Friday January 24th 2025

No Stars In My Eyes · Jan 24

There will be no trip to Senior Center today! Last night was awful. I had come up to bed around 11 PM. Nannie had requested to go to bed at 8:45, so I was feeling pleased about that. Momo started to bark around 11:30 PM, and then I heard this loud THUMP from downstairs. Nannie had gotten out of bed and gone into the den. She misjudged where her recliner is, and ended up falling beside her chair and hit her head on the small table/bench that sits beside her chair. She was dripping blood from a cut along the front/left of her hairline. (But no other obvious injuries and she didn't lose consciousness.) I called "the guys" (911) and they came over to check her out and get her up. She really enjoyed when the guys ALL showed up....there were 8 men in the den (a poem!) Must have been a slow night or something, to have that many show up!

Anyway, they toted her off to the ER, and I went up to bed. But, I had forgotten to refill my Xanax, and I was kind of wound up, so it took me a while to get close to being sleepy. Turns out it was a good thing I had no Xanax to take! As I was trying to relax using a breathing exercise, the phone rang......2:30 AM.....and the ER doc was calling me to tell me she was ready for discharge 🙄.

They had x-rayed her every way from Sunday, I mean, head, neck, hips, legs....nothing broken. She had to have several stitches at her hairline, but they put in the kind that dissolves on their own, so I don't have to take her to have them removed. I could have done it, but nice to know I didn't have to. Before I got home with Nannie, the nurse called me to ask if Nannie's IV had been removed before she left. Heck, I didn't SEE anything, but then again she was wearing long sleeves and was wrapped in a blanket!

I forgot about all that when I got her home and once inside the den, I told her I wanted her to sit down in her recliner for a few minutes. She immediately pitched over face first into the seat of the recliner. I put my left thigh against her butt and told her she was going to have to try to pull herself up a bit higher, so her face wasn't in the back corner of the seat, but she said "I can't". I said, "You sure as heck better TRY!! ! I'm not calling the ambulance again!"

I got her in a position which eventually led to her getting her butt planted the correct way on the chair. I was shaking by the time that occurred! It was getting on close to 4:30 and I sat with her for a few minutes after putting the footrest up. Told her I had to go lay down and she should stay in the chair! She also was pretty tired after her little expedition. Anyway, I came up to bed, but had a hard time falling asleep....I think it was well after 6 AM when I finally fell off to sleep. I woke up at 10 AM and went down to check on Nannie. She was still covered up like I had left her, and she was asleep, so I got some coffee and came back upstairs.

I feel like_______________(fill in the blank; I'm sure you can!) I had been sending texts through-out the night to SiL to keep her updated and all. Haven't heard back from her yet. I don't know her work schedule, so I don't know if she will come over after she's decided it was okay to wake me up, or what. Anyway it is now 12 noon, and I actually expect to hear from her pretty soon. Maybe I should call her, I dunno. I'm going to have to go out at some point today, to get some coffee-pods as I only have 2 or 3 left; I hope I don't have to get Nannie dressed and loaded into the car in order for me to be able to go get some! Well, that just made up my mind for me, I can't go without coffee today of all days, so I'm going to go ahead and call her cellphone.

Probably will be back by here a little later, if I survive!

No Stars In My Eyes · Jan 24

BiL is going to come and sit with Nannie for a while so I can go over to the pharmacy and pick up several refills. I'm on the fence about taking a Xanax tonight, but I'd rather have it than WISH I had it. And I have to get coffee and stop by the bank for some cash.

SiL is at work and had called BiL at some point this AM and told him he should call over here to check on his momma because she went to the ER last night.

Welp, I better wake Nannie up and get her changed into something DRY, and give her breakfast and her AM meds. Here goes nuthin'...............

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 24

Oh, NSIME, what a night!! It is worrisome that Nannie seems to be starting to wander -- with such consequences as happened last night! Yes, refill your Xanax and get coffee! I hope today improves for you.

Hello Joe, and congrats on reaching your weight loss goal! Stay warm!

Not much going on here. I did a few errands yesterday, and made a cream of mushroom soup that turned out pretty well! It's a simple recipe. Of course, I forgot to pick up a couple things at the grocery store, when I was there! So I may make a quick trip there again today.

Have a good day!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Jan 24

Congratulations on reaching your weight loss goal, Joe! Especially through a holiday season. 🙂

Sorry about your night, Stars,

Hubs thinks his mother is declining. I'm not with her as much but tend to agree. She picks at food but will still drink Boost. She doesn't so much sit in the chair as sprawl in it, nearly asleep all the time. Whether this means she has days or weeks left, or will rally and outlive us all, I could not tell you. But I'm trying to get some things finished that have upcoming deadlines JUST IN CASE.

Last night we had a family movie night and watched an animated movie called "Flow." There was no dialog unless you count meowing, barking, growling, etc. The main character was a black cat and there was a capybara, some dogs, some ring-tailed lemurs, and some kind of large white bird. Oh, and elk. There was a flood and the "story" showed how the animals survived. I was dubious at first but it was actually quite entertaining.

I got a billing notice from the ortho clinic today. I really don't recall having seen one before now. My out-of-pocket expense for the steroid injection was about $50 so no complaints. It was definitely worth it. The diagnosis shown is a medial meniscus tear and that makes perfect sense.

I do have complaints about the parent-plus student loans I got so that Twin B could live in the dorms the 3 years he was in school full-time (but got no degree). I borrowed a total of $19,000, have paid over $11,000, and still owe about $15,000. And stepson's living expenses that so far he gets no assistance with (rent, utilities, car insurance...) amount to about $1100/month. Thinking about finances is pretty depressing.

No Stars In My Eyes · Jan 24

Oh, I HATE dealing with finances. I don't like being the responsible adult here. At age 75, it is kinda late to worry about that, though, 'cause it is what it is. Can't pull a Benjamin Button, so no sense in getting in a flap over it.

Yes, Nannie does seem to be getting worse dementia s+s now....she has a blank look on her face when you talk to her, and invariably she doesn't hear you correctly or understand the subject matter, so I have to 'trim down' the answers and repeat myself to be sure that she understands it while I am saying it. But I can't count on her comprehension to stay in her mind for more than 30 seconds, these days, often for LESS time than 30 seconds.

Interesting she doesn't even remember falling and hitting her head, nor does she remember anything else that occurred last night. She says she has no pain anywhere.

SiL called and said if she feels better tomorrow that she will come over on Sunday and get Nannie for the day; also said she will take Nannie to daycare on Monday. She reminded me how Tylenol helps her sleep better, so she will get some tonight for sure. But I'll keep my fingers crossed that she doesn't get restless and wander around the den in the dark; I can't do another night like last night. SiL said that if she has to go to the ER again, I should call them on their house phone and they will go get Nannie when she is discharged late/early like she was last night.

There is something else I wanted to tell y'all and I am trying to remember what it was. I did remember it a minute ago and by the time I got back to the laptop, it disappeared from my mind. That's why I wonder if Nannie's dementia is contagious. 😖 I hate it when that happens! I may remember after I end my message, so if it isn't too long before I remember I'll come back and tell ya what it was. It was nothing earth-shaking or critical, though.

I feel so shaky tonight from being so tired, but THIS TOO SHALL PASS! (or so 'they' say!)

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jan 25

Oh Stars. So freaking hard. Hugs.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jan 25

kudos to joe, hugs to stars.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 25

Stars, so sorry.

Good job Joe.

Work was okay. I was steady busy and it was 3pm when I realized I hadn't had my lunch break. But was able to eat a full 30 minutes. Off for a few days. Not much going on.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Jan 25

Steady busy is my favorite. I'll take busy over not busy but I don't like feeling like I'll never catch up and having to stay an hour or more after a 12-hr shift to finish charting.