Thank you everyone, this is helpful.

@EricS - thank you about the note about the pain factor and the pain meds. My mom used to be a doctor (stopped practicing 30 years ago, after she immigrated here) and so she over-analyzes every medication that she is taking, every step in the treatment process. I understand that its a good thing to think through her treatment/process but this also puts her in the position where she second guesses her doctors. She will also be the type to try and though it out.

@AnitaFrances - Thank you for that note. I'm not sure where the help at home is going to be coming from. She is on medicare. Does that mean we can hire a nurse or does the hospital assign us one? Navigating through the medical system here is like living in a new country and having to learn the culture and the language all over.

- When she is released to come home, she lives on the second floor of an apartment building with NO elevators. Clearly, it sounds like this is going to be a problem. In that event, I heard that there were nursing facilities/homes that she could temporarily be transferred to. Has anyone taken this route? She also lives with four cats. Is that a problem? Health wise? At least its a small place so movement from the bedroom to the bathroom is a short walk.

@ChristinaB- Thank you about mentioning the first 6 weeks. I'm working on getting family to stagger their visits. My mom has had a lot of complications with her chemo and I suspect recovery may present similar challenges if her luck is the same (hoping it wont be the case but preparing for the worst). The Drs said the same thing, that recover is about a year long process. What does that mean exactly? ... Yes, her doctors are using a part of her leg to reconstruct her jaw.

@CherlyD - I was just thinking the same thing (about getting her a tablet). Thank you for saying that. I figured it would help entertain her and allow her a means to communicate.