Where Do I Begin?

So much has happened since the last time I posted and that's only been a couple of days!

The Pill Swallowing Cup was a waste of $2.52.  It didn't work for supplements in capsule form.  The darn capsule got stuck on the little ledge where I was instructed to place the pill.  When the capsules get wet they melt and stick to the cup.

Dr. Barton mixed up some herbal extracts in a liquid form so that my mom could drink it.  It tastes bad.  I tasted it.  My mother drank it once and then began refusing it.  Her blood pressure was sky high and I was freaking out; not good for either of us. Mixing the high blood pressure drink with a bit of raw honey has made it so that she can at least swallow it down.

She wouldn't eat the lunch that I packed her yesterday when she went off to the Day Program.  She told the nurses that they poisoned it and refused to eat this beautiful salad that we made TOGETHER that morning.  I even let her pick out the container to put it in.  Nope.  Once lunch time came and her lunch bag was out of her sight, she was convinced the nurses were trying to poison her.  She wouldn't even drink her homeopathic remedy, hyoscamous, a remedy that makes her agitation go away.  Eventually she did drink the homeopathic drink.  Her attitude shifted and she was having fun again.

Typically, after lunch she has behavior issues.  In the morning she has a great time.  Lunch comes and then everything changes.  She starts to wander and she's sporting her mean face.

I learned that my mom was being segregated from the others because she couldn't eat the lunch that was being served.  My mom was peeved, she has been for awhile, I just couldn't figure out what she was trying to tell me.  She wanted to eat with everyone.  She would get angry that she was being pulled away from her friends, her REAL friends.  I can see why she felt bad.  It caused her pressure to go up and she was agitated.  A complete bitch toward everyone, including me because I was the root cause.

Yesterday, I talked with the Nurse Director and we talked about the lunches.  Brian had a brilliant idea, he thought that maybe if my mom ate with her friends, then she wouldn't have issues after lunch.  The nurse went over their food menu with me and I pointed out everything that my mom could eat.  I also told her what behaviors would surface if my mom ate potatoes, bread, pasta or any simple carb like cake.

Today we gave it a shot, we had my mom eat the lunch that is served to her friends at school.  Her reaction as described by the aides, "FINALLY!"

She ate with her friends.  She was part of the group and wasn't being segregated.  One of the Aides made my mom a sweet potato that I sent her to school with instead of the white baked potato that comes with their meal.  Roll was removed from her plate and no birthday cake.

My mother was excited and happy.  She had a great afternoon and didn't have any issues.  The nurses and aides were thrilled.  One even asking why I was looking to put her in a home when she was doing so well in the program.

The wait list is long for homes and it's better to be prepared.  I'm noticing the good ones have very long wait lists.  I will wait for my mom's home to come available, only one year.  The home I visited yesterday was very nice.

The home site visit today... scared the crap out of me.  The people looked all drugged and none of them were talking to each other.  They couldn't communicate and no one was communicating with them, all just sitting at dinning tables in wheel chairs, staring into space.

No way will I put my mom in a home like the one I visited today.  Tuesday I visit another nursing home.  I have a long list to go through before I make a final decision.  In the meantime, things are working out for my mom and the day program 5 days a week.

The daily Care Attendant?  Not working out so well, my mom doesn't like anyone taking care of her and in turn does not like Belkis.  I am bummed.  I like Belkis a lot, she is such a good care giver.  We'll see what we can do to remedy the trouble.

In the midst of all of this we had another emergency in the truck.  I couldn't find a bathroom fast enough.  When my mom says to me, "I have my period," I know that she shit her pants.  Fortunately, I had left a fresh change of clothes for her at the Day Program, our destination.  The aides cleaned her up and made her feel good again.

It's never a dull moment.