The Mom & Me Journals dot Net
The definitive, eccentric journal of an unlikely caregiver, continued.

Apologia for these journals:
    They are not about taking care of a relative with moderate to severe Alzheimer's/senile dementia.
    For an explanation of what these journals are about, click the link above.
    For internet sources that are about caring for relatives with moderate to severe
        Alzheimer's/senile dementia, click through the Honorable Alzheimer's Blogs in my
        links section to the right.

7 minute Audio Introduction to The Mom & Me Journals [a bit dated, at the moment]

Saturday, September 27, 2008
 
As the day has progressed...
...I've been adding information to the immediately previous post, as I remember this or that piece of conversation or information. I hope I don't drive those of you who subscribe through RSS crazy. I just want to be especially meticulous about reporting this episode, for myself, chiefly, as I imagine we have more episodes in our future, however short or long that future is.
    As I reported over at Life After Death Sentencing for today, Mom's restless night is dictating a day a bit less energetic than yesterday. She forced herself to stay up for the entire showing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind on TCM. Well, I don't think she had to force herself. The movie fascinates her. It's one she never remembers seeing. Today, her comment was that the movie is "mysterious". "I'm not sure where this is going," she mentioned.
    I'd already noticed the tiredness pulling at her lower lids, swelling her eyes. "Are you bored?" I asked. "I taped this, so if you want to come back to it, it's okay."
    "Oh, goodness, no! I want to see if I can figure out what's happening!" She stayed with it all the way through.
    She's sleeping, now, a much more restful sleep, I can tell by the monitor, than happened last night. It occurred to me that last night was analogous to the breathing crisis she had in the hospital late at night after the first day of her treatment for pneumonia: The anxiety about which I was contacted by the nurse in the middle of the night when Mom was having a breathing crisis and calling for me. The nurse was seeking permission to administer Ativan or Xanax or morphine, all of which I vetoed in favor of me coming in and holding Mom's hand, sleeping right by her side and reassuring her, which performed all the tricks that the medications were supposed to have performed. The difference, last night, was that Mom was in her own home, in her own bed, The Little Girl was sleeping with her, and Mom knew that I was near and listening (she is quite impressed with the monitor and has not forgotten that I listen to her when she's sleeping, so I keep her updated, after each sleeping session, on what I hear) because I went into her a few times during the night, provoked by what I was hearing on the monitor, to see how she was doing, help her change position for easier breathing and to reassure myself and her that "everything is fine", so there was no anxiety involved in her crisis; just restlessness.
    Funny thing, too, about the monitor. Since I've insisted on having it on and close every time she's sleeping, I've become acclimated, very quickly, to Mom's breathing moods. I was hoping this would happen. Although we've had it less than a week, I find I can fall asleep easily, knowing that my brain will register anything that sounds odd and alert me to awaken and check on her. I can even tell when she's merely coughing in her sleep versus when she's coughing because she's arising. I hear the oxygen compressor cycling, too, and sometimes I here her talking to The Little Girl. This morning I heard what I thought was was this, so I peaked in. She was fast asleep, though, and I realized, with surprise, that she was talking in her sleep. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the monitor wasn't such that I could make out what she said. I've never known her to talk in her sleep, though. Possibly, it's something that she does only when she's restless.
    Tonight we're planning pizza night and a showing of The Sting in honor of Paul Newman. Mom was as saddened as I by the announcement of his death. It was her idea to honor him tonight. Although we only have one of his movies in our collection, she and I have seen several. I'm actually not sure why we don't have more of his work. Cool Hand Luke is one of my all time favorites. I also love The Verdict and have a soft spot in my heart for Hud, as it was recommended to me soon after it was originally released by a then best friend of mine. I never understood why she recommended it, as she also recommended Shane and the two are quite different.
    So, anyway, it looks like it's going to be a laid back weekend...as though we don't always have laid back weekends here!
    Later.
Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

Powered by Blogger