Life after Death Sentencing

Movement for 8/3/08:

• She slept about 11 hours, considering that we stayed up very late last night...she until 0300 this morning. Although she walked into the bathroom with environmental support, she was none too spry on her legs and expressed doubt, once again, that she would be able to make it all the way to the toilet, although she did. I'd been racking my brain all morning over why she might be getting successively weaker. Finally, as I was looking at her sides as I took off her pajamas I noticed: She was noticeably more dehydrated this morning than usual; even the skin on her sides showed dehydration wrinkling, which they usually don't. I'm sure, I thought, that she'd been receiving the same amount of liquid during the day as usual. Then, I realized, she's been sweating at night and during her naps...so she's losing more water than usual and I haven't been increasing her fluid intake in order to make up for it (and, of course, she isn't asking for more fluid...she never does). So, I started pushing fluids right then. By the time she'd finished breakfast she had consumed a full glass more than is usual by that time. She had no problem walking around the table and down the dinette steps with environment (and my) support. She used the walker from the dinette steps to the rocker.
• In fact, she hasn't used the wheel chair for the rest of the day, although, as usual, I've had it handy. She even has been finding it slightly comical that I've been anxiously asking, each time she's "fixing" to stand and move, if she wants the wheel chair or if she can walk "on her own".

   She's been noticeably and progressively stiffer over the last few days, too, but that has disappeared (except for her normal stiffness) with the added fluid. What a difference proper hydration makes!