Saturday, November 29, 2008
Just Plain Blahs
Movement for 11/28/08:
- Although she was up nine hours and alert, the only times she walked (with environmental and my support) were when she went to the bathroom after arising, when she went to the living room after breakfast and when she went to the bathroom after her nap. Otherwise we wheeled it.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Rain Blahs
Movement for 11/27/08:
- When Mom noticed that state of the weather, which was still stormy, this "morning", she grunted, told me she couldn't understand why I like this kind of weather...and, from that point on, opted for the wheelchair. She decided to walk from the dinette table, down the dinette steps to the floor of the living room, but we've been wheeling it ever since. I'm not sure how this evening will go. She was pretty tired when she went down for a nap, but I gave her an ibuprofen, and it's been clearing all afternoon, to my discouragement...snow and rain had been forecast for tonight. But, the clearing will register in her bones and she might be a bit more spritely tonight, so, I guess an early clearing is worth it.
- She wasn't keen on walking through the evening, so we wheeled it all the way. Still and all, she was awake, altogether, for 10 hours, so she much have been feeling better.
Climbing Lower
Movement for 11/26/08:
- Because of the way Mom's day pre-started (see today's post over at The Dailies) I thought today was going to be mainly a sleep day but, even though Mom's day started later than usual, she was up for a full 9.5 hours, just about average. Her movement for the day involved her "new" average, as well. Her initial rising involved the wheelchair, completely, from bed to bathroom and back to bed. But, after her "real" arising she chose to walk into the bathroom and performed fairly well. She chose the wheelchair to the dinette. Then chose to walk, as much as she usually does, minus the open space between the bottom of the dinette steps and the rocker, to the living room.
After that it was wheelchair to bed for her nap; walking to the bathroom after her nap, with some hesitation but doing pretty well. Wheelchair the rest of the evening, EXCEPT, and this is notable, she decided she wanted to walk from the bathroom into the bedroom. She faltered a bit but was determined, and was clearly ready to sit when the bed loomed. Good for her.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Cold Excitement
Movement for 11/25/08:
- I pretty much covered Mom's day in detail, including much of the movement portion, which wasn't much, over here at the main journal, so this will be a quick, clean review to make sure I got everything.
Walked (with environmental and my support, as usual) to the bathroom with little trouble after awakening.
Opted for wheelchair out to the dinette.
Walked around the dinette table and down the dinette steps to the wheelchair, awaiting her transfer to her rocker; walked well.
Wheelchair from rocker to bathroom to bedroom for nap.
Wheelchair the rest of the day.
Transferred well in the morning; a bit more iffy in the evening.
She was in very good spirits in the morning, as it was an RN visit day and she was excited, but in the evening she appeared to be coming down with a cold, or, perhaps, slipping back into a "Bad Cancer Cycle" day.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Complicated Variation on a Theme
Movement for 11/24/08:
- The theme was "I don't want to get up", like yesterday's, but she was even more intransigent. I wasn't completely surprised. I discussed with her, last night, that we needed to move her awakening closer to noon in order to be prepared for the probably Hospice RN visit on Tuesday of this week. She agreed, in theory. The practice was another matter entirely. Although I hate to physically raise her up off the bed, now, I did that this morning. It was pleasant for neither of us. Once up, though, treated (with her breathing treatment) chatted up by me and petted up by the kitties, she walked into the bathroom under her own steam, although she opted for the wheelchair into the dinette. She walked around the table and down the dinette steps, though, to enter the living room and, again, later in the day, walked from her bedroom after her nap (I allowed her a nice, long one; she awoke on her own) into the bathroom then continued from the bathroom to the banister and down the foyer steps.
She did well. The woman just needs her sleep. That's all.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
An Odd (for my mother) Switch
Movement for 11/23/08:
- And the Odd Switch is: The body was willing, the spirit was not. Normally, if my mother doesn't want to move much, it's because her body isn't cooperating with her spirit. She walked to the bathroom from the bedroom this morning and actually walked better than I've seen her walk in a couple of days. She just wasn't into walking, though, spiritually, even if her body was, so she's opted for the wheelchair the rest of the first part of her day. After her bath I didn't even ask her...I just assumed, from the way she'd performed going in, that she's want to use her feet on the way out. When I took her arms and invited her to "lean way over and stand up" when she was ready to leave the bathroom, she took her arms from my hands and said, "Do I have to?"
No, she doesn't have to.
She's had a recurrent mild lower back ache today...so I gave her a second ibuprofen before her nap. We'll see how she's feeling when I awaken her at 2130. - For the entire second part of her day, Mom was hard to rouse from her nap and opted for the wheelchair all the way. I think her spirit may have been injured a bit in the morning...hopefully, I'll get a chance to explain, soon, over at the main journal. When I do, I'll link to the explanation.
