Medical update

Mom doesn't feel much like communicating these days, and I hope this will change soon.  Until she feels like her social self, I'm posting updates to keep close friends and select family informed. Email me directly at proinmotion@gmail.com anytime with questions/concerns. Feel free to share with anyone who misses and cares about Sue.

     

     Managing symptoms

Potentially chronic 

Since mom's stay at the hospital in early April, she has presented with some new symptoms.  Fecal incontinence even while struggling with fecal impaction began as soon as we got her to Arizona. I think we're past the impaction, but the incontinence is still a daily (and all night) problem.  E-coli was detected through urinalysis, so she's being treated for UTI as well.

Edema is pretty pronounced in both ankles and calves, and although her blood pressure is almost back to normal, she is dizzy and unsteady when walking or standing.  Anemia, skin irritation/dark bruising and scalp rash persist, and, of course, cognitive decline continues to upset her.  She just can't seem to drink enough fluids during her day despite being reminded repeatedly about her risk for dehydration and repeated kidney shutdown.

So, our diet has included lamb, beef, spinach, beans... all of which she seems to genuinely enjoy.  It's great to see her appetite for food - and for life in general - improving significantly.

We have selected a good geriatrician with an office ten minutes from home, and she is enthusiastic about him.  Yesterday, she underwent ultrasound scans on both her legs to check for blood clots.   Neurologist is scheduled for next week, and Senior Bridge came to assess the house for potential hazards as well.

Apparently we're doing all the right things, and now we must address her financial situation and the host of problems presented by Andy's refusal to participate in her care as promised.  Understandably, this is her biggest source of grief and anxiety.  Neither of us understand this development, but we will handle it and move on.

Fortunately, she is starting to feel comfortable in her new environment and stays busy gardening and rearranging my kitchen.  Locating utensils and spices has become a daily game, and I am committed to treating her with kindness and patience which is personally challenging at times.  There are more times of laughter than there are times of frustration now, and I consider this to be a small - but significant - victory.  She has really enjoyed dinners and birthday celebrations with Chad and Olivia, who have welcomed her to the 'family' with gusto and open arms.

Good medicine, indeed.

Stay tuned!

From March...

.... to April!  

Easter - Getting around

Mom doesn't feel much like communicating these days, and I hope this will change soon.  Until she feels like her social self, I'm posting updates to keep close friends and select family informed. Email me directly at proinmotion@gmail.com anytime with questions/concerns.  Feel free to share with anyone who misses and cares about Sue.

Happy Easter!  Mom was released from the hospital with some new equipment... she refused the walker, but accepted a brand new cane to help her walk.  A gait belt, shower handles and sensible shoes have become accessories as well.  She's getting stronger and her appetite is nearly normal now that her medication regimen is reasonable.

Fun at the hat shop in Prescott

She is allergic to some of the flowering desert plants that surround us, so we'll be addressing that with her new GP and I expect they'll do a full workup at her followup appointment. 

We enjoyed a nice Easter dinner and did a little work on mom's room and the tomato plants.  After making deviled eggs out of the colorful assortment of Easter eggs we gathered, we will sit and make a daily schedule and plan the week to come.  Meanwhile, Harper is making sure mom understands that they'll be sharing her bed. 

Nothing beats a little pet therapy...

Day 1

Mom doesn't feel much like communicating these days, and I hope this will change soon.  Until she feels like her social self, I'm posting updates to keep close friends and select family informed. Email me directly at proinmotion@gmail.com anytime with questions/concerns.  

Welcome home, Mom.  Today was our day one.  She is frail, but ambulatory and in good spirits.  On a few occasions I caught her in a moment of melancholy or frustration, and I know being here must be bewildering in those moments.

Literally suffering from malnutrition, she can eat very little at most meals.  Therefore, I encourage her to graze all day.  Today I woke her up with chicken (I was making soup for Olivia, who stayed home sick from school) and orange juice.  Then some birthday cake.  Healthier stuff was presented throughout the day, of course.  Mom is currently at 94 lbs.  She needs to eat as often as possible.  For the time being, if my mom wants it, I will try to get it for her.

Today's activity:

Unpacking
Laughing about the items I packed for her (I chose her smallest clothes - still too big)
Chicken soup factory in the kitchen
Playing with harper
Applying band-aids
Tending to the tomato plants
Reorganizing the backyard garden for better sun
Asparagus with Shells and Brie for dinner
Small glass of wine
Charlie Rose
Bed.


Not bad for day one.

It's official.

In general, mom's cognitive issues began a few years ago. She noticed a difference in her thinking and told her doctor.  Then another doctor. Followed by another.  MRI, CAT scans. Psychological memory testing... none of these tests shed any light on the truth.

It took a PET scan to detect the telltale amyloid plaques and the tangles in her cerebral cortex.  She's probably had Alzheimer's disease for years, but she was officially diagnosed in October of 2016.

Now, she's a few months into her life as a person living with an Alzheimer's diagnosis.  Having had a recent scare that landed her in the hospital, she has had to acknowledge one of many difficult truths that come with this disease.  Despite the fact that she's still in the early stages of the disease, she needs assistance in order to live.

That's where I come in, and I'm damned glad to do it.  I'm Eli, caregiver for my mother, Sue.  She and I arrived in Phoenix last night.  It was my birthday, and we were completely exhausted from a week-long stay at the hospital and a frantic packing session.  We collapsed into our plane seats and promptly ordered red wine from our flight attendant.  There was no need to say a word.... we just looked each other in the eye and simultaneously acknowledged the fact:

This changes everything.