Tis the Season – Alzheimer’s in the Family

Mom had a recheck with her PCP and Cardiologist within a week of being released from the hospital. We reviewed new medications and mom was completely checked out including EKGs and bloodwork. Her cardiologist agrees that she did not have a heart attack but the higher Troponin levels were due to her acute kidney failure at admission. Mom seems to be doing better physically but she continues to be extremely confused.

The cardiologist took a long time with us and actually commented on the good care that I was giving mom. It was good to hear as the last several weeks had been so hard. Validation, I’ll take it when I can get it. So far all of our doctors have been extremely supportive of our care plans and I do appreciate that.

Mom has been eating more due to medications to stimulate her appetite. She has leveled off at 152 pounds and we hope to maintain this weight. I’m still having difficulty in getting her to drink enough and have been adding liquids to foods and freezing Pedialyte and probiotic juices to keep her hydrated. We don’t want to take another trip to the hospital due to dehydration.

Mom has been feeling so much better after getting hydrated at the hospital. Now that she is eating more she is not as physically depressed. She says she is getting well. She still retreats into her word find books, her safe place, and it’s hard to get her to talk or interact with me. She has also been a lot easier to deal with and she doesn’t seem to be as angry with me. I’m thankful for that gift.

She also thinks she is superwoman as she is feeling better. Yesterday she quickly hopped up to Rollate to the kitchen and came very close to a spectacular fall. I couldn’t get to her but she recovered and didn’t splat. We had a discussion about her continued issue with being a fall risk. She is stronger but she is wobbly because of many factors, including her spatial vision being off due to the disease. She promised to be more careful and she will until she forgets.

We came back to the beach on 12/8 and it has been so pleasant here. Mom seems content and I’ve engaged her in ordering Christmas gifts for the grands. She was very animated and happy. She actually put a couple of ornaments on the tree before she sat in her chair to supervise. She has been smiling more too. We have been creating beautiful memories with my mom. I’m grateful for this. Precious time.

On Tuesday 12/10 I got my 1st full day break in over 6 months. Ilona kept mom and Ray took me to Charleston to see the Mary Whyte, We the People art exhibit. We toured the battery later. It was beautiful and all the old homes were decorated for Christmas. We ate at Fleet Landing, over the water. It was a wonderful day and I came home recharged.

It was a good thing I was recharged because early last Wednesday morning there was a bumping around the back bedroom windows. I turned on the lights to check it out and the sounds stopped. I kept my phone in my hand and went back to bed. About 30 minutes later someone was trying to come through my side door. The storm door was open and it sounded like someone was trying to shoulder through the steel door.

I calmly called 911. The dispatcher kept me on the line until the police came. They arrived in 2 minutes. We ended up with 3 police cars and 5 policemen. They secured my home and filed a report. I have never had this type of problem at the cottage so I was a little unnerved. My storm door was broken but that is the extent of the damage. It concerns me that we were home when this occurred. Mom, bless her, slept through the whole ordeal. That is considered a blessing.

Wednesday was not a good day. Several things happened that exponentially increased my stress level. I’m just mentioning it to say that life continues and even though you think you can’t take anymore, somehow you can and you push through.

I’ve have been dealing with a few days of second guessing, over thinking and depression. I understand that it goes along with having Alzheimer’s in the Family. When I brought mom home from the hospital she demanded that I take her to her home and leave her. She was ugly about it. She absolutely can’t be left alone for any period of time. I finally told her that her disease didn’t just affect her, that it affects the whole family. I told her that we were stepping up to care for her and do what’s best for her. I told her the truth about sacrifices being made. I’m glad we went there because she has changed her attitude and has become happier and more cooperative. I hope it lasts.

We are on a plateau right now and we take it one day at a time. She will crash again as that is how this disease works. I talked with the memory care facility and they believe they will have space for her in January. They’ve asked for a list of her favorite music as part of the therapy is music therapy. We hope that they can get her back to playing the piano and singing. They are going to work with her to see if they can interest her in painting again. She has quit all these things and shows no interest.

This is a long journey. We take each day as it presents itself. I am thankful for family and friends who are traveling this road with us. A special thanks to Martha for sending mom the Gladly the Cross Eyed Angel. She loves it.

More later.