A week of ups and downs - mostly in the middle, though. As you know, Mom tends to rally when she goes down for a bit, and this week was no exception - except the rallies were mere minutes long. You’ll understand as I take you through the week:
Monday: Mom was very sleepy. She wasn’t drinking much - but she did have half a glass of juice by the time I arrived. She woke up and studied my face. After a few minutes (not moments) she decided she knew me. I gave her some juice and she finished off the glass from the morning and began on a new one. This seemed to invigorate her.
She had eaten some yogurt earlier but spat out the fruit. At least she was showing signs of eating!
Leddy came in and Mom looked at her and with her hand waving in dismissal, said, “Go get the table!” Leddy and I looked at each other and I asked, “What table?”
“She knows.”
“Mom, do you know who that is?” I inquired.
“Somebody new.”
“No, that’s Leddy.”
Mom stared at me. Finally, she asked, “That’s Leddy?”
“Yes!” responded Leddy.
“Oh! Go get the table!” Mom issued her command again, flicking her arm in the direction of the door. So, Leddy left and then re-entered a few moments later.
She was cleaning out Mom’s mouth from the phlegm (which continued hourly all day), so there wouldn’t be any choking.
Next, Danny, the attendant, came in with some soup. Mom managed to eat about half of it but was apparently aspirating some as she began to cough. At last, she told me, “No more.” I complied.
Next came her shake. She drank a little - but Leddy was afraid it was too thick, so she thinned it out. Mom still had some troubles drinking it. We decided that we should begin holding on to her shakes so she could have them later, as well, without troubling the kitchen to make more (this was also so we could measure how much she would ingest on a daily basis, rather than at that one time).
At one point, Mom looked at me and said, “My legs are hurting.”
“Well, try to move them and see if that helps.”
She stared at me as though I had said something uncanny. Then her legs began to move around until they rested. I never was able to get a reasonable response as to whether or not she was now comfortable, though.
As Mom ate, she looked at me and said, “You’re a very good son.” That warmed the cockles of my hard, cold heart.
She began to drift off to sleep, holding fast to my hand.
Next, Tasha, the med-aid, came in and helped Mom with the nebulizer. This seemed to help.
Noel, the hospice nurse, came and saw Mom. She had nothing to say, really, except that Mom may still surprise us as her lungs were clear and that the eating may be causing some aspiration of foods. If this continues, then there could be a problem with more food going into her lungs, and becoming infected. This would cause a slow, painless cessation of life.
Mom continued sleeping for the rest of the day.
Tuesday, Mom was more alert in the morning, and her coughing had subsided. They continued with the nebulizer, though. She drank part of a glass of juice, and a little shake, but not much. She slept nearly all day, but for that smidgen of time.
Leddy and Morina came in to help change Mom that morning. It seems Mom wasn’t so thrilled with this and didn’t recognize Morina, so she nearly succeeded with an uppercut to Morina’s chin. That lady got some spunk, yet!
Wednesday, Mom was very sleepy, and they were able to get some juice in her in the morning.
Later, Connie and Jean came to pay their respects to their longtime buddy.
Dear Tony,
We checked in at 12:20. Norma was apparently asleep in bed when we greeted her. She opened her eyes, and we chatted about the weather, her pretty blue shirt, what we have been doing lately. Norma at times would try to say something, but the words were not there.
Jean asked if she could hold her hand, so she offered the right hand. She held it for about 10-15 minutes; she did not pull it away. Later, after her drink, Jean asked for a hand to hold; she moved her left hand so she could hold it.
One of us (Connie or Jean) made a comment on something, and Mom said, "I'm aware of that," in a quiet voice. She was following what we said. Another time there was a second short sentence, appropriate to the subject, which we don't remember.
Norma coughed about 6 times in a row. They asked one of the caregivers about checking for phlegm. She used the swab for that; it came up clear of anything. One other time Norma coughed 3-4 times; neither time seemed to distress her at all.
Tasha came in with the protein drink and straw in a paper cup, asked if Jean would like to offer it to Norma. So she did, and she used the straw willingly. She offered the drink several times, with a few minutes in between. After Norma said she did not want any more,Jean set it aside. She had drunk close to half of the "shake."
We felt that Norma was awake all the time we were with her, 1.75 hours. Most of the time her eyes were closed, but she was still awake. Connie had brought a Columbia magazine showing beautiful artwork in a new shrine in WA, D.C. Norma barely looked at it, then held it for a while. Connie left it with her; if you see it, take it home to enjoy.
Norma was more awake and alert than in the past two (?) visits we've made. She seemed to be comfortable.
She was much better looking than in that last picture in Sunday's post.
This missive illustrates how attentive Mom was when I was there Monday.
Thursday, Mom slept nearly all day, responding from time to time. At one point, Megan, the med-aide in the evenings, went in to check on Mom. Mom ordered her to leave, took off her diaper (which was clean), and threw it at her. See? She rallies!
Friday, Mom drank some shake, and some juice, but kept sleeping most of the day. Nothing of much interest happened that day, so I won’t bore you with no details.
Saturday, Mom drank most of her shake. She also drank at least one glass of juice! She also had some yogurt. This was a little cause for a little celebration. The staff there are so good at keeping me apprised of how she’s doing . They’re angels!
Today, My brother beat me over to St. A’s, and he was able to see Mom alert if only for a short time. She was able to drink a bit of juice from the cup.
When I arrived, Mom was asleep and when she woke she wasn’t really awake. She held my hand but couldn’t sip through the straw. So, I sat with her, talking to her as though she could hear me (and yes, I know she could).
I had brought in some flowers - roses, sea holly, lavender, and fennel. I was hoping the smells might intrigue her to consciousness.
She held my hand, adjusting her grip from time to time, but looked so comfortable and innocent.
It’s odd how the brain works.
So, what’s in store? Who knows. But whatever it is, with Mom it’ll be another adventure - in one way or another.
I started on COPD Herbal treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic , the treatment worked incredibly for my lungs condition. I used the herbal treatment for almost 4 months, it reversed my COPD. My severe shortness of breath, dry cough, chest tightness gradually disappeared. Reach Ultimate Life Clinic via their website www.ultimatelifeclinic.com . I can breath much better and It feels comfortable!
ReplyDelete