Thursday, October 30, 2008
Slow Start, Good Pick-up
Movement for 10/29/08:
- Although Mom was sure she could walk to the bathroom after arising, when she stood, her stiffness and a lower back ache caused her to sit right back down, so we wheeled her into the bathroom. From there, though, the day proceeded on her usual plateau, which is to say she walked, with the walker, environmental and my support, everywhere else, including in for her nap. Although she seemed tired to me after her nap, she continued walking, with the usual support, throughout the evening. She had a tiny bit of trouble standing so that I could pull her slacks down for leg rubbing, but recovered easily. When she headed for bed, although I offered to ramp her up the steps and, again, offered the chair from the foyer into the bathroom and bedroom, she refused and, although slow, moved well.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Slowly Back Up to the Plateau
Movement for 10/28/08:
- So far (pre-nap, that is, Mom's napping now), so good. She's still a little iffy on her feet, but she's insisting on "doing" her day as she usually does. The only change was that, once she'd descended the dinette steps going into the living room, she decided she wanted to wheel instead of walker the distance from the bottom of the steps to the rocker. I had to scramble, a bit, to pull the chair over, but I did it before she began to sink to the floor. Otherwise, her walking is careful and her raisings and lowerings are equally careful and iffy, as well as her transfers, but her spirit is insisting that she try. Good for her.
- Mom's evening proceeded exactly like a plateau day, with one exception: She hesitated when it came time to ascend the foyer steps and walk into the bathroom with environmental and my support, so I quickly laid out the ramp and whizzed her up. "Ah, that's better," she said. She walked into her bedroom from the bathroom, though, as usual. I'm curious to see how tomorrow will go.
Nothing Unexpected
Movement for 10/27/08:
- Mom's sleep day took its physical toll, as it usually does. She was stiff and a little woozy, so the day slanted toward wheeling. She did, however, walk, with the difficulty of working hard to get her "sea legs" back, to the bathroom for bathing; from the dinette down the steps to the living room after breakfast, although we used the wheelchair for the short distance from the dinette steps to the rocking chair; from the bathroom to her bedroom for her nap; to the bathroom from her bedroom after her nap. Otherwise, it was wheeling all the way. She seemed to become physically more confident as the day progressed, but, when I had doubts, I opted for the wheelchair for her. I expect her to improve through tomorrow.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Another Sleep Day
Movement for 10/26/08:
- The title, above, indicates that Mom didn't move much, today. She did walk to the bathroom in the morning when I awoke her, although it was the unusual difficulty she had that clued me into the possibility that today was going to feature mostly rest. Otherwise, it was wheeling all the way. Breakfast was in the dinette. She was not interested, though, in moving to the living room, playing a game, watching TV, she didn't even really spend much time at breakfast perusing her usual reading material. After breakfast she sat at the table while I did kitchen chores and listlessly sorted her various magazines and newspapers. I noticed that her right eye was swimming in white and her left eyelid was dropping. After going through the usual stroke indicators, which she always finds comical and on which she performed well, even though she was so tired she was slightly bent toward the table during breakfast, which is also unusual. After her ironic and definitively "not-stroke" response to the stroke indicator test, I wondered aloud if she might be taking a nap "soon". She responded that she was "ready for a nap now."
- During her short evening up time, which was spent in her bedroom, we wheeled her into the bathroom for a change into her pajamas, she ate well at a TV table placed beside her bed, I might add, I got as much fluid in her as I could, she took a breathing treatment, all her pills, still was primarily bent slightly more forward than usual. Although up for about two hours, she chose when she was ready to lay back down. She mentioned that she hoped she could "sleep through", which led me to believe that she might be arising late at night, but this didn't happen.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Still a Little Off
Movement for 10/25/08:
- The day began with the usual plateau promise, but feet and torso swelling began in earnest just before her nap, continued through her nap and was fairly significant throughout the evening. I suspected that this might throw movement off a bit, although it didn't throw my mother's spirit off. She was sure, when she decided it was time for her to retire, after a good leg rubdown, that she'd be able to ascend the foyer steps and walk into the bathroom as usual. However, once up the steps, she faltered a bit at the banister. I asked her if she'd like me to wheel her into the bathroom and her bedroom, after bedtime prep, and she gratefully assented. I think the problem was mostly the feet swelling and her labored breathing, which I hope I have treated well with "a whiff" (per one of our Hospice RNs; I just love the way she puts that) of furosemide. At any rate, she's rested much more comfortably through the night than she did through her nap yesterday evening. Her feet, as well, look a little less swollen. Hopefully, she'll be back on tract later Sunday.
