It's 3 AM, do you know where your mother is?

Finally, last night I figured out how to NOT have hot flashes and I was in a GREAT sleep. Ahhhhhh! No pools of sweat. No putting on the ceiling fan and opening the window to cool off while my husband lays in bed bundled up in sweats and heavy socks... Yay!

Until...

3am

Knock, Knock, Knock

Our bedroom door opens and it's my mother! "Susie, is everyone OK?"

I woke up out of a sound sleep and saw my mother standing in my doorway fully dressed. It was 3 am. She was walking in her sleep.

I walked her back downstairs and had her check her blood sugar. 125 was her reading, it was OK.

She was talking about someone stealing the money in my purse. Next thing I knew she took my purse from under a blanket and told me to check to see if my money was in it. I told her I didn't have any money in it and then I found 17 dollars.

I assured her that everything was fine and suggested she go back to bed, we had an appointment in the morning to check her pace maker.

I didn't stick around, I went back to bed.

Around 7:30 I went down to wake her up and she was in the dream state, sort of awake. She told me to be quiet because she was trying to hear what "the man" was trying to tell her. She asked me where her mother was, where was she going.

I read a bit on the net and found out that I need to tell her how I understand how scary it is for her. I also assured her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her, that I was here to protect her. It seemed to make her calm down. Slowly she woke up. When she did, I said, "Come on Ma, we have to go to the Pacemaker clinic today." She said, "What's the point of living?"

Immediately I stopped her and said, "Ma! I've worked too damn hard to get you to this place, I'm gathering information to write a book so that I can help other people like her not have to suffer so much... Please Ma, I need you to live, you're no good dead!"

She smiled and held my hand as she said, "In that case, OK, I'm getting up."

Here's what I think is her problem. At night she is so scared that she has to sleep with the light on next to her bed. I read somewhere that the light is interupting her sleep, because the brain looks for the darkness to rest. The light is keeping her half awake and half asleep. She wakes up and walks around. Moves stuff. Hides things on herself. In the morning she wakes up believing that "the man" took her stuff, etc.

The night before last I gave her a cup of nighty night tea and she didn't wake up at all. Tonight, I'll give her nighty night tea and turn a night light on the other side of the room where it won't shine on her eyes and face. I'll also give her a Melatonin tablet.

I know that as we age we have less Melatonin produced, this is the hormone that helps us sleep.

On the ride to the clinic she told me that she went in to my mother in law's room and tried to wake her up. She thought she was dead because she didn't stir when my mom said, "Rachel, are you OK?" It freaked her out so she came and woke up Brian and me.

Rachel is still alive. She's OK.

My mom, she's just plain ole tired so I have her taking a nap in the dark.

There's got to be a solution to dementia in the elderly.