We're Still Doing Fine

I am so sorry to be so long in posting an update.  As you can see from the picture, Aunt Earline is doing well.  Her vital signs have been stable for a couple of weeks.  She is off her oxygen as of today.  She is getting stronger every day.  She can now roll to her side by herself.  She can help stand on her own.

Cheryl is absolutely amazing!  She has never given up and has nursed Aunt Earline back to good health.  This picture was taken a week or so ago.  We got her out of bed and gave her a shower!  I can't imagine how wonderful it felt to have a real shower, wash your hair, and get out of the bed!  She hasn't been able to shower since, but with her gaining strength it is a possibility.

She still has her fiesty moments when she doesn't feel good and lets us all know about it.  I think this is where she is getting her strength from.  The nurses are so proud of her progress.

She even felt strong enough to talk to her daughter, Sissy.  What a treat she has been to all of us.  We are hoping for continued forward progress. Please keep us in your prayers.

A Lady Like No Other

I started this blog 2 years ago intending to chronicle Aunt Earline's battle with Altzheimer's.  Life just became too hectic to journal.  After the past 3 weeks of ups and downs and close calls I have decided to start journaling about this wonderful woman's life.  This seems to be the best way to keep everyone updated on her changing condition.

As you all know, I brought Aunt Earline home from the hospital about three weeks ago.  She was just recovering from pneumonia which can be fatal for someone with Alzheimer's.  She came home very weak and with oxygen.  It was at this time that the doctors were able to reassess her condition and confirmed  that she had entered the late stages of the disease.  I've known all along that this day was coming but it does not make it any easier to accept. 

In the past three weeks I have watched as she has lost her ability to walk and to talk clearly.  According to the studies this generally happens at about the same time.  Our family held a vigil on that first weekend she came home.  We could not get her to eat.  Her vital signs were so poor and death was hovering.  I called her children and grandchildren to break this sad news to them.  We honestly did not expect her to survive the weekend.

For whatever reason that only the Lord knows it was not her time to leave this earthly existence.  I know that God has a plan and that her survival was part of that plan.  I have no idea how much longer she will be with us.  It really isn't that important.  I know that every day with her is precious.  We have all had some wonderful moments with her.  I have been able to (in a very small way) repay the kindness to her that she always had for my family.  It is such a privilege to be able to lovingly care for her in this last phase of her life.  I hope to be able to preserve her dignity as her body begins to lose some functions.  I love that she is in a loving environment and our family will happily help her through this stage.

It has been an honor to take care of her daily needs and assure her that the world she now knows is a safe place where her mother and father are (in her mind) still here on this earth and caring for her.  She talks often of her brothers and sisters that have gone before her.  She has lovingly recounted the happy times that she shared with her brother, Joe, and her little sister, babe.  On those few times that she is able to talk she is talking to her family and enjoying life.  She is either talking to her children or her parents, brothers and sisters. 

I will try to recount some of the stories she has told us.  I am not sure how accurate the stories are.  I will relay them and maybe some of you can verify for me.

I can tell you that today she seems to be in less pain.  I think we have finally found the right combination of medications to help ease her pain.  She seems to have a pulled chest muscle and muscles contracting in her neck, shoulders, and head.  The physical therapist has shown Cheryl and me some exercises and light massage techniques to help her with this.  Her vital signs are still stable.  She eats very little these days.  An average daily intake might be 2 pudding cups and, if we are lucky, 2 bottles of ensure.  She will also sip water for us.  I know this might seem mightily inadequate to some of you.  Remember that it does not take much to sustain bed rest.  She is not burning many calories, therefore her body is going to take in less.  The doctors have told us this is a natural process. 

Our days are pretty much routine.  I get up in the morning and take care of her personal needs.  Cheryl comes at about 10:00 am and cares for her until 2:30pm.  She has another aide, Felicia, that comes in each morning to bathe her and report general conditions to the nurse.  The nurse comes by 2 to 3 times a week and reports her vital signs and general condition to the doctor.  We've all worked out a great routine.

I cannot tell anyone how long she will be with us.  Things change on a daily basis with her.  She will generally have one good day where she is somewhat responsive followed by a couple of days where she really isn't responsive.  She does sleep about 98% of the time now.  I am told this is how her brain is able to deal with the ravages of the disease.  She has been feeling good enough to scold me today for letting her get too cold while I was changing her diapers and pajamas.  I like these moments even though it breaks my heart for her to be uncomfortable.  It's the moments that she doesn't complain that tend to scare me.  She especially enjoys having her hair brushed lately.  I brush it every evening and she tells me how good it feels.  I can only imagine...doesn't every girl feel a hundred times better when her hair is done?  Someone mentioned to me today that she might enjoy a good foot rub so I think Cheryl and I will incorporate this in her daily routine.  I can't imagine how hard it is to constantly be in bed.

Sorry I rambled on.  I will try to give daily updates if life permits.  I will try to include pictures so that you all can see her and feel as if you are here with her.

The Big Move

Well, we have moved into our new home and are slowly getting things in place. It has been good for Aunt Earline to be in a routine. She seems to be less disoriented. We have certainly had our moments in this new place.
We decided that my mother and Aunt Earline would share a room in case she wanders in the night or might need something. Now, that is what my mom told me, but secretly I think neither one wants to climb the stairs daily to get to the bedrooms! Who can blame them? Sometimes the stairs get to me.
It is probably a good thing the arrangement is such because we have had two teeny, tiny mishaps...the first night my mother awoke (about 3:00 am) to Aunt Earline's screams. Yes, guys, I do mean screams. My mother told her that everything was okay, she was just having a nightmare. Aunt Earline then yelled out "No I'm not! There is something ALIVE in my sheets! My mom soothed her and calmed her down and investigated. Sure enough there was something alive in her sheets. Sebastian, our cuddly kitten, was looking for a little TLC. He has since decided to seek comfort elsewhere.

Two days later I am enjoying a nice warm shower when I hear my mother frantically panting. She has just run up a flight of stairs to my bathroom. The conversation goes:

Mother: Marnita, the alarm is going off downstairs!

Me: Okay, do you know which alarm?

Mother: No. Do you think someone is trying to break into the house?

Me: (I am thinking.....How would I know if someone is breaking into the house? I am..was..enjoying my nice warm shower.) I don't know Mom. I really doubt it since none of us armed it this morning.

Mother: What if the house is on fire? I don't know how to turn the alarm off!

Me: (Never a dull moment in this place!) Okay, Mom, I am getting out of the shower. I really don't know if it is a fire. I don't see or smell any smoke in the shower. Did you see or smell smoke before you came up?

I get out of the shower and do some investigating...Aunt Earline had hit the alarm button instead of the light switch. The alarm went off because the cable installers left the attic door open in the garage.

All in all the move has been pretty smooth. We have plenty of room in the house to wander and we have a beautiful patio that we could enjoy if my wonderful brother in law will ever bring over the glider (hint, hint).

Today we had one episode of frustration that we really haven't seen before. Aunt Earline got upset because she hasn't heard from Carol. She was worried about where all her things were. We told her that we had her clothes here with us. She then wanted to know about her pictures and we told her they were with Evelyn. She seemed to calm down some. We took her into the den and redirected the conversation and she was fine.

I need to talk to the Alzheimer's Association to see how we should proceed with her. I really hate telling her that Carol has passed away because she has to hear the news so many times in one day, but at the same time I don't want her to become so anxious about her situation. Maybe they will have some good advice for us.

My heart was tickled Saturday night when I was helping her with her shower. She said she had never had anyone help her with her shower before and she really appreciated it. She told me that she had dressed and bathed me plenty of times when I was younger and now we get to reverse roles.

A Better Day

My dear Auntie had a much better day today. She woke up and completely forgot about Carol's death. She was pretty happy all day. I have to give a hand to Sarah R. for giving me some tips on keeping her focused during the day.

Lynne brought her to me around 11:00 am this morning. I was fixing lunch and she kept asking me if she could help with anything. I gave her a skein of yarn and had her roll it into a ball. This kept her focused for some time. She ate a very good lunch and then sat down and looked at the newspaper. She would read a few articles and then fold it all back up so neatly. She did this for most of the afternoon.

We also went to look around our new house today. She loved it. Although she thinks she will just be spending a few nights with me until Bob and Carol are back from their vacation. I am so excited to get us all moved in. There is a beautiful covered patio that I think she is really going to enjoy. I took pictures of the new house but my camera is on its last leg....everything turned out so blurry. I will borrow Lynne's camera and post pictures of the property. We are going to enjoy every bit of those 6 acres. Caleb already had quite the time trying to hit every inch of the property.

Speaking of Caleb.....he has been such a joy to Aunt Earline. He just treats her like another cousin. She spent a couple of hours watching him play his Nintendo DS and having the cutest conversations. She kept telling me how cute he was and how SMART he was. He was even giving her lessons on Nintendo lingo .....you know....stylus (he gave her a phonetics lesson on this word because she referred to it as a wand (gasp). She now knows how to say stylus and what one is. He also discussed profiles with her but I am not sure she caught on to that one.
He even entertained her with a rendition of 3 Blind Mice. She loved it. He did tell her that he was the only one who could sing it, though.

After yesterday and her grief, I was glad to see her so happy. Don't worry, everyone. We are going to be all right.

The New Journey

We are entering our second full day with Aunt Earline and doing good. I am trying to find a new, larger home for all of us to move into. My children are so eager to be helping with their aunt.

Today she has had a little harder time. For the most part, she has not been able to remember that Carol passed away. She has thought, and we have reinforced, that Carol and Bob have been on a well deserved vacation. That has worked well for us all since last Wednesday. Today she woke up and was a little more disoriented than usual. She kept asking my sister, Lynne, and me if her kids were okay. She was worried about her brother -in- law, Harvey; she thought he had gone into the hospital. We kept assuring her that he was okay. Finally, at about 2pm she looked up at Lynne and me and said "What happened? I know something is wrong with one of my kids. Who is it? Is it Carol? Was she in a wreck?"

Lynne and I felt we should go ahead and explain what happened to Carol to help ease her anxiety. So, sadly, she is aware that she has lost her baby girl. She is going through quite a bit of grief over the loss. I hope that when she wakes tomorrow she will not be able to remember this day, as happened the day after Carol's death.

She has been asking about all of her other children; wanting to be assured that they are okay. I am able to turn the conversation to other happy events, letting her know that she has two grandchildren expecting children. She is fascinated that Robert's kids are grown....she said she didn't realize he had grown up.

Caleb just got home and gave her a good hug to help her not be so sad. She gets a kick out of all the stories that he tells her.

Until tomorrow.....