First.... Sorry I've failed already.
It's been two weeks since my last post :(
I am happy to report that mom has not vomited since we visited the GI doctor more than two weeks ago. The little change to her food preparation has made all the difference.
We now grind/chop up her food for her before feeding it to her. I have to plan ahead when we go out to dinner, but anything is better than it was.
Mom fell two Thursday's ago in the bathroom when I got her off the Toilet. I bent down to pull up her underwire and she feel straight back. She slammed into the tank on the toilet with her upper shoulder and lower back. The tank shattered dumping all of the water onto the floor and the pipe broke off behind the Toilet. I pulled mom from being logged in between the toilet and the wall, onto the floor. Then I had to drag her across the floor into the hallway getting her proper against the wall. Then run back into the bathroom to shut the water off from the gushing pipe. I called Gary and yelled at him to get his ass to my house NOW. I didn't even tell him why, I just hung up.
He was pulling in the driveway in less than 10 minutes. I ran out to met him and told him all in one breathe what happened. He came inside and helped me lift mom and get her set up on the couch. He said to me, you need to calm down stay with mom and I will clean up the bathroom. I said ok.... That only lasted a hot minute before he came out bleeding from the porcelain slicing his hand.
Really.....! What else....
Shawn walked in the house with no clue what had happened. He said what? I said I have to talk to you, taking him into the bathroom. He still didn't notice their was no longer a toilet. I told him what happened and the first words we're is she ok. I explained that she did not hit her head, she hit her shoulder and back.
His medical side kicked in and he came out and checked her out, moving her shoulder and elbow.
After he was sure she was ok, he turned to me and said.... If you wanted a new toilet all you had to do was say so. You didn't have to throw mom into it to get one :)
$365 later, we now have a newly installed toilet that we all hate! Toilets are not cheap!
Beginning that night, mom has not stopped talking. The words do not make sense, but she is talking up a storm again. Shawn says that I must have knocked some plaque lose :)
Pop had a tooth extracted on Monday this week. He has some needling from the pull, so we decided to just keep him with us all week. Terri has kept him busy with activities and kept an eye on him as well.
Wednesday our cat Bob (the one with no tail) was attacked and killed in our backyard. We are not sure if it was the two dogs running lose in the neighborhood, or something else. She was only outside for about 3 hrs, before I found her. She went outside all the time! Animal Control came yesterday and finished their investigation, so we buried her last night.
It's been a hell of a few weeks!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Two Dr Visits in Two Days 1/13/15 (Vomit Talk)
As I stated in my last post, one of the issues that mom has been experiencing is vomiting. I mean a lot of it!
Over the last week mom has had 4 days with vomiting episodes. She vomits until she empties everything in her stomach.
We have talked to her PCP and her Neurologist about this issue in the past, but that was back when it happened maybe once every 6 weeks or so. They had no explanation and really no concern at that time.
Terri tried to track everything that mom was eating so that maybe we could determine was there a pattern or was it something particular that she was eating. I was convinced that it was Ensure overload and milk. So I asked Terri to stop giving them to mom as she was eating solid food well again at that time and no longer need the Ensure to get her calories.
It helped for a few weeks.... But then started again. I even went as far as change our milk product to coconut milk. Still didn't help.
Last week I was at my wits end and texted her PCP, who is a friend of mine that I use to work for. I think my text said, that if she could not help me with the vomiting... I was going to lose my mind. When mom has the fits of vomiting, she is good as long as you do not move her once her stomach has settled. So moving her from the couch to put her in bed, it starts all over again. It is only January and I've already missed a day of work, as Shawn and I had to sit up with her until like 2am the one day until the vomiting stopped. Not to mention that I had not a single towel or sheet left in the house that didn't now need to be washed.
She said to me that it was time to go see a GI Doctor. Luckily Shawnie has a very good friend that is a GI doctor. I called him Thursday of last week and he got mom into the office yesterday "Tuesday".
He feels that mom has a paralytic stomach. Meaning that mom's stomach is not chewing up the food and the food is not leaving her stomach. Once it gets to full the only way out is to vomit. He got to this conclusion by asking us what are we seeing in her vomit. I looked to Shawn to answer that question as I am such a sissy and can not even smell it much less look at it without vomiting myself. Doctor asked do you see food for breakfast? Shawn said we see food for dinner the night before!
He asked me if I would agree to a CT Scan just to be sure that there is not blockage or entanglement issue going on. As this is non-invasive test, I agreed. We are still waiting on a call to schedule the scan.
Last night I went out to by something to pulverize moms food before we feed it to her. That was the doctors recommendation to help with the vomiting. I bought to mac daddy Nurti-Bullet from Bed Bath and Beyond. Don't think that I thought it through though. It only has one speed and turns just about everything to mush. While mush might be ok; the noise is crazy. Shawn laughed when he read the box. 2.3 horsepower.... yup I think that will blend. So I am still on the hunt.
Today "Wednesday" we saw her Neurologist for the 6 month check up appt. The visit was mainly just a check in visit. She was surprised to see such a BIG change in mom from 6 months ago. I asked about taking mom off of the Exelon patch as we are way beyond it helping her with the prolonging of daily functions, like dressing herself- Bathing herself- or even feeding herself. She was not at all opposed or concerned to discontinue the medication. Not to mention that fact that the Patch alone was more than 4K a year.
I asked her Neurologist if she ever had a patient who's cognitive function increased when on antibiotics? I said, I mean any antibiotic not use for a UTI.... She said no why.
Shawn and I both noticed that mom seems much more alert when on antibiotics - She feeds herself a few bites, she wants to walk around, she talks more etc. Her Dr. said that her ammonia levels might be off. That was her only though. She order blood work to have it checked.
Keeping you all updated to changes as promised!😉
Over the last week mom has had 4 days with vomiting episodes. She vomits until she empties everything in her stomach.
We have talked to her PCP and her Neurologist about this issue in the past, but that was back when it happened maybe once every 6 weeks or so. They had no explanation and really no concern at that time.
Terri tried to track everything that mom was eating so that maybe we could determine was there a pattern or was it something particular that she was eating. I was convinced that it was Ensure overload and milk. So I asked Terri to stop giving them to mom as she was eating solid food well again at that time and no longer need the Ensure to get her calories.
It helped for a few weeks.... But then started again. I even went as far as change our milk product to coconut milk. Still didn't help.
Last week I was at my wits end and texted her PCP, who is a friend of mine that I use to work for. I think my text said, that if she could not help me with the vomiting... I was going to lose my mind. When mom has the fits of vomiting, she is good as long as you do not move her once her stomach has settled. So moving her from the couch to put her in bed, it starts all over again. It is only January and I've already missed a day of work, as Shawn and I had to sit up with her until like 2am the one day until the vomiting stopped. Not to mention that I had not a single towel or sheet left in the house that didn't now need to be washed.
She said to me that it was time to go see a GI Doctor. Luckily Shawnie has a very good friend that is a GI doctor. I called him Thursday of last week and he got mom into the office yesterday "Tuesday".
He feels that mom has a paralytic stomach. Meaning that mom's stomach is not chewing up the food and the food is not leaving her stomach. Once it gets to full the only way out is to vomit. He got to this conclusion by asking us what are we seeing in her vomit. I looked to Shawn to answer that question as I am such a sissy and can not even smell it much less look at it without vomiting myself. Doctor asked do you see food for breakfast? Shawn said we see food for dinner the night before!
He asked me if I would agree to a CT Scan just to be sure that there is not blockage or entanglement issue going on. As this is non-invasive test, I agreed. We are still waiting on a call to schedule the scan.
Last night I went out to by something to pulverize moms food before we feed it to her. That was the doctors recommendation to help with the vomiting. I bought to mac daddy Nurti-Bullet from Bed Bath and Beyond. Don't think that I thought it through though. It only has one speed and turns just about everything to mush. While mush might be ok; the noise is crazy. Shawn laughed when he read the box. 2.3 horsepower.... yup I think that will blend. So I am still on the hunt.
Today "Wednesday" we saw her Neurologist for the 6 month check up appt. The visit was mainly just a check in visit. She was surprised to see such a BIG change in mom from 6 months ago. I asked about taking mom off of the Exelon patch as we are way beyond it helping her with the prolonging of daily functions, like dressing herself- Bathing herself- or even feeding herself. She was not at all opposed or concerned to discontinue the medication. Not to mention that fact that the Patch alone was more than 4K a year.
I asked her Neurologist if she ever had a patient who's cognitive function increased when on antibiotics? I said, I mean any antibiotic not use for a UTI.... She said no why.
Shawn and I both noticed that mom seems much more alert when on antibiotics - She feeds herself a few bites, she wants to walk around, she talks more etc. Her Dr. said that her ammonia levels might be off. That was her only though. She order blood work to have it checked.
Keeping you all updated to changes as promised!😉
Friday, January 9, 2015
New Year 2015
Many of our family and friends have asked me to beginning blogging again about mom's journey.
I've thought long and hard about the request and I think that it will be helpful for not only the friends and family, but also for me to put my thoughts to paper (or the internet :)
Mom moved back in with Shawn and I in February of 2014 after a one month stay at a live in facility.
The move to the live in facility was best for me at that time, but it was not what was best for mom. She declined rapidly while at the facility losing more than 20 lbs and losing every little bit of her personality that was left.
I tried everything to make the live in facility work, but when it became a matter of safety.... That is where I drew the line.
Mom was placed in the hospital on February 14 for a 4 day stay and never returned to the facility.
She came back to live with Shawn and I. Gary and I put our heads together as to what to do during the daytime as going back to the Daycare facility was not an option either.
I reached out to an AMAZING women by the name of Teri who mom had become very close with while in the Daycare program. I knew that Teri was not happy at her current place of employment, so I made her an offer. HAPPILY she accepted and has been caring for mom during the day ever since her 2 week notice was up.
She is AMAZING for not only mom, but for this entire family. We love her like she has always been a part of this crazy family..... Honestly... I would lose my SH%$ with out her.
She is the most reliable, sensitive, caring person I have ever met. Her patience with mom is like noting I've seen or able to do myself.
So let me bring you up to speed on where mom is within this horrible disease. She is no longer able to feed, bathe, or toilet herself. She requires help for all of these things. Her communication is at a minimum and most times the words are all garbled together. But.... Funny enough cuss words are still clear as day. Mom was a cusser while I was growing up... But now she is a sailor! We cant help but laugh sometimes. What can I say---I come by it honestly :)
We have to crush all of her medication before giving it to her and we have to mix it in with pudding. Getting her to take even the pudding use to be a challenge. I can remember a time when I literally had to plug her nose and cover her mouth so she could not breathe, to get her to open her mouth. I had to quickly shove the spoon full of pudding in while she was gasping for air... Horrible I know ... But you do what you have to do, sometimes. Now she has progressed so far that she takes it with no issues.
She needs supervision when getting up to walk around even the house. She is very unstable and has fallen a few times. Luckily all on carpet and not into anything. She gets up from the couch on her own and wanders around the house, but has never tried to go outside. Just as a precaution Shawn changed all of the exterior doors to require a key to get out. Multiple locks on the sliding glass doors.
She never gets out of bed. Once we put her in bed, I don't think that she realizes that she can get up, or maybe no longer has the strength to. We have to go and physically get her up in the mornings.
Teri talks her out for a walk just about daily even if it is only to check the mail. We use a wheelchair for her on some occasions when she gets too tired and is no longer able to walk.
Noises use to really bother her. When we would go out for dinner or anywhere when someone dropped something or banged plates or glass together she would freak out and yell... Not anymore. We are able to take her to dinner or out and about with us most always.
Mom experiences vomiting a lot for no known reason. She has had scans done in the past but nothing additional was found. We are going to see a GI provider this coming week. This is one of the more difficult things to deal with. No warning, all over the place, and for hours.
Shawn and I keep her sleeping propped up to prevent her from aspirating if she gets sick during the night.
Mom walks with her head down and seldom lifts her head to make eye contact with you. Her neck muscles are so tight. Her left arm is also minimally used as she had a mini stroke and that is the lasting effect. She holds it very close to her body at all times.
She still bits her nails, but only on her right had :) At times the noise aggravates me so much that I have to put a sock over her hand to prevent her from chewing them.
Lots of people always said to me that things happen for a reason. Living through this journey with mom, I am now a true believer. I can not even begin to wrap my head around the though of dad still caring for mom during these late stages. I always laugh at the thought of me caring for mom with a child.... I guess now I know the reason I was not able to get pregnant when we tried.
I am blessed each and every day to walk through this journey with mom and help care for her. I'm not going to lie... It is trying at times and sometimes need a break .. But all and all.. I am grateful.
She would have done this for me... Hell she did, through my whole childhood.
I love this new woman Georgiana has become. I refer to her as Georgiana, because that is the only name she responds to. She does not respond to mom at all. In her mind she is no longer a mom. She is Georgiana. It was weird in the beginning, but now it is just natural. Gary still has a hard time with it and calls her mom at most times. But she is not responsive.
As I said in the beginning. I will do my best to update weekly or at least when something new occurs.
Monday, February 17, 2014
We are back home
For reasons I can not go into right now... I just wanted everyone to know that Mom is back home with us and is no longer at the Live In Facility.
I may at some point chose to share our horror story, but right now... I am opting out publishing anything.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Visitor From an Old Friend
Monday 2/10/13
I received a text message from a "great friend" of ours that mom bonded with at the Daycare.
She was there by our side the day that we moved mom into the facility and has kept in touch with us ever since. She texted me on Monday and asked me if, she still had visitation rights :)
Of course she does.. So she went a spent some time with mom. Honestly I was not sure if she would remember her or not. But she said that mom recognized her as soon as she walked in.
She brought mom an milkshake (since we are trying to put a few lbs. back on her) and I think that she brought herself some lunch, which I think that she ended up sharing with mom even though mom had just finished lunch. Listen... You bring fries you better be prepared to share... :)
It was nice that she took the time out of her schedule to go and see mom. I really appreciated it.
It also allowed me to pick her brain on how she thinks mom is doing, since she knew mom before placement and also understand this disease.
The only things that mom informed her of was that she was not too sure about the food choices and she does not like it at night when the facility gets dark. Meaning bedtime.
(The care managers have asked me to bring a lamp in to place in moms room, so that they can leave a light on for her. That lamp has now made it out of the closet where it was being store, to now being located in a bag by the front door. One day in the near future, hopefully I will remember to take it to my dang car). Really how hard is it to remember a lamp sitting next to the front door!
Moms lips were really dry and cracked on Monday night so I asked G to stop and pick up from Chap Stick on his way to see mom that night. He texted me later when he was there to say how excited she got about the Chap Stick when he pulled it out of his pocket for her.
I asked him to leave it with the care managers to put on her lips morning and night. (I did notice on Tuesday night, that her lips looked much better).
Tuesday 2/11/13- Marks One Month
Tuesday was one month since we placed mom. I tried hard to reflect on the changes that have occurred with mom since she has been placed. Honestly.. I am still not sure that this is the right decision for mom or for myself.
I left work a little bit later than normal so I arrived when mom was already sitting for dinner. I walked into her taking someone else's soup, and another lady standing up bossing everyone at the table.
I asked if I could move mom to the back table so that I could sit with her and also remove her from the group of lady's that was setting her off.
We relocated ourselves to the back table and I sat with her while she ate. She did good eating.
For whatever reason mom has decided that she no longer likes dessert. She will not even try them form the facility.
Her ADD demeanor was out in full force. I even checked with the medication nurse to be sure that she has been taking her medicine. According to him, yes there are no indications that she had refused it on her file. Good days and Bad Days right??????
Wednesday 2/12/13-
I had a procedure this morning on my neck again to help with the headaches. I had to lay flat after the procedure for 4 hrs, so I was not able to go and see mom today. G has the flu, so he is also staying away.
This is the first day that neither G nor myself were able to go and see her. I called and talked to her after dinner and she seemed good. She said that she was OK, just watching TV with her friends.
I talked to her care manager that said she ate well and has been in a good mood.
I WILL BE THERE TOMORROW. Ain't No headache going to keep me from my momma!
I received a text message from a "great friend" of ours that mom bonded with at the Daycare.
She was there by our side the day that we moved mom into the facility and has kept in touch with us ever since. She texted me on Monday and asked me if, she still had visitation rights :)
Of course she does.. So she went a spent some time with mom. Honestly I was not sure if she would remember her or not. But she said that mom recognized her as soon as she walked in.
She brought mom an milkshake (since we are trying to put a few lbs. back on her) and I think that she brought herself some lunch, which I think that she ended up sharing with mom even though mom had just finished lunch. Listen... You bring fries you better be prepared to share... :)
It was nice that she took the time out of her schedule to go and see mom. I really appreciated it.
It also allowed me to pick her brain on how she thinks mom is doing, since she knew mom before placement and also understand this disease.
The only things that mom informed her of was that she was not too sure about the food choices and she does not like it at night when the facility gets dark. Meaning bedtime.
(The care managers have asked me to bring a lamp in to place in moms room, so that they can leave a light on for her. That lamp has now made it out of the closet where it was being store, to now being located in a bag by the front door. One day in the near future, hopefully I will remember to take it to my dang car). Really how hard is it to remember a lamp sitting next to the front door!
Moms lips were really dry and cracked on Monday night so I asked G to stop and pick up from Chap Stick on his way to see mom that night. He texted me later when he was there to say how excited she got about the Chap Stick when he pulled it out of his pocket for her.
I asked him to leave it with the care managers to put on her lips morning and night. (I did notice on Tuesday night, that her lips looked much better).
Tuesday 2/11/13- Marks One Month
Tuesday was one month since we placed mom. I tried hard to reflect on the changes that have occurred with mom since she has been placed. Honestly.. I am still not sure that this is the right decision for mom or for myself.
I left work a little bit later than normal so I arrived when mom was already sitting for dinner. I walked into her taking someone else's soup, and another lady standing up bossing everyone at the table.
I asked if I could move mom to the back table so that I could sit with her and also remove her from the group of lady's that was setting her off.
We relocated ourselves to the back table and I sat with her while she ate. She did good eating.
For whatever reason mom has decided that she no longer likes dessert. She will not even try them form the facility.
Her ADD demeanor was out in full force. I even checked with the medication nurse to be sure that she has been taking her medicine. According to him, yes there are no indications that she had refused it on her file. Good days and Bad Days right??????
Wednesday 2/12/13-
I had a procedure this morning on my neck again to help with the headaches. I had to lay flat after the procedure for 4 hrs, so I was not able to go and see mom today. G has the flu, so he is also staying away.
This is the first day that neither G nor myself were able to go and see her. I called and talked to her after dinner and she seemed good. She said that she was OK, just watching TV with her friends.
I talked to her care manager that said she ate well and has been in a good mood.
I WILL BE THERE TOMORROW. Ain't No headache going to keep me from my momma!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Bad start, turns into a postive note
This week has been filled with emotions I have not felt in a long time.
I had to try really hard to find a balanced between work and home life. It doesn't happen too often, but when work needs be... They really need me.
I have been working all week at least until 7 and also having to be in the office by 7:30. I had a conference Wednesday - Friday that also required that I attend after work functions.
I like to always go and see mom in the morning before I go into work, which means that I usually do not get into the office until around 8:45-9. This week I was not able to go and see mom for breakfast at all and had to rush to even see her at dinner time in between leaving the office going to the dinner functions.
As I mentioned in last weeks blog post, we have noticed that mom has lost some weight. I requested on Monday that she be weighed and to let me know what her weight was. By Wednesday when she had still not be weighed, I took matters into my own hands.
I went and got the chair scale myself and set it up right smack in the middle of the living room for all of the staff to see what was being done.
I was shocked to see that mom had lost 9 pounds since she had been to the Dr. right before she moved in. She is down to 139...
Lets be honest mom and I both could live weeks off of the fat on our hips alone, but that is not the point.
The point in this entire story is that once again, I had to bring it to everyone's attention. I just don't understand why.
First: The wrong medication being given. Second: The wrong dosage of medication. Third: The bully and now this...
The medication has been taken care of and I give them credit. Mom does not go more than a few hrs with refusing to take her medication before they call me to let me know. I think that they learned their lesson that her refusing to take her medication and them not forcing it and not telling us for two days will not happen with me involved.. I will chew someone up!
The medication Tech has been pretty successful and for that I give them a thumbs up... Mom can be how to say it... A pain in the @$$ when it comes to taking medication.
The care managers seem to have started to bond with me. Which is good. I always make it a point to know EVERYONES name. I always want them to feel a connection with us. When you address people by there name, they seem to think twice.
Bridget has found that when mom does not have the baby doll with her at the table she does not get distracted and eats better. Also they said that she is not bonding or socializing with the other residents and that they expected her to by now. Again when they take the baby away, she talks to the other residents and not just to the baby.
The minute I walk onto the floor, they always tell me how much at each setting mom ate. It seems to be getting better.
I talked to Carrie today and requested that mom be weighed weekly until we get a handle on the weight loss. They will be scheduled to weigh her every Thursday.
I had a bad headache on Saturday, so laid around on the couch until it was close to mid-afternoon. I got a phone call from the facility and expected it to be the hairdresser, telling me that mom would not let them do her hair. Or that she was freaking out about the water in her ears and that I needed to be there for her appt.
But it was the nurse... She said that she wanted to call me and let me know that mom hurt her knee. She said that mom was having trouble putting any weight on it and was stumbling when she walked.
They did not see any swelling or bruising, but that they put her in a wheelchair just to be on the safe side as they did not want her to fall. But she did not want me to not be aware and walk into visit her and see her in a wheelchair and freak out.
Shawn and I left the house shortly after that call...
When we arrived Bridget was downstairs and rode up with me in the elevator. I asked her what was going on with mom. She said I don't know, I asked the nurse when I came on shift and saw her sitting in the wheel chair. She said I asked the nurse if she had called you yet, and the nurse said no... But that her sift was ending. Bridget told her that she had to call me before she left, that Bridget was not going to tell me that she had no idea what was wrong with mom and why she was in a wheelchair when I came to visit.
After the nurse called me, she said to Bridget she (me) was nice.. Bridget said, I never said she was not nice.. I just said that I was not going to be the one to tell her that I didn't know what was wrong with her mom... :)
Shawn checked mom over and said that she probably hit it on something or that maybe she turned funny on it. He saw no swelling or bruising, and it did not appear that she had fallen. We got her cleaned up and ready for bed and tucked her in before leaving for the night.
Sunday we picked Pop up and took him to the International Car Show downtown. We walked around looking at all the new cars for 2014 for about 3 hrs and then went to the Landing to have lunch.
It was the WORST lunch ever.... I still feel sick from it.. It was so gross.
We took Pop back to his apt and then went to see mom. She was finishing up with dinner when we got there. She is not needing the wheelchair and has made a miraculous recovery from her knee injury. We took her and cleaned her up (Changed her depends and had her go to the bathroom) and then sat with her in her apt from about an hr.
We then took her back out into the living room to sit with all of the other residents to watch the Olympics before getting ready for bed.
I had to try really hard to find a balanced between work and home life. It doesn't happen too often, but when work needs be... They really need me.
I have been working all week at least until 7 and also having to be in the office by 7:30. I had a conference Wednesday - Friday that also required that I attend after work functions.
I like to always go and see mom in the morning before I go into work, which means that I usually do not get into the office until around 8:45-9. This week I was not able to go and see mom for breakfast at all and had to rush to even see her at dinner time in between leaving the office going to the dinner functions.
As I mentioned in last weeks blog post, we have noticed that mom has lost some weight. I requested on Monday that she be weighed and to let me know what her weight was. By Wednesday when she had still not be weighed, I took matters into my own hands.
I went and got the chair scale myself and set it up right smack in the middle of the living room for all of the staff to see what was being done.
I was shocked to see that mom had lost 9 pounds since she had been to the Dr. right before she moved in. She is down to 139...
Lets be honest mom and I both could live weeks off of the fat on our hips alone, but that is not the point.
The point in this entire story is that once again, I had to bring it to everyone's attention. I just don't understand why.
First: The wrong medication being given. Second: The wrong dosage of medication. Third: The bully and now this...
The medication has been taken care of and I give them credit. Mom does not go more than a few hrs with refusing to take her medication before they call me to let me know. I think that they learned their lesson that her refusing to take her medication and them not forcing it and not telling us for two days will not happen with me involved.. I will chew someone up!
The medication Tech has been pretty successful and for that I give them a thumbs up... Mom can be how to say it... A pain in the @$$ when it comes to taking medication.
The care managers seem to have started to bond with me. Which is good. I always make it a point to know EVERYONES name. I always want them to feel a connection with us. When you address people by there name, they seem to think twice.
Bridget has found that when mom does not have the baby doll with her at the table she does not get distracted and eats better. Also they said that she is not bonding or socializing with the other residents and that they expected her to by now. Again when they take the baby away, she talks to the other residents and not just to the baby.
The minute I walk onto the floor, they always tell me how much at each setting mom ate. It seems to be getting better.
I talked to Carrie today and requested that mom be weighed weekly until we get a handle on the weight loss. They will be scheduled to weigh her every Thursday.
I had a bad headache on Saturday, so laid around on the couch until it was close to mid-afternoon. I got a phone call from the facility and expected it to be the hairdresser, telling me that mom would not let them do her hair. Or that she was freaking out about the water in her ears and that I needed to be there for her appt.
But it was the nurse... She said that she wanted to call me and let me know that mom hurt her knee. She said that mom was having trouble putting any weight on it and was stumbling when she walked.
They did not see any swelling or bruising, but that they put her in a wheelchair just to be on the safe side as they did not want her to fall. But she did not want me to not be aware and walk into visit her and see her in a wheelchair and freak out.
Shawn and I left the house shortly after that call...
When we arrived Bridget was downstairs and rode up with me in the elevator. I asked her what was going on with mom. She said I don't know, I asked the nurse when I came on shift and saw her sitting in the wheel chair. She said I asked the nurse if she had called you yet, and the nurse said no... But that her sift was ending. Bridget told her that she had to call me before she left, that Bridget was not going to tell me that she had no idea what was wrong with mom and why she was in a wheelchair when I came to visit.
After the nurse called me, she said to Bridget she (me) was nice.. Bridget said, I never said she was not nice.. I just said that I was not going to be the one to tell her that I didn't know what was wrong with her mom... :)
Shawn checked mom over and said that she probably hit it on something or that maybe she turned funny on it. He saw no swelling or bruising, and it did not appear that she had fallen. We got her cleaned up and ready for bed and tucked her in before leaving for the night.
Sunday we picked Pop up and took him to the International Car Show downtown. We walked around looking at all the new cars for 2014 for about 3 hrs and then went to the Landing to have lunch.
It was the WORST lunch ever.... I still feel sick from it.. It was so gross.
We took Pop back to his apt and then went to see mom. She was finishing up with dinner when we got there. She is not needing the wheelchair and has made a miraculous recovery from her knee injury. We took her and cleaned her up (Changed her depends and had her go to the bathroom) and then sat with her in her apt from about an hr.
We then took her back out into the living room to sit with all of the other residents to watch the Olympics before getting ready for bed.
Monday, February 3, 2014
1/29/14-2/3/14 These few days have been a whirl wind
The last few days have been a whirl wind. Between me not feeling well and there being a stomach bug going around mom's floor...... I have not spent a whole lot of time there.
Friday I worked from home just because I felt like @$$ when I woke up I didn't even feel like getting dressed to go into the office.
I worked in my PJ's all day (not that, that is anything different from any other day that I work from home. Hey- They are comfy... Don't judge me)
I worked until about 3:30 and then forced myself to at least put on some "real" clothes and go and see mom. She was as usual sitting in the living room watching Annie (I'm going to HATE that freakin movie, by the time this is all done) holding her baby. I spent sometime just sitting with her, listening to her ramble about what.. I'm not really sure :) But it makes her happy....
I was going to leave when they started to get everyone together for dinner, but G showed up as he had left work early and came by to see her as well. So we all had dinner together....
The mean lady tried to take mom's baby again and G had to hold her off, telling her over and over again this is not your baby... This is my moms baby. He did better than me..
I said to G, lets go to the other dinning room so we can get away from this lady, since she is on this side of the floor, I'm sure she will eat over here.
I WAS WRONG... She followed us yelling the whole time to the other side of the floor. G and I sat mom down at a table with a view with only 4 chairs. I wanted us to be able to sit with her alone.
The lady followed us to the table and stood over us for about 3 minutes, before I could not take it any more. I said Come with me... G said don't hurt her :) I wont... MUCH
I said to her come with me... She turned to follow me and I stuck out my hand which she took. She walked with me holding my hand into the living room. I took her to the crib station that they have set up and showed her that "her babies" were still in the crib. She was so happy. She snatched that baby up by her foot and held her tight. Good thing it was not a real baby.:)
She left us alone the rest of the night.....
Dinner went OK. Mom seems to get really distracted when we are there with her during eating time. But on the other hand, if we are not there.. She does not eat much.
She refused to take her medicine when the lady came to give it to her. G reached out and got the medication cup and said that we would give it to her. G tired a few times to try and she kept telling him no... It was so hard for me not to take the cup and handle it..... But I need to let him handle thing sometimes. I have to stop trying to take control of everything. He did well he kept at it and got them down her with only minimal bribes :) What ever it takes now a days... I could careless.
I bribe with M&M's and I tell the girls at the facility to do the same.
Saturday was a fun day for all of us........
Patti and Krista Gold (mom's niece) were in town visiting Jennifer who is my cousin who is living in my parents condo (FYI- Thank god for that.... One less thing we had to worry or stress about).
I was going to go and bust mom out and meet them all for lunch, but Shawn got back from the gym earlier than expected so he and Pop also went with us...
So we all went to lunch at the Ale House (Dad's favorite) to have lunch.
It was nice for mom to get out and to spend time with friends away from the facility. Not sure she knew who everyone was... But she loved to talk and be out. Patti brought a gift for mom from Gale and Dick. She pulled a picture out of the bag that Gale has sent up and mom immediately said that's Dick... I was shocked....
She had no clue who she was in the photo, or who Dad or Gale was... But Dick she knew.
We spent about two hours at lunch and then we took mom back.... I asked Shawn was he was going to do when he got home.. He said sleep, I've been up since 4am....First off that is your own fault... But if your going home to sleep, drop me off at the mall with the girls and I will see you later.
So not only did I get to spend the afternoon with mom, I also got to spend some time shopping....
Sunday-
I took a day off... G told me that he was going to see mom and wanted to make sure that I was not going to check her out. So I opted to stay home today and clean my house... it was really needed...
*** One thing that I did want to mention, was to me mom seems to have gone downhill over the last week or so. She is really slow responding now and is also really making no sense at all when she talks. I am not sure if this is from lack of stimulation (little to no activities to use the brain), if this is adjusting from the move, or is this a slide or progression in the disease. I don't know, but it scares the hell out of me. There is a big difference in my opinion in a short amount of time*******
Friday I worked from home just because I felt like @$$ when I woke up I didn't even feel like getting dressed to go into the office.
I worked in my PJ's all day (not that, that is anything different from any other day that I work from home. Hey- They are comfy... Don't judge me)
I worked until about 3:30 and then forced myself to at least put on some "real" clothes and go and see mom. She was as usual sitting in the living room watching Annie (I'm going to HATE that freakin movie, by the time this is all done) holding her baby. I spent sometime just sitting with her, listening to her ramble about what.. I'm not really sure :) But it makes her happy....
I was going to leave when they started to get everyone together for dinner, but G showed up as he had left work early and came by to see her as well. So we all had dinner together....
The mean lady tried to take mom's baby again and G had to hold her off, telling her over and over again this is not your baby... This is my moms baby. He did better than me..
I said to G, lets go to the other dinning room so we can get away from this lady, since she is on this side of the floor, I'm sure she will eat over here.
I WAS WRONG... She followed us yelling the whole time to the other side of the floor. G and I sat mom down at a table with a view with only 4 chairs. I wanted us to be able to sit with her alone.
The lady followed us to the table and stood over us for about 3 minutes, before I could not take it any more. I said Come with me... G said don't hurt her :) I wont... MUCH
I said to her come with me... She turned to follow me and I stuck out my hand which she took. She walked with me holding my hand into the living room. I took her to the crib station that they have set up and showed her that "her babies" were still in the crib. She was so happy. She snatched that baby up by her foot and held her tight. Good thing it was not a real baby.:)
She left us alone the rest of the night.....
Dinner went OK. Mom seems to get really distracted when we are there with her during eating time. But on the other hand, if we are not there.. She does not eat much.
She refused to take her medicine when the lady came to give it to her. G reached out and got the medication cup and said that we would give it to her. G tired a few times to try and she kept telling him no... It was so hard for me not to take the cup and handle it..... But I need to let him handle thing sometimes. I have to stop trying to take control of everything. He did well he kept at it and got them down her with only minimal bribes :) What ever it takes now a days... I could careless.
I bribe with M&M's and I tell the girls at the facility to do the same.
Saturday was a fun day for all of us........
Patti and Krista Gold (mom's niece) were in town visiting Jennifer who is my cousin who is living in my parents condo (FYI- Thank god for that.... One less thing we had to worry or stress about).
I was going to go and bust mom out and meet them all for lunch, but Shawn got back from the gym earlier than expected so he and Pop also went with us...
So we all went to lunch at the Ale House (Dad's favorite) to have lunch.
It was nice for mom to get out and to spend time with friends away from the facility. Not sure she knew who everyone was... But she loved to talk and be out. Patti brought a gift for mom from Gale and Dick. She pulled a picture out of the bag that Gale has sent up and mom immediately said that's Dick... I was shocked....
She had no clue who she was in the photo, or who Dad or Gale was... But Dick she knew.
We spent about two hours at lunch and then we took mom back.... I asked Shawn was he was going to do when he got home.. He said sleep, I've been up since 4am....First off that is your own fault... But if your going home to sleep, drop me off at the mall with the girls and I will see you later.
So not only did I get to spend the afternoon with mom, I also got to spend some time shopping....
Sunday-
I took a day off... G told me that he was going to see mom and wanted to make sure that I was not going to check her out. So I opted to stay home today and clean my house... it was really needed...
*** One thing that I did want to mention, was to me mom seems to have gone downhill over the last week or so. She is really slow responding now and is also really making no sense at all when she talks. I am not sure if this is from lack of stimulation (little to no activities to use the brain), if this is adjusting from the move, or is this a slide or progression in the disease. I don't know, but it scares the hell out of me. There is a big difference in my opinion in a short amount of time*******
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)