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So glad!!!
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Good news, glad you had the tests done anyway.
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Yaaaaay!!!
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Stress test and all other cardiac stuff came back negative! Yaaaay!!!!
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Thanks to you all. Will post tomorrow after the stress test. ( I need more stress?, amazing)
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It is scary. I hope it turns out to be nothing serious, ba8alou. All our fingers and paws are crossed for you here.
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ba8alou - glad your mum is doing well, but not happy to hear about your health problems. Good you went to hospital and are having further testing. Time to focus on you and your well being. Caregiving is very hard on the health. Let us know what they find out. I had a female colleague, quite young, who needed a pacemaker. She was fine once she got it. (((((hugs))))
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Skipped seeing mom last week, both because youngest brother was visiting and because there was flu and I had just gotten my flu shot. Saw mom today, she's in amazingly good shape! She wasn't using the oxygen and seemed fine without it. She showed me how she is now able to manage her wheelchair breaks again, due to ot exercises she's doing and also because of the special cushion they ordered for her wheelchair, which, in addition to being good for the bedsore on her backside, also makes her taller in her chair. Good news all around.

I had a bit of a scare this week; had some chest pain along with a dreadful cold. I went to one of those walk-in places that are springing up all over NYC. After some discussion with the doc, he really insisted I go to the ER. Spent the night in the hospital. Seems to be an electrical thing. I'm having a stress test on Monday at my husband's cardiologist's office.
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Good call ba8alo no point in taking unecesary risks. Glad Mom is doing well and the dentist is comming. Even if you did get the dentures she probably would be likely to refuse to wear them. 'They are trying to choke me putting those thigs in my mouth"
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Friday update; just so you all know, Mom is doing well. The in house doc has convinced her to take a nap in bed every afternoon, to relieve pressure on the sore on her coccyx. When I approached this subject last weekend, she said "but I'm fine". We realized we needed a white coat to deliver this message. We've got the dental folks talked to, and now it IS actually the SW who gets told when the dentist is coming (I KNEW it wasn't actually her!). We will not do dentures, at least not at this time. Not sure how mom would react to the fitting process. Told the Dental Service manager "mom would as likely think she was being raped as think that she was being fitted for dentures".

I'm feeling good that the facility has become much more responsive. I probably won't be able to go see mom this weekend, because there is Flu on her floor and I only got my flu shot this week; my husband hasn't been able to get his yet. My husband has an artificial aortic valve and Dacron aorta; although he is generally very healthy, I've been told that flu or pneumonia could be a nasty blow, and I'm not willing to risk bringing that back to him.
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Glad, I'm so sorry to hear this!
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I am so sorry for your loss, gladimhere.
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When caring for a parent with Alzheimer's you almost expect that something could happen to end their life on a nearly daily basis. Not to those that are closest to you. I lost my best friend last Tuesday, he was my rock, and a tremendous source of support through caregiving and completely wacky family dysfunction. I will miss him terribly. Years of hard living caught up with him.
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Good luck to your son.
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Nice visit with mom today. They excised a cyst on her shoulder this week, she was happy with how they handled that. My son is running the NYC marathon tomorrow so proud!
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To Jewel and anyone else listening, this is a humbling journey and one in which we have NO control. The disease takes over and whether your parent or LO is pleasant or the opposite, most of us try to find other details that we CAN control.
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I have thought the same thing for my mom. We did put her on hospice last summer because she was declining. The hospice doctor gave me ideas on how to make it better for her--to bring her back to good health. I wanted to put her out of her misery. One year later, here we are and I am wanting to walk away from her nasty nonsense. I realize my mom is so miserable and I don't want to see her that way either. I also realize that is why she is so mean, negative and the biggest complainer. Guess what it is NOT our fault. Don't feel bad for thinking or saying out loud how you feel. Good luck to you and thank you for reading my post as well.
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I had a mostly interior meltdown today. My sil said that a letter from the dentist said that he wanted to pull all her teeth. It didn't. I got upset briefly. Reminded myself that sil ' s financial acumen is why mom still has loads of money. She called tonight with yet another hysterically funny dental bill. As long as we can hang together on the absurdities, we'll be okay at the back end. Wishing you all peace and love!
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Thanks, Veronica. I will remember that line. They scrubbed the launch tonight, but watched loads of sparkly airplanes. We're on flight path for both JFK and LGA.
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I think continueing with the speach therapy would be of help. Some stroke victims do continue to improve for a long time. Is she able to swallow alright? pain and anxiety meds will certainly have an effect on an elder. Depends on how long before your visit she had been given the meds. I think your idea of the neck rub is excellent and just tell her some days will be better than others for her which of course is true.
Hope you see the rocket and feel better in the morning.
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so, the question running around my mind right now (aside from the dentures, which I'm not paying any mind to) is, my mom is concerned/worried/upset that her speech skills seem to be going south. This is amazing to me that she still has the brain cells to worry about this. She wants to know why she's having so much trouble speaking. I told her that it's because of the stroke, that her language center was damaged, and that at times she speaks quite fluently. (On Saturday, when I was there, she could hardly get anything out; when that happens, I give her a neck rub, only thing I can think to do). I put a call into the rehab dept today to see if they can recertify her for speech therapy, because I think that therapy helps her, but she plateaus and then they decertify her. I also have no idea if the increase in her pain and antianxiety meds is having an effect on her speech. I've gotten to the point where I don't know if my meddling is doing harm or good. Feeling very low tonight. Gonna go outside and see if we can see the NASA rocket that they're shooting off in Virginia in Brooklyn; if it's clear, they say we'll be able to see it!
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Thank you for that, CM! Brilliant as usual. The more sobering information is that on Sunday when my brother and SIL visited, she didn't recall that I'd been there the day before. Refer to the title of my discussion. The dentist-issue provides the comic relief.
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Ba8alou… [groan and mime hanging myself].

There is a famous, possibly mythical, end of term report from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst which reads: "his men will follow him anywhere, if only out of curiosity."

I know how the men feel. What, and in what bewildering way, are they going to get wrong next?
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Oy, the Never-ending Dentist story. So, all summer, we've been trying to get Mom seen by the dentist. Her teeth were turning grey (turned out to be from all the antibiotics that she's been on for pneumonia) and her oral hygeine leaves something to be desired. So since May, we've been asking for her to be seen by the dentist and hygeinist. There is also the matter of Mom's partial no longer fitting, so she was all hot to get a new one made. This is in May, mind you. Phone calls, pleading, begging, crying. The dentist would come and would end up not seeing her (we were told); mom was in the hospital once when he was there. finally, my brother went over and sat in the adminstrator's office until she called the dental service and arranged to have the hygeinist come the next day.

Lo and behold, on Friday, my brother (who is POA) gets a letter from the dentist..."I had the pleasure of seeing your mother on July 8th...." with a proposed care plan for partial dentures. I went back through my emails and discovered that Mom had said to me "the man who runs the workers came to watch me eat". I asked the Social Worker via email if that was the dentist and she said no, the dentist had not seen Mom. You really can't make this stuff up. So here it is October, three months after the dental visit (and I have it noted in her chart that when the dentist comes, please call daughter with MPOA to answer questions, etc. BECAUSE MY MOTHER HAS DEMENTIA! Hello!? The notes on the dental chart (which I got to see simply by asking my mother's nurse "did anyone see mom on July 8th?") shows that "patient is confused". Well, yeah. This lovely people call my brother and me for the most inconsequential stuff ("your mother's weight is 107 pounds" "what did she weigh last week?" "107.2 pounds".) But not when the dentist shows up and proposes a $3000 denture job. You really just have to laugh! Thanks for listening.
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My brother in law is like that, very much like his Mom was; the world was out to get you and screw you in any way possible. Yes, toxic.
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Wish I could say the same about my brother (materials scientist) - but the sad truth is he's a grumpy bugger with his mother's jaundiced view of humanity and belief in nothing besides a counsel of despair. They see you smiling and they wonder what's wrong. It's very wearing.
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CM, brilliant as usual! He can't figure out his kids either! That's really a comfort, knowing that there are others out there who can help me figuure this stuff out. Thanks.
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Maybe that's why he can't figure this one out - because nothing could be that simple???
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It's been quite peaceful the last few days. I get emails from the social worker, get callbacks from the assistant DON when I call. Mom is stable and comfortable. The increased pain and anxiety meds seem to be doing their job. I'm getting better at not feeling like we're in crisis mode at all times. Thank you all so much for your support. And no, youngest brother has not yet shown up. Did I mention that he's a rocket scientist? Like for real, an aeronautical engineer? Sigh.
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countrymouse ,
youd love the way i operate . more like ; " i ran some clothes today . the ones in the dryer are done but theres still some in the washer . how was your day ? im gonna go make chilidogs " .
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