If I Told You , You Wouldn’t Believe Me

Mom slept good again…I got her up and told her to look out the window.

Ok so you can’t see it in that picture…Look at this one

See those dots? They is BALLOONS!!!!!!

Here’s a video…please check it out…you’ll see Mary near the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Xf1YbdWYA

Afterwards we took her to eat at one of our favorite haunts…the Western Omelet…a biker hang out lol! Yeah we saw bikers there! Mary cleaned her plate (I took half of mine home for later…I got the quesadillas with mild green sauce oink oink)

After that we went shopping again…how is it I can’t seem to get everything I need in one day now? Came home to a ton of phone messages. We’ll get back to you all as we can I promise!

Mom agreed to try to stay up later and she actually stayed awake until 8 PM last night. As a result of that and all the visitors yesterday she slept very well…she hardly even moved at all. I know this because the TV controller was in the exact place I left it when I said good night. Usually she rolls around in the morning, tossing and turning. She even managed to keep dry and clean…what a relief!

She, Jack and I went to Walmart yesterday morning then the steady stream of healthcare people started around noon. She got a bag to carry her oxygen on her wheelchair from Centura Health, a bath from her CNA and of course the TV guys did show up when the regular nurse did at 4 PM ( actually this nurse was a fill-in for the one mom has assigned to her…thank goodness they all seem competant). Later while we were sitting on the back porch another young nurse came and dropped off an egg crate mattress. She also handed me a bag of diapers and other stuff. I wondered about it but took it anyway. When I was making up mom’s bed the nurse came hollaring back in through the kitchen…WAIT THAT BAG ISN’T YOURS!!!! Holy cows…what was in it, gold bars? She took it back and left lol.

I turned mom on to one of my favorite shows, Charm City Cakes, and she was watching the second one when I said goodnight.

The Nurse filling in for Brenda was Ruth. She ooooohed and aaahhhhed over my canvases with the crazy quilts decoupaged on them and the mother’s quilts. When I get some time I am going to start making them again for sale…put your orders in early

Holy Shades of New Motherhood Batman!!! It really is like having a new born, this business of taking care of aging, sickly parents.

For two days in a row I have gotten up at 3:30 AM to take care of toilet matters for mom. By the time I get things cleaned up I am wide awake and unable to get back to sleep. I tried going to bed early last night but I couldn’t fall asleep. I doubt if I have that problem tonight. I asked mom to PLEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEE try to stay up later tonight. If she could make it to 8 PM it would help.

Mom had a visit from  the hospice chaplain yesterday. I gave them some private time and after he left mom said he told her she had 6 months to live. Now I don’t know if he said that based on medical proof or if he said it because you get qualified into hospice when you are down to 6 months or less but I think it made her feel a little better and I encouraged her to try to make it through the NCAA tourney…Go ILLINI!

The CNA is here giving her a bath. She needs it…I’m not sure how well I got her cleaned up this morning and she made another mess at lunch (hey Christina we need emoticon cheats those pop up unexpectadly n stuff). The regular nurse called and changed tomorrow’s appt to today so I’m waiting on her as well as the Direct TV guy who will no doubt show up any minute since the room that needs the TV is occupied with bath giving.

Jack and I did manage to get mom in the car for a trip to WalMart earlier. He thinks we should put her in the front seat next time.

Now for an apology:

I am one of those people who assume that everyone else on Earth knows everything I do. I got a comment yesterday that reminded me this is not true. So Nana… The woman with my mom was Bert Spencer and the bottom picture was my brother, Shane, and his fiance, Jessica.

Rod, thanks for the flowers, they are lovely. We have them on the dining room table.

That’s it for now. I’m nodding off at the keyboard. Pardon me while I go lay down for a hot minute.

Oh wait…go check out this video…I’m trying to learn this song……..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYjcXVKF0k

Wow! I had no idea the effect my mass email from my mom’s yahoo account would have! Christina is extremely happy to have you all sign up and I have been having fun answering emails and reading your comments here about mom. Keep them coming please!

Bert left first yesterday, Jess left next and finally Shane, who will be back in two weeks. (He got a free ticket by giving up a seat somewhere along the way). We all had a good time together. (The red army is strong lol!)

The case worker from hospice came yesterday afternoon. She wrote down my needs and concerns and I think she’ll do her best to help. We also got the CNA schedule for mom’s baths set up and I arranged for Direct TV to bring a box so she can watch TV in her room. After all that I got a little teary eyed. Not sure why. I think it might have been coz I will now be basically alone with mom but had I known the next turn of events I might not have been so weepy.

Jack got laid off for a few days. That might seem bad, but to me it’s a blessing! He is really good with mom and is a real strong he-man type so he can help move her if I need him to. He’ll sit with her while she smokes (I hate it and will prolly only do it if forced. I don’t even have any friends who smoke these days) Yeah, the loss of income will hurt but we are not destitute so I’m not worried about that.

She slept well last night…I was worried when she said she wanted to go to bed at 6:20 PM but I let her coz I knew she had been up since 1 AM or so. She does SOOOOOOO much better when she’s rested up! She slept through the night with no potty accident and got up at 4AM. I was already awake so I stayed up with her and fixed us both eggs and hash browns. You’ll be happy to know Mary’s eating like a dang pig!!!

Bert, Shane and Jessica all fly home today. It’s gonna be quiet around here. Not totally quiet as I still have Dakota yakking non stop (and Dalton everyday…I think they are basically homeless again until this weekend…long story, maybe another time)

I hope mom doesn’t get bored with me. I am not that good of a conversationist. I rely on my listening skills a lot. Actually I think that’s why my kids didn’t talk until they were 4….hmmmm. I like to sit and knit, watch tv and knit or do my computer thing but I am just not a big talker.  Looks like I’ll have to bring in people to talk to her and there’s always the phone. 

She’s been using the pot regularly. If she has an accident it’s my fault coz I didn’t think to check on her early enough. When I got up to pee at 1:30AM last night I heard her on the baby moniter Shane bought. I went in and sure enough she was wide awake. I got her up and she went. I turned the radio on for her and went back to bed. She was awake when Jack got up at 4 but she didn’t need to go again so he let me sleep. I got up at 5:30 and she was still awake. This time she went and all is good in potty land still. She should be mega tired but she’s not acting like it….hmmmmmmmmmmm again.

NOTE: I called about another Direct TV box….should be here within a week. Right now the TV is only picking up PBS…if Bob Ross played 24/7 that would be fine but Barney takes over and we ain’t havin that.

I want to thank everyone who has emailed me. I didn’t realize how many people didn’t know what was going on with her.  I’ll give you my phone # if you promise not to call after 8PM MST.

Mom was much stronger this morning. She didn’t wet her diaper and helped me get her to the pot twice. Shane and Jessica and Bert took her for a ride in her wheelchair around the block. She’s sleeping now. We’re having steak for supper so I’ll wake her up soon.

I appreciate the phone calls from everone and I apologize that my phone doesn’t work outside and that’s where Mary spends her time. Maybe you could watch the weather channel and if it’s cold and rainy in Colorado Springs you could call and catch her inside.

I’d also like to welcome any new readers from mom’s email list. This is your one stop place to catch up on all the latest news!

Mom’s first night home was fairly uneventful except for the fact that the nurse came kinda late and we were all spacey from all the WAITING!!!!

Of course the quiet couldn’t last. They hadn’t brought a commode (comode? oh heck I forgot to look that up) so by the time we got up at 6 AM she had let loose in her pants and it took me a half hour to get her and her bed cleaned up. And of course I didn’t have an extra set of sheets (poor planning again) so I had to do laundry before Jack and I left to get groceries.

Thank God Bert is here!!!! She took over for me while we shopped and cleaned the next poopy pants up. I bought more sheets at the Goodwill and mattress pads to put under everything.

When I went to Walgreens to get expensive medicine a very strange thing happened. Here everyone was all worried about the cost of this stuff, Vancomycin, and the pharmasist more-or-less let me walk aout with a day and a half worth for free…what’s up with that? They have to order more, I’ll pick it up Monday.

The CNA finally brought the commode and some more diapers, gloves and of course mattress pads since I bought some. She gave mom a bath and put baby lotion on her so she smells purdy like a baby’s butt

Now for the funny stuff…mom was on the porch (smoking prolly, I don’t know I was in the house) and she had a coughing attack. I went out to check on her and Bert said,  ”She had a wad of phlem that looked just like an earthworm come out her nose!” I was like “Wow I wish I coulda caught that on video!” and mom about choked again but this time from laughing. Then later while we were giving her her nebulizer she coughed again and her top teeth came out. I said it again…”Dang I wish I had my camera for that!” and she just grinned. Bert told me to get a chain to wear it around my neck so I wouldn’t miss any more photo ops. Another kinda sorta funny thing was me wrestling mom to try to get the diapers the nurse that gave her a bath today left…I never did figure it out so I went back to the pull ups….good grief! I have decided I’ll have to hire help when everyone leaves coz I don’t know how I’m gonna manage. I’ve already thought about hiring one of my music friends to come play guitar for us all day long…he said he’d charge room and board plus beer money.

I have been waiting all day for the people to come set up all the stuff mom needs to come home: Hospital bed, oxygen, wheel chair, comode (commode? no time for spell check). The guy showed up at 4:30 PM finally. We must have been last on the list. I just called Shane to give him a 15 minute warning. He’s supposed to call me back then we’ll see what happens.

I had to get a little tough with Dakota just now on the phone. He called and asked again if Dalton could spend the night. He’s already been told twice that he COULDN’T! I feel bad for the boy coz I’m thinking he probably has nowhere to stay but I have a housefull and trust me when I say that he and Dakota CANNOT behave when they are together. I would have said yes if I thought they could shut up and be quite and not mess with things (like the medical equipment strewn about everywhere). Jack told Dakota that there would be no one sleeping over for a few weeks until things calmed down here.

UPDATE: Everything has been set up and I’ve been (mostly) instructed on the oxygen n stuff. Now I’m waiting, waiting, waiting on mom to get here.

Shane and I made arrangements with Pikes Peak Hospice this morning. We are going to keep mom at home as long as possible.

Our admitting nurse, Peggy, was very kind and knowledgable. She asked about mom’s mental as well as physical state. The goal of hospice is to keep the patient comfortable and help them keep their dignaty. They will provide us with a hospital bed, one of those swinging tables to go over the bed, a wheelchair, commode and shower seat. Personel will included nurses, Drs, social workers and so on. They are on call 24/7.

The next step is to find out when mom will be released from Penrose and what the Drs orders are regarding the medicine she’s on to battle the C Diff ($1000 for 5 days if given orally…not an option right now)

Yesterday I finished the Illini socks. Mom was getting a bath and she wouldn’t let the nurse put fresh socks on her lol…I know the one pic looks out of proportion…kinda like a magic midgit sticking his legs out at a different angle lol!

Bend over this wont hurt a bit!

Seriously, we have to wear this stuff now. I was too hot in it yesterday and didn’t stay long. Shane stayed all day though. We’re trying to get there earlier today.

Bert Spencer called yesterday. She’s coming out to visit tommorow. She’s a trained paramedic so that’s good ,eh?