I'd arranged to meet Glen and Lynne this morning to see Ma (it gets complicated but they are Ma's sister's daughters-in-law). Due to the the idiocy of the general public and my promise to do Betty's shopping, I got snagged in the Tesco petrol station grid-lock (not buying fuel, just couldn't get out!) so was a good 20 minutes late getting there.
Ma was definitely much much better than I've seen her for a while. She was 'chatting' with the three of us and was clearly comfortable and content.
However, speaking to the staff it transpires that she ate a WHOLE Weetabix for breakfast.
I know!!
She was in a quiet area without distractions and that has definitely helped. She is just too bloody nosey so tries to follow any movement and also hears other conversations and tries to contribute! Bernadette (manager) said that they would try the quiet area idea again and see if it works.
However she is clean, comfortable and content. I really can't ask for more than that.
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Another birdy blip .... I do get a bit fixated on the things I blip, sorry! Makes a change from flowers though :)
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Midweek Update
Not a lot to report really. Ma is 'fine' apparently although she looks desperately thin to me. She talks almost non-stop and one of the staff did comment that she might eat a bit more if she talked a bit less! Faint hope there I think.
Had lunch with Jon and Sarah yesterday. Jon writes the blog We Need Toothpaste where he talks about caring for his mum who also has vascular dementia. I fed them quiche and carrot cake and we had a really lovely afternoon.
One thing I did want to mention was how a comment made on here recently has made me think. Someone (hi Anne!) said that they were amazed that I manage to find the time to write this in and amongst everything else which goes on. Having pondered on this for a while it's clear to me that this isn't just a safety valve, it also forces me to order my thoughts into something digestible and makes me stand back sometimes so that I can view things with a small measure of emotional distance. However, the most important outcome from all of this is that I have a record of the last year because it is very easy to forget the details, little or large. I do read back over posts I've written occasionally and am frequently surprised at how much I have forgotten and often make myself laugh all over again in the process!
I'm really looking forward to a manicure tomorrow, I've not had one in a very long time and it is a favourite treat of mine.
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A birdy blip today. He was very obliging and posed beautifully :)
Had lunch with Jon and Sarah yesterday. Jon writes the blog We Need Toothpaste where he talks about caring for his mum who also has vascular dementia. I fed them quiche and carrot cake and we had a really lovely afternoon.
One thing I did want to mention was how a comment made on here recently has made me think. Someone (hi Anne!) said that they were amazed that I manage to find the time to write this in and amongst everything else which goes on. Having pondered on this for a while it's clear to me that this isn't just a safety valve, it also forces me to order my thoughts into something digestible and makes me stand back sometimes so that I can view things with a small measure of emotional distance. However, the most important outcome from all of this is that I have a record of the last year because it is very easy to forget the details, little or large. I do read back over posts I've written occasionally and am frequently surprised at how much I have forgotten and often make myself laugh all over again in the process!
I'm really looking forward to a manicure tomorrow, I've not had one in a very long time and it is a favourite treat of mine.
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A birdy blip today. He was very obliging and posed beautifully :)
Monday, 26 March 2012
Beautiful Monday
Such a glorious day today, the sort of day to make your heart sing. I managed some early morning dew spangled blips and enjoyed watching the birds and some truly enormous bees frolicking around - one bee was frolicking so hard it got its feet stuck in Ma's dralon curtains and had to be encouraged to get off.
Ma's tum is still a bit off unfortunately. I don't think this has anything to do with the difficulties the staff are having getting any food inside her, that is purely down to flat refusal and her habit of talking continuously (and/or constantly) whenever food approaches her mouth. I understand that the dietician has been called upon again so I will be very interested to hear the outcome of that assessment. Last week the advice I was given was to put Complan in her food. Which as I said at the time, would've been quite useful about 8 months ago. I'm not sure how else I can put across the fact that she simply does not want to eat.
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I've been sent some fabulous old family photos by one of my cousins. He and his brother are happy for me to post a couple of them on here. Ma was such a glamour puss, it's no wonder Dad absolutely adored her. The second one must be circa 1971/2. It may not let me post any more so will save them for another day. If you click on the photo you will see a larger version.
Ma's tum is still a bit off unfortunately. I don't think this has anything to do with the difficulties the staff are having getting any food inside her, that is purely down to flat refusal and her habit of talking continuously (and/or constantly) whenever food approaches her mouth. I understand that the dietician has been called upon again so I will be very interested to hear the outcome of that assessment. Last week the advice I was given was to put Complan in her food. Which as I said at the time, would've been quite useful about 8 months ago. I'm not sure how else I can put across the fact that she simply does not want to eat.
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I've been sent some fabulous old family photos by one of my cousins. He and his brother are happy for me to post a couple of them on here. Ma was such a glamour puss, it's no wonder Dad absolutely adored her. The second one must be circa 1971/2. It may not let me post any more so will save them for another day. If you click on the photo you will see a larger version.
 |
| Ma, Dad, Auntie Eileen. Peter in front. |
 | |||
| Ma (centre front in purple mini dress), Pa (in brown suit to the right of her with something white in his hand), Auntie Anne (far right), Me (second from left aged about 12 in green suit thing between Uncle John and Nana, Ma's mother), Peter (next to Ma, crouching - no idea), Uncle Ernie (Ma and Anne's brother, standing behind Auntie Anne, he also has late-stage dementia) |
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Reflective
Yesterday was a very sad day. Ma's older sister who has been on the dementia path for some years died in her sleep. It wasn't unexpected but it is deeply saddening all the same.
Seeing Ma today made me almost unbearably upset. Looking at her you can see that she is following in her sister's footsteps at an almost supersonic speed. She is incredibly thin due to not eating anything much really and no longer holds any sort of conversation which you can follow or understand. She does respond to you when you talk to her (in fact she's very verbal - some things never change!) but she may as well be speaking Icelandic for all the sense she makes. It's not even random words put together, more new words which don't mean anything. I'm not entirely sure that she recognises me all the time, I think she knows that I'm connected to her in some way but hasn't really got a clue who I am, but occasionally she will say my name so not all lost just yet. She has definitely deteriorated in the last 7 days though. Her preferred state is lying down, she clearly doesn't like sitting up and getting her to stand is an almost impossible task.
This new home is ok. Frankly none of them are fabulous but the staff seem caring enough and they do have Jessie, the home's own cat, who loves to be talked to and stroked. Her main carer told me today that they are having trouble getting anything into her (Ma that is, not the cat who is most rotund) and that doesn't surprise me in the least.
She was clearly in pain now and then and the carer (I think she's called Marta, must check that. Very rude of me) said that she's had a bit of an upset tummy. So that needs keeping an eye on.
I'm off to the Trafford Centre with J in the morning to sort out a sartorial problem - the intention is to do a ninja raid when it opens and be away before it gets busy. We will call in to see Ma on the way back.
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Blippage continues. It is not beyond the bounds to say that it is saving my sanity, giving me something else to focus on (oh dear, sorry). This is today's and this is yesterday's I hope you like them :)
Seeing Ma today made me almost unbearably upset. Looking at her you can see that she is following in her sister's footsteps at an almost supersonic speed. She is incredibly thin due to not eating anything much really and no longer holds any sort of conversation which you can follow or understand. She does respond to you when you talk to her (in fact she's very verbal - some things never change!) but she may as well be speaking Icelandic for all the sense she makes. It's not even random words put together, more new words which don't mean anything. I'm not entirely sure that she recognises me all the time, I think she knows that I'm connected to her in some way but hasn't really got a clue who I am, but occasionally she will say my name so not all lost just yet. She has definitely deteriorated in the last 7 days though. Her preferred state is lying down, she clearly doesn't like sitting up and getting her to stand is an almost impossible task.
This new home is ok. Frankly none of them are fabulous but the staff seem caring enough and they do have Jessie, the home's own cat, who loves to be talked to and stroked. Her main carer told me today that they are having trouble getting anything into her (Ma that is, not the cat who is most rotund) and that doesn't surprise me in the least.
She was clearly in pain now and then and the carer (I think she's called Marta, must check that. Very rude of me) said that she's had a bit of an upset tummy. So that needs keeping an eye on.
I'm off to the Trafford Centre with J in the morning to sort out a sartorial problem - the intention is to do a ninja raid when it opens and be away before it gets busy. We will call in to see Ma on the way back.
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Blippage continues. It is not beyond the bounds to say that it is saving my sanity, giving me something else to focus on (oh dear, sorry). This is today's and this is yesterday's I hope you like them :)
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Putting the record straight
Phone rings.
'Hello it's Ward 20 here. Are you coming to see your mum today?'
Me: Yes, at visiting this afternoon.
'Oh good. Only the Doctor wants to talk to you about your understanding of your mother's condition'
Me: *blank silence for a moment* Ok. I'll look forward to it.
_______________________
*ushered into a side room by the Doctor and we exchange niceties*
'So can you tell me your understanding of your Mother's condition?'
Me: Do you mean apart from the end stage vascular dementia?
'Um yes... what does that mean to you?'
Me: Ok. I suggest that we drop the patronising attitude and talk about this like adults.
'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be patronising! Let's start again. Do you see your mum every day?'
Me: I should hope so, I live with her...
*later in the conversation*
'She is quite malnourished and was dehydrated.'
Me: yes she is. I have been begging the GP for food supplements for months now.
'Oh and why haven't they been prescribed?'
Me: because they are too expensive.
'Well that's not acceptable!'
Hey ho.... welcome to the real world. We also discussed her needs. I explained that we already have a pressure mattress and cushion and that a hoist has been requested. We talked about getting food into her. I explained about adding extra cream and syrup to her porridge and cream/butter/cheese or cream cheese to mash and veg etc. We talked about the fact that her care package wasn't suitable. I explained that I was asked what she needed and was only able to judge it on how she was before she broke her hip. And suggested that possibly the two week assessment could have been done when she spent three weeks in Spurr House, resulting in a more suitable package.
In the end she dropped the patronising attitude, I let her keep her head attached to her neck and she commented on the fact that I seem to be providing the best possible care for Ma.
I confess that I was ready for a bust up. I'm fed up with being treated like an idiot when it comes to knowing Ma's needs, I spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with her and try my absolute utmost to give her the best that I can. The implication, intended or not, that I am lacking in my care for her rankles quite a lot.
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Ma is looking much better today. Her colour is vastly improved and she's clearly no longer in any pain. She's due to be transferred to the assessment bed tomorrow so we will see what the next couple of weeks brings.
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A lovely teeny toadstool for today's blip
'Hello it's Ward 20 here. Are you coming to see your mum today?'
Me: Yes, at visiting this afternoon.
'Oh good. Only the Doctor wants to talk to you about your understanding of your mother's condition'
Me: *blank silence for a moment* Ok. I'll look forward to it.
_______________________
*ushered into a side room by the Doctor and we exchange niceties*
'So can you tell me your understanding of your Mother's condition?'
Me: Do you mean apart from the end stage vascular dementia?
'Um yes... what does that mean to you?'
Me: Ok. I suggest that we drop the patronising attitude and talk about this like adults.
'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be patronising! Let's start again. Do you see your mum every day?'
Me: I should hope so, I live with her...
*later in the conversation*
'She is quite malnourished and was dehydrated.'
Me: yes she is. I have been begging the GP for food supplements for months now.
'Oh and why haven't they been prescribed?'
Me: because they are too expensive.
'Well that's not acceptable!'
Hey ho.... welcome to the real world. We also discussed her needs. I explained that we already have a pressure mattress and cushion and that a hoist has been requested. We talked about getting food into her. I explained about adding extra cream and syrup to her porridge and cream/butter/cheese or cream cheese to mash and veg etc. We talked about the fact that her care package wasn't suitable. I explained that I was asked what she needed and was only able to judge it on how she was before she broke her hip. And suggested that possibly the two week assessment could have been done when she spent three weeks in Spurr House, resulting in a more suitable package.
In the end she dropped the patronising attitude, I let her keep her head attached to her neck and she commented on the fact that I seem to be providing the best possible care for Ma.
I confess that I was ready for a bust up. I'm fed up with being treated like an idiot when it comes to knowing Ma's needs, I spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with her and try my absolute utmost to give her the best that I can. The implication, intended or not, that I am lacking in my care for her rankles quite a lot.
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Ma is looking much better today. Her colour is vastly improved and she's clearly no longer in any pain. She's due to be transferred to the assessment bed tomorrow so we will see what the next couple of weeks brings.
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A lovely teeny toadstool for today's blip
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Wednesday update
Thank goodness someone bothered to let me know that Ma had been moved to another ward, otherwise I might have walked in and thought something terrible had happened to her. Oh...
Anyway, once my blood pressure had settled down again and I'd made it to Ward 20 - she's much much better today. The awful writhing has stopped so she's clearly in less or no pain, but did sleep soundly throughout my visit. The staff seem much nicer on this ward (far less patronising for a start) and say that they give her a drink everytime they are passing but sometimes 'she doesn't like them very much when they do'. I had to laugh. And empathise, of course.
Various phonecalls today mean that she will now be moved to an assessment bed for two weeks for observation and rehab and a decision will be made regarding her future care package in due course. As one of the possible options is Spurr House I do have to wonder why this wasn't done when she was there for three weeks (at her own expense). Now we have another two weeks to pay for.
Another call was from the day centre offering her a second day. This is fabulous news. So she will (hopefully) be going on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when things are back to normal - or whatever counts as normal on this white-knuckle ride.
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Today's blip . The link at the bottom takes you to some pics of Harvey the puppy. Utterly adorable.
Anyway, once my blood pressure had settled down again and I'd made it to Ward 20 - she's much much better today. The awful writhing has stopped so she's clearly in less or no pain, but did sleep soundly throughout my visit. The staff seem much nicer on this ward (far less patronising for a start) and say that they give her a drink everytime they are passing but sometimes 'she doesn't like them very much when they do'. I had to laugh. And empathise, of course.
Various phonecalls today mean that she will now be moved to an assessment bed for two weeks for observation and rehab and a decision will be made regarding her future care package in due course. As one of the possible options is Spurr House I do have to wonder why this wasn't done when she was there for three weeks (at her own expense). Now we have another two weeks to pay for.
Another call was from the day centre offering her a second day. This is fabulous news. So she will (hopefully) be going on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when things are back to normal - or whatever counts as normal on this white-knuckle ride.
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Today's blip . The link at the bottom takes you to some pics of Harvey the puppy. Utterly adorable.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The News So Far...
She has been seen by the consultant this morning and he has prescribed her antibiotics for a UTI and treatment for constipation. They say she isn't dehydrated (which I find almost impossible to believe) and that there's nothing else for them to do and are ready to send her home.
I've spoken to SS who need to arrange another care package and assessment for her - which will hopefully include blocks to raise the bed and a hoist for the bath. Seeing as getting a hospital type bed is in rocking horse poo territory and she cannot actually get into either the bath or the shower at the moment. It is also likely to involve two carers at a time which 'may take time to organise'. All this means that they can't just send her home. Thank goodness.
According to the doctor I spoke to this morning, she's eaten some breakfast and had a drink of tea.
I'm beginning to wonder if they are talking about the wrong woman.
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The visit to hospital this afternoon was beyond infuriating.
Thankfully Dave and Glen came over to offer some support and also their experience on how to deal with and challenge nursing staff. I am still learning how to do this. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not disrespecting the nursing profession, just not confident on how to get the information you really want to hear.
It transpires that actually Ma was dehydrated enough to need two intravenous bags of fluid overnight and she's 'eaten' when someone passed and remembered to feed her.
She was still in what I would call considerable distress - clutching and pulling at the bedclothes, writhing in the bed etc. Plus her right hand has developed a marked tremor. Her 'dedicated' Nurse told us that she'd been 'fine all morning' which I do find slightly strange. Surely she didn't go from here in extreme distress, arrive at hospital and become serene and compliant only to be shouting and writhing again when we arrived this afternoon?
When we left she was becoming quieter and I hope she slept.
I have to say though that she looks so so so much better - better than she has for weeks and weeks. Clearly the intraveous fluids have made a huge difference. Massive hopes for the antibiotics now.
More tomorrow.
I've spoken to SS who need to arrange another care package and assessment for her - which will hopefully include blocks to raise the bed and a hoist for the bath. Seeing as getting a hospital type bed is in rocking horse poo territory and she cannot actually get into either the bath or the shower at the moment. It is also likely to involve two carers at a time which 'may take time to organise'. All this means that they can't just send her home. Thank goodness.
According to the doctor I spoke to this morning, she's eaten some breakfast and had a drink of tea.
I'm beginning to wonder if they are talking about the wrong woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The visit to hospital this afternoon was beyond infuriating.
Thankfully Dave and Glen came over to offer some support and also their experience on how to deal with and challenge nursing staff. I am still learning how to do this. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not disrespecting the nursing profession, just not confident on how to get the information you really want to hear.
It transpires that actually Ma was dehydrated enough to need two intravenous bags of fluid overnight and she's 'eaten' when someone passed and remembered to feed her.
She was still in what I would call considerable distress - clutching and pulling at the bedclothes, writhing in the bed etc. Plus her right hand has developed a marked tremor. Her 'dedicated' Nurse told us that she'd been 'fine all morning' which I do find slightly strange. Surely she didn't go from here in extreme distress, arrive at hospital and become serene and compliant only to be shouting and writhing again when we arrived this afternoon?
When we left she was becoming quieter and I hope she slept.
I have to say though that she looks so so so much better - better than she has for weeks and weeks. Clearly the intraveous fluids have made a huge difference. Massive hopes for the antibiotics now.
More tomorrow.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Very Frail
I'm sorry I didn't manage a Sunday update. I'd like to say it was because I was buried under the weight of Mothering Sunday cards and flowers but actually it was because Ma wasn't too good and then Peter arrived in the afternoon.
We had a quiet night on Saturday but Ma was distressed and upset early Sunday morning. I heard her on the monitor at about 5:30 calling 'Please, please' over and over. This usually means that she is in pain so I gave her some codeine and manged to get about 10ml of water down her and then sat and stroked her head until she calmed down and went back to sleep.
There was a bit of a breakdown in communication with the carers yesterday due to the lady who came on Saturday morning saying she couldn't deal with Ma due to her back problems. So Sam came, the girl who had been on the previous mornings, but she had a full list so didn't arrive until 11:20. Once Ma was clean and sorted we decided to leave her in bed because she seemed comfortable and content. Going by her discomfort the day before when she was sitting in the chair it just seemed a kinder thing to do. It is very distressing for her and for me to see her arching her back calling 'Please please' and worrying that the GP has said not to give her too much codeine. I know it causes constipation problems but honestly, when she's like that, it seems irrelevant plus I give her a liquid laxative in the hopes of preventing that happening. She had very little Fortisip and not much more water but by using an eye dropper I was able to get some into her at least.
She slept through most of the day and when Anne came in the evening to get her ready for bed she commented on how much more relaxed and cooperative Ma was.
She's had another quiet night, I heard her murmuring at around 5. When I went in she'd uncovered herself a bit so I put the duvet back over her and she is now sleeping.
She is very frail indeed. The deterioration even from when she came home last Wednesday is worrying and upsetting. As Peter is going to be around until early afternoon we have decided to request a home visit from the GP.
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The carers have been. They tried to get her to sit up but it distressed her too much. So she's now clean and sleeping. They have suggested that I need to request a hospital type bed for her if she's likely to be on 'bed care' from now on. That will be the GP's decision I understand and we are down for a home visit at lunchtime.
The dietician has just been. A lovely girl and really not her fault that all her advice would have been incredibly useful about eight months ago.
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Thank you for all the emails, text messages and FB messages. It never fails to astonish me just how many people actually read this.
I would point out that Ma is made of stern stuff. We were told six months ago that her sister was gravely ill and all treatment was withdrawn. Admittedly she is now very poorly but she's still with us...
Another update later.
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She is now on Ward 7, calm and comfortable.
The GP came and checked her over thoroughly but was of the opinion that she needs to be in hospital due to a bit of a temperature, which would indicate an infection of some sort, and a need to get some fluids into her. Once again, when we sat her up she was incredibly distressed - gripping me very hard (bruises on boobs to prove it oww) but he couldn't find anything which would indicate an internal problem for instance. To be perfectly honest, I was relieved when he suggested hospital because the whole food/hydration thing is incredibly worrying.
He tried to have her admitted straight off but was told that there weren't any beds so she had to be admitted via A&E and ambulance. Because she wasn't an emergency requiring a blue light call, it would be anywhere within a four hour timeframe. It was actually just under six hours but the ambulance men were so lovely and Ma was relatively calm and settled so it didn't matter.
Oh and, talking about how lovely they were.... they said they would have to transport her via a chair. I warned them that she wouldn't like that one bit, she had already been in extreme distress twice already today because she had been made to sit upright.
They walked into the bedroom, said 'Hello Audrey' in manly tones, lifted her into the chair and she was utterly compliant, to the extent that she was 'almost' flirting with them. My ghast was totally and utterly flabbered.
Once I'd wound my chin off the floor...
She went straight to Ward 7 thank goodness. Very comfortable and relaxed. No real news until she is assessed tomorrow morning and that is likely to be about 10am.
Thank you for all the concern expressed via various networks, I really do appreciate it.
This morning I really thought Ma was close to dying. Now I think she will be with us for a fair bit longer.
A good day after all.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Saturday/Sunday 17/03/12
A very very quiet night last night, not a peep from Ma. So quiet in fact that I had to check a couple of times that the baby monitor was actually working...
This morning she didn't look too good, very red in the face and was really very warm. I opened the patio door in her room and let in some fresh air which definitely helped, she cooled down relatively quickly thankfully - but I was quite worried for a while. It was clear though that there was no way she would go in the shower or stand to be washed so when the carer arrived she had a wash down on the bed. Getting her dressed and up was quite a challenge especially when the carer said that she wasn't able to do any lifting etc. due to having had an operation on her back last year. I can't say that it really helped me much either and fear that I have actually sprained my hip today, unbelievably painful this evening.
Ma spent the day in the chair dozing for most of it, but when E and P came with C for some afternoon tea she did rally a little bit, especially when E sat and stroked her hand. It is so sad that the two things she says most often are 'thank you' and 'sorry'.
She's had about 75% of a Fortisip today which is a big improvement on yesterday but refused anything else. Getting one tablet in took me nearly an hour this morning. The evening carer, Anne, commented tonight on how strong she can grip when she wants to... we were trying to get her to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom (about 7 or 8 normal steps) when she really didn't want to stand. As fast as we got one hand onto the zimmer frame the other went back to gripping the rail on the loo frame. Then as we tried to get her up she brought the entire frame with her! She may be pretty far down the road these days but she's still as stubborn and determined as she ever was :D
Potato is here tomorrow to see her on Mothering Sunday and I suspect that he will also be taken aback by the deterioration in her over the last 6 weeks.
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Today's blip
This morning she didn't look too good, very red in the face and was really very warm. I opened the patio door in her room and let in some fresh air which definitely helped, she cooled down relatively quickly thankfully - but I was quite worried for a while. It was clear though that there was no way she would go in the shower or stand to be washed so when the carer arrived she had a wash down on the bed. Getting her dressed and up was quite a challenge especially when the carer said that she wasn't able to do any lifting etc. due to having had an operation on her back last year. I can't say that it really helped me much either and fear that I have actually sprained my hip today, unbelievably painful this evening.
Ma spent the day in the chair dozing for most of it, but when E and P came with C for some afternoon tea she did rally a little bit, especially when E sat and stroked her hand. It is so sad that the two things she says most often are 'thank you' and 'sorry'.
She's had about 75% of a Fortisip today which is a big improvement on yesterday but refused anything else. Getting one tablet in took me nearly an hour this morning. The evening carer, Anne, commented tonight on how strong she can grip when she wants to... we were trying to get her to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom (about 7 or 8 normal steps) when she really didn't want to stand. As fast as we got one hand onto the zimmer frame the other went back to gripping the rail on the loo frame. Then as we tried to get her up she brought the entire frame with her! She may be pretty far down the road these days but she's still as stubborn and determined as she ever was :D
Potato is here tomorrow to see her on Mothering Sunday and I suspect that he will also be taken aback by the deterioration in her over the last 6 weeks.
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Today's blip
Friday, 16 March 2012
Here Comes the Weekend...
A much much better start to the day today although a more disturbed night last night. She was quite restless and although she no longer wanders at night she does call out and I can hear her distress via the baby monitor.
She really didn't want to get out of bed this morning and as quickly as we got her sitting up she slipped out of our grip and was lying back down again. We did get her into the wheelchair eventually, but she wasn't a happy bunny. Then because she wouldn't stand up properly we decided that a shower was out of the question and she had a sponge bath. Goodness me, that didn't go down very well. Especially when we needed her to stand up for lower half ablutions. You know that moment when a toddler expects you to do the swing thing, lifts up his feet and you aren't quite expecting it? Thank goodness we we both supporting her when she did it. Both times. And despite her tremendous weightloss she is still considerably heavier than your average toddler!
Clean and dressed I managed to get her to take three teaspoons of porridge and about 75ml of tea. The only other thing she has had today is about another 75ml of Fortisip. It is a constant and desperate uphill battle. The second a spoon or cup or straw goes anywhere near her mouth she clamps it shut and this is the second day she has slept almost constantly. Sheila called round from next door to see how she was and barely got a glance.
However the GP has been to see her today and he was definitely taken aback by her deterioration. The upshot of our chat is that he has taken her off 90% of her medication. The reasons for this are that most of the things she is on are no longer preventing her condition from deteriorating and the physical problems of getting the medication into her causes her so much distress. He has said that he will ask Speech Therapy to come and do a swallowing assessment on her because of the difficulties I have with food and drink but from now on she is only taking two tablets and two syrups plus codeine if she needs it.
I did take her photograph today because she was watching me as I photographed something while sitting next to her. But I can't post it because I find it too upsetting and I have always tried to be as respectful as possible to Ma when writing on here.
I shall blip some flowers for a change instead.
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Five Good Things
1. Simon is a genius and his advice netted me £66 on the Gold Cup. First bet I've ever placed!
2. Not having to force tablets into Ma is a relief for both of us.
3. I've been making (low carb/gluten free) mini scotch eggs and blinis for afternoon tea with friends tomorrow. And carrot cake. And scones.... although they are neither low carb or gluten free.
4. The weather is mild enough for me to put my Birkies back on. Got to love comfortable feet.
5. Can't think of a fifth one at the moment. Might come back later on that.
She really didn't want to get out of bed this morning and as quickly as we got her sitting up she slipped out of our grip and was lying back down again. We did get her into the wheelchair eventually, but she wasn't a happy bunny. Then because she wouldn't stand up properly we decided that a shower was out of the question and she had a sponge bath. Goodness me, that didn't go down very well. Especially when we needed her to stand up for lower half ablutions. You know that moment when a toddler expects you to do the swing thing, lifts up his feet and you aren't quite expecting it? Thank goodness we we both supporting her when she did it. Both times. And despite her tremendous weightloss she is still considerably heavier than your average toddler!
Clean and dressed I managed to get her to take three teaspoons of porridge and about 75ml of tea. The only other thing she has had today is about another 75ml of Fortisip. It is a constant and desperate uphill battle. The second a spoon or cup or straw goes anywhere near her mouth she clamps it shut and this is the second day she has slept almost constantly. Sheila called round from next door to see how she was and barely got a glance.
However the GP has been to see her today and he was definitely taken aback by her deterioration. The upshot of our chat is that he has taken her off 90% of her medication. The reasons for this are that most of the things she is on are no longer preventing her condition from deteriorating and the physical problems of getting the medication into her causes her so much distress. He has said that he will ask Speech Therapy to come and do a swallowing assessment on her because of the difficulties I have with food and drink but from now on she is only taking two tablets and two syrups plus codeine if she needs it.
I did take her photograph today because she was watching me as I photographed something while sitting next to her. But I can't post it because I find it too upsetting and I have always tried to be as respectful as possible to Ma when writing on here.
I shall blip some flowers for a change instead.
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Five Good Things
1. Simon is a genius and his advice netted me £66 on the Gold Cup. First bet I've ever placed!
2. Not having to force tablets into Ma is a relief for both of us.
3. I've been making (low carb/gluten free) mini scotch eggs and blinis for afternoon tea with friends tomorrow. And carrot cake. And scones.... although they are neither low carb or gluten free.
4. The weather is mild enough for me to put my Birkies back on. Got to love comfortable feet.
5. Can't think of a fifth one at the moment. Might come back later on that.
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