenly improve. This improvement may be an indication that a new problem has resolved itself. For example, a person with a life-threatening illness may have developed a minor viral infection such as a cold or a mild flu. Alternatively, they may have been experiencing a "down day," just as we all do at times, where for no obvious reason there seems to be no energy. For someone who is frail, however, the “down days” can result in a worrisome drop in function, sometimes to be followed by a surprising improvement the next day, when for some reason their energy fluctuates back up. People who are in healthy physical condition have the reserve to draw on to buffer these fluctuations, so the changes do not look so striking." --
Is this what seems to be happening? I look forward to hearing from you and to find out how you are doing - and your mom. How she's doing?
Colleen