Updating

I want to bring everyone up to date on my mom and on Phillip's mom.  It's been a rough week.

Last Wednesday Phillip's mom had a stroke.  She had another one a few days later.  There is really nothing that can be done for her at this point.  She will open her eyes but doesn't show any recognition of anyone.  She can swallow pureed foods so she won't need a feeding tube, at least for now.  Her right side is paralyzed and they suspect that she's blind in her right eye.  The plan right now is to move her from the hospital back to the nursing home tomorrow morning.  This is a sad time for all of the family.

Last Thursday we had to call an ambulance for my mom.  She had been very sleepy all day, but during the afternoon, she wouldn't respond at all.  I checked her blood sugar to be sure it hadn't dropped, and she didn't even flinch when I stuck her finger.  (Her blood sugar was ok.) At the ER, they couldn't find anything wrong.  She was very combative and totally confused.  They told me to take her home and see how she did.  Since then, she's been much more confused.  Most of the time she doesn't know who I am.  Occasionally she'll call me by name, but not usually.  Sometimes I'm Helen, but other times I'm somebody named Joyce, or I'm "Hey Lady."  Yesterday she fired me and said she was getting somebody else. I really think she had a mini-stroke last Thursday. It's hard to accept, but I read a comment once about Alzheimer's disease.  It advised families to let go of the person their loved one used to be and accept and enjoy the person they are now.  That's what we're trying to do.  We have some really good times together, whether she knows who I am or not.