I arrived about 10:30 am to find my mom lying in bed and the blinds still drawn BUT she had "real" clothes on. Also, 2 friends (Sheryl and Cathy) were there with a beautiful bouquet of roses. I came with yoghurt, vitamins, vitamin water, dry shampoo and good lotion. I needed my mom in a chair to do this shampoo so I asked for help getting her into the wheelchair. So I rang the call button and waited and waited - I thought if she had to go to the bathroom she would have wet her pants...it takes them a long time to come in - urgggg - finally I went out there and asked for help. I have no frame of reference as to what this staff should be doing...maybe this is normal that one would have to wait and wait. Each step has been a learning process for me...leaving ICU (where her needs were met practically before she needed it) to 4th floor (the needs were met a little slower) to here.....is this normal and the way it is with our elderly and sick???
So I got her hair shampoo with this weird mousse type stuff that you just put in and leave for a few minutes and then comb it out - it looked good if i do say so myself. I helped her wash her face and gave her some good lotion - my mom has very sensitive skin so everything makes her break out. Hopefully the stuff we used today didn't do that to her. My cousin Elizabeth and her family arrived about then and so we took my mom for a ride around and got her outside in the nice sunshine.
We said goodbye to Elizabeth and went back to the room to meet Shirley and the physical therapist and my mom was off to therapy.
I am noticing that she is really short of breath, a reason for all the extreme tiredness, she talks about it a lot too. I tried to make her see that when she sits up she breathes better..hopefully she will remember that. My mom seems oddly confused to me....sometimes very clear but other times a tad off....is this the "sundowner" syndrome I have heard about??? How can I help her with clarity?? Is this the thing the surgeon talked about that would last a few weeks?? Does she have something else going on?? I am going to be there early tomorrow so that I can get ahold of the doctor to find all this out.
I am trying to balance me with all of this....I feel bad when I am not there and guilty when I am not thinking about my mom for a minute. I know my mom has the potential for beating all of this and getting better and getting home now she just needs to know it. I think my mom is a little down and feeling like it is impossible to get back to the way she was....it is going to be a hell of a lot of work but she has to fight. I keep thinking that if only this pneumonia would go away that would increase her appetite and her energy and hopefully her oxygen......we shall see.
Visiting is good....she needs the distraction - it will make the day go by faster and make it so she doesn't sleep all day. I appreciate it. Thanks again.
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