Update and Mom and Phone Calls

It's Gina, back from Virginia. Things have changed over the past few days....mom is taking oxygen more, but the morning headaches are getting worse, not better - plus breakthrough pain and sleeping more. She continues to have periods of confusion as well. Yesterday, there were three hospice visits, the RN, the Physicians Assitant, and the home health aid. They are hearing some fluid in mom's lungs. I heard that the PA was "a pissa" as they say in NY. She is a native NYer, was a RN for about 20 years, and a PA for about 15. She was also a nun. Dina said she was sort of masculine. She asked Dina if she knew how the name 'nun' came about. Dina said 'no' and the PA said, "It's because you get nun in the morning, nun at noon, and nun at night".....ROTFLOL

For the pain, they have upped the meds substantially, and we are now administering them around the clock. She's in the same adjustment period on the meds as she was the first time they adjusted the meds. Had a major munchie attack yesterday, ate Lays potato chips, full sized candy bar, and picked out lots of items on the chinese food menu. My mom's a stoner. LOL.... P.S. Do not send any munchies our way, our friends Larry, Lorraine and Linkon sent a basket with enough goodies to last a year. : )

On phone calls....(and visits for that matter), please consider not asking questions that are time related, as in 'when did so and so visit' or 'when will so and so visit'....anything that involves a calendar or mom having to read and comprehend something. The confusion leads to stress, stress leads to pain....you get the picture. Mom needs to get used to the meds before the confusion/irritation calms. Also, mom will grabe the phone before we do, and if she does and she sounds sleepy...please ask for one of us. If anyone needs information about visits, please call me at 703-731-3464 or Dina at 352-428-5585

Can't imagine what it's like to be mom right now...actually I can imagine it because we are on the other end of it....but when she asks for something and we can't find it....it has to be frustrating as h*ll for her....because she can't just get up and find it herself. She's being a good sport about it --about 90% of the time. : )

Today we cleaned out drawers--made our throw away piles, our donation piles. It helps her to feel in control of at least some of the things in her life.