Could it be her kidneys?

Finally we got my mom's blood test results from the Neurologist. We sent them on to our Naturopathic Doctor to review.

Yesterday he sent me a note with a few questions to as her MD about her kidney function. He mentioned that kidney disease can cause dementia.

I think she has kidney disease, I am not sure. I do know that she had a stent put in her kidney several years ago because the artery was blocked about 90%. Could the other kidney be giving her a problem now? I do remember the doctor telling us that it was blocked but not enough to have a stent inserted.

Last night was another rough night. I got zero sleep. My mom had a look about her which made me feel that I needed to sleep on the couch outside her bedroom. I gave her Ashwagandha and it didn't make her sleepy.

My mom woke up at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 - 3am my Mother in Law woke up and turned on her TV, I could hear it echoing through the upstairs hall and down the stairs. The sound was annoying and I couldn't sleep, even though I was exhausted. 4am I heard our bedroom TV come on, Brian woke up.

I found a comfortable spot on the sofa and felt my body going "ahhhhhh, at last, sleep."

4:30 am I woke to hear my mom shuffling around. I got up and she was fully dressed. I convinced her to put her nightgown back on and go back to sleep for a few hours.

By this time my nerves were shot and as I laid on the couch I began to sob. I couldn't stop crying. My mom got out of bed and tried to comfort me. All I could think was that I can't do this anymore, I need my rest, I need my life back... but it's my mom, I can't abandon her when she needs me the most.

I stopped crying for a few minutes, long enough to tuck my mom back in her bed. It is now 5am and the neighbor with a very loud diesel engine started up his truck. Brian's TV was still on. Rachel's was off (thank God.) I heard every sound, amplified by the darkness in the room.

7am I finally got off the sofa and came to realize that I was not going to get any sleep. I went to my mom's room and she was dressed again, sitting in the dark.

This morning we went for more blood work to check on her diabetes. We see her Endocrinologist on Monday - always my favorite appointment because my mom's diabetes is under awesome control with diet and exercise.

Sometimes I wish we still lived in my house. It would make it less confusing for my mom. She loved my house. I did too. I miss my 1930's bungalo with it's quaint appearance that when you walked in, immediately you felt at home.

But, there's no going back, the house gave us lots of great memories ... time to make new memories, even if they are with people and animals that only exist in my mom's mind.