Sunday, July 13, 2008
Exasperating Day: for Me, Not Mom
Movement for 7/12/08:
- She awoke pretty much on her own a little before 1300. I'd heard her reconnaissance cough at 1230 and checked on her. She's asked for "another half hour", which I gave her. By 1300 she was up on the edge of her bed, bright eyed and busy tailed. After she received her breathing treatment and I'd used the usual "devices of torture" on her and administered her before breakfast pills, she decided she didn't want to "get up". First I coaxed, gently. Then I cajoled, telling her that she had no choice, I was not going to allow her to return to sleeping in wet underwear and, besides, she had taken a glipizide and, without food, her blood sugar would surely crash. This didn't seem to do the trick. So, I physically worked, gently, at first, on getting her on her feet. Although she remained sitting up, she tightened her muscles and refused to be moved. Finally, I said, without anger but firmly: "Mom, you haven't got a choice. When you wake up, you get up. If you don't want to get up, then don't wake up."
The implication was clear. She gave me a shrewd look, laced with disgust. I gathered her torso in my arms, bent my knees and pulled her onto her feet. Even though she was resisting, I was surprised at how easy this was to accomplish.
She walked, haltingly, under her own steam to the bathroom. At this point I decided maybe we should have a wheel chair day. She just didn't seem much into movement. This was fine with her, which is fairly unusual. If she has it in her to walker or walk, she prefers to do this. - She transferred throughout the day from chair to chair, although she used what the PT's called "butt aim", rather than moving her feet, much, to turn her ass toward whichever chair applied. She took the steps three times. Once, after her nap, she was so clearly out of it that I ramped her down into the living room from the bathroom, although she transferred from wheel chair to rocker before I was able to move in and help her, which I usually do.
- I think her energy was at an extremely low level today, although her muscles worked just fine when they were forced to work. There were a few more times, throughout the day, when I used the promising phrase, "If you don't want to get up, don't wake up." Each time it worked. As the day continued, I considered all the implications of that phrase. Obviously, in the future, there are going to be days when it won't apply: Days when she is in full decline and unable to get out of bed but still willing to continue with her life. I will, of course, not use it on these days. But, for the time being, the boot camp air of the phrase seems to do the trick.
# posted by Gail Rae @ 09:55 email...
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