Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wheeled Twice
Movement for 9/12/08:
- The day was pretty normal, really. She chose to use the wheel chair twice: First, when she moved from the living room into the bathroom before her nap and, second, when she moved from the living room into the bathroom to prepare for bed. She did not, however, want to use the wheelchair either time from the bathroom into the bedroom, and stood for teeth brushing. Nothing else significant to record.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Surprisingly Good Day
Movement for 9/11/08:
- Despite the fact that it was obvious to me from her physical appearance that her hemoglobin was down a bit, she didn't use the wheel chair at all today. Occasionally she was a little iffy when rising, but quickly on her own weight, adjusted her balance and either walked with environmental and "me" support or walkered every time she moved. Can't say whether this will last for awhile. If her legs aren't iffy on a particular day, her abilities are. But, a good day is a good day, regardless.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Maybe, Maybe Not
Movement for 9/10/08:
- She made it to the bathroom, after awakening from night sleep, on her own. It seems as though she did it without difficulty, but there was something about the way she stood for groin bathing that prompted me to ask if she might want to be wheeled to the dinette for breakfast. She sighed gratefully and said, "Yes. Please." From there, though, she walked and walkered under her own steam, with environmental and my support and/or with the walker, for the rest of the day. She was pretty iffy on her feet in the evening when brushing her teeth but refused the wheelchair to bed. Stalwart soul, that woman!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Missed it by a Hair
Movement for 9/9/08:
- I thought today might be our first non-wheelchair day in a week, but I was wrong. She was so groggy when she awoke from her nap that even after a good half hour of sitting on the bed, taking her second breathing treatment of the day, having her blood glucose tested, chatting and playing with the kitties she had no confidence in her ability to move. She didn't even think she could get into the wheel chair and talked about not getting up at all. She had, though, leaked through during her nap so, at the very least, changing was necessary. I wasn't sure I could pull her up from the bed and support her into her chair. Neither was she. She so lacked confidence in my ability to do this that she resisted with her tight grip and her amazingly strong arm and back muscles; thus, I discovered, today, just how strong I really am! I not only got her up, I maneuvered her to her right and settled her into her wheelchair in a perfect position. Her reaction: "My goodness, child! I didn't think you could do that! Neither did I!
- She used the wheelchair all the way to the living room after napping. She was also a bit "rum dumb" all evening, which was kind of fun, because she was also talkative and sing-a-tive. All of this, though, put me in mind that she might need the wheelchair to bed, since she was clearly so relaxed you could have said she was a little drunk, if you didn't know better. When I suggested wheel transport, though, she scoffed, rose to the occasion on the second try and made it all the way from the living room to the bathroom and into bed on her own two feet, with the usual assistances, of course.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Wheelchair: 1 - Legs: 8
Movement for 9/8/08:
- If I divide my mother's movement requirements into distinct sections, there are 9 possibilities for choices regarding wheelchair or leg ambulation, as follows:
- Upon Awakening from Night Sleep: Bedroom to Bathroom
- Bathroom to Dinette
- Dinette to Living Room
- Living Room to Bathroom
- Bathroom to Bedroom for Nap
- After Nap: Bedroom to Bathroom
- Bathroom to Living Room
- Living Room to Bathroom
- Bathroom to Bedroom for Night Sleep
- Sometimes there are one or two more "sections", if she has to go to the bathroom during an up period, but, I ask her, now, because movement is such a challenge for her, rather than shoo her into the bathroom every two hours, so, in any one week one or two days out of seven might contain an extra two to four sections. That was true last week when she had light diarrhea from my over-zealous administration of prune juice, but this week we're back to "normal", so far
However, today was one of her better days in regard to getting around under her own steam (with environmental and my help). She apparently is remembering her day to day movement difficulties, as well, because she even mentioned, when she made it to the rocking chair in the living room after breakfast by walking and walkering, "I seem to be doing pretty good today." I confirmed this. She was pretty tired today, though, so her day involved a bit more sleep than usual, including going to bed at night almost a full two hours earlier than she would have, normally, considering her arising time in her "morning". - I'm about equally divided on whether this weakness, which seems to be setting in, is a result of bouncing hemoglobin or simply decline due to her cancer, so I talked to her Hospice RN about a possible blood draw, even though I'm not sure she'll receive any treatment for low hemoglobin. I left the final decision up to him and his Physician Supervisor as to whether to actually draw blood and test it.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A New Movement Standard?
Movement for 9/7/08:
- Well, this morning, after the usual difficulty of getting her up and a usually long period of taking certain stats, administering a breathing treatment, chatting and playing with the kitties, she didn't think her legs could support a walk to the bathroom. I was fine with this, didn't attempt to get her to try it. I noticed she transferred well from the bed to the chair, except that, upon turning to sit in the chair, she, literally, fell into the chair. This happens rarely. She stood well during groin bathing. I was prepared to give her a rest between back and front, but she said she didn't need it. She was sure she could walk with environmental and my aid to the dinette but at the point where the foyer meets the hall, she stopped and said, "I think I need to sit down." So, I marshaled the chair and wheeled her the rest of the way. Good transfer from wheelchair to table chair, though.
- After breakfast she was anxious to go into the living room and watch a new romance movie I'd taped, thinking it would be light and funny. I didn't even think to ask her if she thought she could walk and walker the distance. She didn't think to question this either. But, three quarters of the way around the table she told me, "Better get a chair. I don't think I can stay up." So, I did, and ramped her into the living room. Fair transfer from wheelchair to rocker. She gave out early today, though...normally I would say it was probably the weather, because today hosted an unexpected storm, but, after the last several days, I'm not so sure. At any rate, she felt she could walker and walk into the bathroom and bedroom, and she did, but practically threw herself onto the bed and almost slid off because she wasn't quite close enough to manage a secure butt purchase. I have no idea what to expect for the rest of the day. We'll see.
- Well, after awakening from her nap, the evening proceeded as usual, without wheel chair support. My guess is that she gave movement her best, so, using that assumption, I can say that it may become obvious within the next week or so that
- It is going to take her pretty much a whole day, from the time she awakes from night sleep to the time she goes to bed, to get her "sea legs", thus, I expect, the wheel chair will be used more frequently than it has.
- The effort she needs to stand appears what takes the most energy, for her, and, earlier in the day, it robs her of the energy she needs to walk once she's standing.
- Considering that she spends more time sleeping than awake, a circumstance which I can see no reason to change, since my long time observations tell me she clearly needs the sleep, we have definitely reached a new movement (or, perhaps, non-movement) standard.
