November 27th?, I take my mom to the doctor as she's been sick with vomiting and diarrhea. She's weak and she vomited coffee grounds material. I'm told to take her to the ED and she will most likely be admitted, for fluids, at least.
She's kept overnight and given IV fluids. In the AM she gets an upper GI test to find the source of the bleeding. It's an old ulcer that apparently got irritated from the vomiting. She's released and comes home.
Week after Thanksgiving she drives Lynn to Carol's house. There they all get gastroenteritis, hitting them all hard. Lynn faints x 2. Dislocates her thumb. Mom is disoriented and doesn't know where she is. Because they are all so compromised, 911 is called. She's taken to Loma Linda in Murietta. She stays 4 days. IV's, antibiotics, stool culture is normal. It's called gastroenteritis. Monday of this week, 12/9 she's discharged and Lynn drives home. Mom's able to make it to rest stop rest rooms on her own power. They need to stop often for her persistant diarrhea.
12/12:Thursday is her follow up visit with her doctor. She's still weak. No clue what's causing her illness and her decline. It's a watch and see, with us to get to Dr her current meds, as they have recently changed.
that night, 911, mom's scared. She is in A-Fib. She's taken to the ED. EKG is abnormal, but not bad enough to keep her. XRay shows some fluid on her lungs, but not bad enough to keep her. Heart is enlarged. She comes home around 11pm and she's able to walk from car to wheelchair on the sidewalk (about 5 ft). She's feeling better, so she says she's fine and will sleep all night.
Friday: She's found by Lynn on the ground, cold and wet. She got up during the night and used the old TV table to help support her as she was getting "something". The table collapsed and she fell. She couldn't get up. Lynn got her back to bed (in the family room) shivering. She has an electric blanket to help keep her warm.
Later that morning, since I'm working from home, Morgan helps me set up FaceTime, so I can watch her remotely. She's on the ground again. I get her to bed. I let her know I'd rather help her than have to get her up off the ground, especially since she's sore and less functioning after she falls.
Saturday: She seems better, somewhat. She's made it to the commode 4 times, per her report. She falls that afternoon, getting back to bed. I see it on FaceTime, so I help her. I let her know it's important to FEEL the bed behind her before she drops down. She's not controlling her descents, and just flops down. I help her bathe with a tub bath. She seems to be mentally with it and is adamant that she doesn't want to go to a nursing home. She's able to remember phone number, addresses, and seems cogent
Sunday 12/15: She's thinking she went to the Albany pool. She wanted to work out some to get stronger and get out of bed. She has a whole story that she went to the pool but needed to call a cab to get home. She wanted to fix the car, too, as it was jerky, but didn't know the make or model. She relates to going to her eye doctor, but they were closed, to another dr's office (I don't recognize the name) and to the "good doctor", Dr Ross. She's able to rattle off the doctor's names and addresses and phone numbers. I know these are from memory as she can't see well enough to look them up recently. Lynn and I let her know that it's not possible she was out of the house, but she is angry, "I'M NOT SENILE". We let her know we don't think that, but we also know she didn't leave the house. We suggest it was a vivid dream or a seizure.
I start looking up info on elder abuse and adult day care options. Is it abuse to follow her directions and keep her at home, not to worry about her. If she falls, she falls and so be it. She doesn't want to be a burden, but Lynn is crying almost daily from the struggles of managing her care.
She's kept overnight and given IV fluids. In the AM she gets an upper GI test to find the source of the bleeding. It's an old ulcer that apparently got irritated from the vomiting. She's released and comes home.
Week after Thanksgiving she drives Lynn to Carol's house. There they all get gastroenteritis, hitting them all hard. Lynn faints x 2. Dislocates her thumb. Mom is disoriented and doesn't know where she is. Because they are all so compromised, 911 is called. She's taken to Loma Linda in Murietta. She stays 4 days. IV's, antibiotics, stool culture is normal. It's called gastroenteritis. Monday of this week, 12/9 she's discharged and Lynn drives home. Mom's able to make it to rest stop rest rooms on her own power. They need to stop often for her persistant diarrhea.
12/12:Thursday is her follow up visit with her doctor. She's still weak. No clue what's causing her illness and her decline. It's a watch and see, with us to get to Dr her current meds, as they have recently changed.
that night, 911, mom's scared. She is in A-Fib. She's taken to the ED. EKG is abnormal, but not bad enough to keep her. XRay shows some fluid on her lungs, but not bad enough to keep her. Heart is enlarged. She comes home around 11pm and she's able to walk from car to wheelchair on the sidewalk (about 5 ft). She's feeling better, so she says she's fine and will sleep all night.
Friday: She's found by Lynn on the ground, cold and wet. She got up during the night and used the old TV table to help support her as she was getting "something". The table collapsed and she fell. She couldn't get up. Lynn got her back to bed (in the family room) shivering. She has an electric blanket to help keep her warm.
Later that morning, since I'm working from home, Morgan helps me set up FaceTime, so I can watch her remotely. She's on the ground again. I get her to bed. I let her know I'd rather help her than have to get her up off the ground, especially since she's sore and less functioning after she falls.
Saturday: She seems better, somewhat. She's made it to the commode 4 times, per her report. She falls that afternoon, getting back to bed. I see it on FaceTime, so I help her. I let her know it's important to FEEL the bed behind her before she drops down. She's not controlling her descents, and just flops down. I help her bathe with a tub bath. She seems to be mentally with it and is adamant that she doesn't want to go to a nursing home. She's able to remember phone number, addresses, and seems cogent
Sunday 12/15: She's thinking she went to the Albany pool. She wanted to work out some to get stronger and get out of bed. She has a whole story that she went to the pool but needed to call a cab to get home. She wanted to fix the car, too, as it was jerky, but didn't know the make or model. She relates to going to her eye doctor, but they were closed, to another dr's office (I don't recognize the name) and to the "good doctor", Dr Ross. She's able to rattle off the doctor's names and addresses and phone numbers. I know these are from memory as she can't see well enough to look them up recently. Lynn and I let her know that it's not possible she was out of the house, but she is angry, "I'M NOT SENILE". We let her know we don't think that, but we also know she didn't leave the house. We suggest it was a vivid dream or a seizure.
I start looking up info on elder abuse and adult day care options. Is it abuse to follow her directions and keep her at home, not to worry about her. If she falls, she falls and so be it. She doesn't want to be a burden, but Lynn is crying almost daily from the struggles of managing her care.
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