Thursday August 3rd 2023

No Stars In My Eyes, LPN · Aug 3, 2023

Oh me, oh my, oh you~

Barely slept last night; maybe it was after 6:30 AM when I dozed off a little. Flipped and flopped, had a brief nightmare that woke me up saying "OH GOD!" and practically coming out of the bed. Was very happy to see I was in my room and the dream wasn't real. In it I was sitting on the sofa and hubby was walking upstairs; he said something and I saw something out of the corner of my eye, looked at where hubby was on the (dream) stairs and at that moment he started to fall backwards from a 90 degree to a 45 degree angle, and it was going to be an awful crash. That's when I jolted awake, before he ever finished the fall. Whew!

Braves won yesterday against the LA Angels, 11-4. Good game!

So I was thinking hubby wanted to go to the eye doc's, but he sneaked in my room and turned off the alarm clock and moved it over to the file cabinet again. That was my first clue that nothing much would get done w/ him today. He said he went out to sit in the Ford, but even there, he couldn't sleep. He said he has to quit taking those daytime naps, but then just before I went to get Nannie up, he said he was going to lay down in the bed (!) and to wake him up around 1 PM.

I made my bed and Nannie's and picked up all the trash to put out tonight. I still have to pull some "dead food" out of the fridge to complete the trash-out-to-the-barrels task.

I found out there is no game today. The Braves will play the Cubs, well, either tomorrow or Saturday, can't remember which right now.

I guess I will run out to the grocery store for a few items. Whoopee.

MAYBE hubby will be sober-sounding this afternoon .... sober enough to call the Credit Card Fraud #. It's terrible to think that Nannie's POA might be too slurring too much to make sense. Not a good impression, ya know! I can sit by and he can put the phone on speaker so I can hear and prompt when I have to.But, we will have to see about that.

I did get more of a bunch of magazines and catalogs tossed out into recycling.

Anyway, "Onward, Ever Upward to Victory for the 49th! " (some old movie line, I think.)

nursej22, MSN, RN · Aug 3, 2023

I fell into bed and to sleep quickly last night, getting up a few times as usual for the bathroom. I'm feeling a little sad, which started last night, because in the past ds always brought the dog to the airport to welcome us home. I am going to seriously look for a new dog at the end of August.

While we were gone, sis had a follow up ortho appointment, and she can leave off the knee brace, drive, and switch from a walker to a cane. And she can safely get into her bed. Her knee still aches at times, doc thought it was related to the 2 screws that anchor the nail in her femur. And for whatever reason, the dizziness that she's had for a year and has caused 2 fractures, seems to be gone. Weird.

Youngest ds went for a consult at a sleep clinic, and it sounds almost like the PA didn't think he has obstructive sleep apnea. Snort. I've heard his snoring, and gasping, but anyway, he has a sleep study scheduled for later this month. He needs it done to renew his license to drive trucks.

I'm sitting outside on my deck, contemplating which of the bazillion tasks I should do. I have 2 loads of clothes washed, dried, and folded, I went for a short run, and watered the house plants. dh says he's going to the grocery store, I hope he gets something for dinner. Like as not, he will not and tell me he didn't know what I would want to cook. I've said twice today that I really want a grilled steak.

I have wondered if dementia patients who get angry have a history of trauma in their lives, that they end up reliving. I'm convinced that Nannie was assaulted as a child, given her past obsession with "men wanting her". Yes, dementia and Alzheimers are so cruel to patients and families. I hope I never try to compel my children to "keep me at home."

I understand they're a few ripe cherry tomatoes in the garden. dh brought me a wee green bean this morning, my favorite vegetable! And the peppers are finally big enough to harvest. Yay, Summer!

Oh yes, there is some "dead food" in our fridge, much of it produce that went bad while we were gone. I hate throwing food away, but someone else in this house always wants to "stock up". Sigh.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 3, 2023

It wasn't as scary as your dream, Stars, but I did wake up this morning from dreaming about wasting narcs. An aide had told me that a patient wanted pain medicine, and I grabbed his med from the pyxis, but then he said, "I don't want *that*. I already have some of that." and showed me 2 unopened pills. I had to wonder who gave those to him and how I was going to handle it. And I was feeling guilty because I hadn't been in to see him before that.

Bleah.

I'm getting ready to make a stop at the store. Something went wrong with my Walmart pick-up order because I'm missing several things that were in my recipes.

J22, how interesting that your sister's dizziness went away. I hope it stays that way.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 4, 2023

G'day!

I can't complain too much about work. It was okay.

We're starting an aromatherapy program which should be interesting. "Dr. Jones...Mrs. Smith is anxious and in pain with nausea, can I order some lavender and ginger?" Actually it could be a good adjunct to medications. I'm open minded and I'm sure it's an evidenced based practice.

I read one study that pumped lavender into an ER waiting room had calmer patients. I know our hospital floor has it pumped into their hallways. This is what I'd like to see. Might calm some of us nurses down.

I think some dementia patients are channeling the past, but really what else do they have in their brain but the past? I had one patient crying "no one came to my inservice!".

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 4, 2023

Oh, dear. That will be me someday worrying that no one came to my inservice!

It is interesting to see how Gma's brain (pathways?) change. A few weeks ago all she did was arithmetic. "2 and 2 is 4?" Hubs says she was jealous and suspicious with his dad when they were younger. I never saw it until dementia hit. But in 2011 she actually attacked her husband because she thought he was flirting with an aide at the SNF after his hip surgery. (He was 88 and she was 81). I met them when they were 65 and 58.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 4, 2023

Aromatherapy does sound interesting, especially if you can reduce use of opioids and benzos. I used to joke about aerial spraying of prozac or ativan but lavender might be better!