Wednesday October 23rd 2024

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 23, 2024

Good Afternoon. And it's bound to be better than last night! My 'hearing-ear dog" woke me up about every hour, and it was because Nannie was up and about in her room and in the den, I went down several times, got Nannie to go back to bed, but she didn't stay there long. And when I told her it was 2:30 and then 3:30 AM, she didn't care, or maybe just didn't understand? At 4:30 AM I finally told her I HAD TO go back to bed and get some sleep. I left her in the chair, she had wrapped herself up in a blanket and shoulder-wrap.

Momo woke me up for her breakfast around 8:30, and Nannie was still sitting in her chair, but this time she was completely dressed and had on one of her favorite jackets. I went back to bed after I put Momo's plate down. I sent SiL a message about Nannie being up all night, and she texted me back that she would come a little earlier today. Later, I was aware there was someone in the house, but I ignored it. She was giving Nannie a perm!

I finally slept for a few hours, woke up at 1:45 PM, got up and dressed. BiL was also here; he is putting together an awning to go over the patio so we can sit outside without frying in the sun, or getting soaked from rain. SiL is now going to vacuum downstairs and wash the floors.

I did talk to SiL to ask her if she's noticed how bad Nannie is getting, and she said "some, but not too much". I said she needed to be here 24/7 to understand and see it for herself. She mentioned the Senior Daycare again, but so far is still saying she needs to call that lady AGAIN. I told SiL that if she could get me a one week respite....like Nannie would be gone for all 7 days....I could really apply myself to get things done that have been weighing on me. She told me to not worry about it because I already do MORE than my share. (no 'tish' I do! <That spelling is for TOS) But THAT'S not the point! Anyway she said something about taking Nannie down to the beach for a week, which *I* think would be great, because then I could have the house to myself and SHE would have to deal with Nannie 24/7 that week. I don't know when that might happen, but it's a fabulous idea if it could happen.

So I am up in my room on the bed with Momo, and am staring at the two piles of folded clothes.... SiL said something about taking Nannie out in the car and picking up some sub sandwiches for lunch. Though I want to get the clothes put away, I don't want to start in and then get interrupted to eat. Frequent interruptions, no matter by whom or what, are why I can't get anything taken care of! I "work well with MYSELF" but in this case, not especially with others. The stuff I want to do doesn't require 'team work'.

I did poke around in the shed, but it got SOOO HOT in there, I never did find what I was looking for. I will have to take a good, but cooler, weather day and start earlier, to pull out boxes to stack outside, until I find the stuff that was SUPPOSED TO BE (and was labeled as such) unloaded first, at the house, 8 years ago! I have a feeling that on the right side, in the back lower corner of the shed is where those items I'm searching for are, so there will be a lot of emptying the shed of OTHER boxes that are in the way before I locate those particular boxes. I think waiting 8 years to find my stuff is quite long enough!

All for now. Maybe I can get a FEW things taken care of tomorrow when Chatty CG is here. OH! No! She's coming from 12n-5p this week because Momo has an appt at noon with the vet. I said I'd get Nannie up in the chair and probably leave 10 or 15 minutes before CG gets here. See? "It's always something", like Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say! If I EVER get "time on my side" I'll be positively ecstatic. I would put out a 'welcome mat' that says "SCRAM!" and wear a t-shirt that says "DON'T talk to me!" It's hard to be an introvert/loner/hermit when everyone else gets first dibs on my time.

I will continue to lean on SiL about me being able to have some extended time to myself, unburdened by anything Nannie might need.

So, that's it for today, I reckon. Okay, BYE!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Oct 23, 2024

Stars, my parents used to have a "welcome mat" that said, "GO AWAY". They set it out when we went to visit once (to be funny, I think!)

Here's hoping Nannie gets a beach vacation soon.

Oklahoma City set a new record high for October 23 of 90 degrees today. 🌡️

I saw my PCP (whom I barely know) this morning about the knee. She gave me prescriptions for meloxicam and methylpred. It seems to be getting worse. I also took Twin B with me so he could visit the urgent care because he's got this awful fungal infection on his scalp and his neck. His was a long visit because his blood pressure was dangerously high. I preach and preach and he just says, "I know." So he has a prescription for an oral antifungal and a renewed prescription for losartan and strict instructions to follow up next week. He says, "I've been focusing on paying off my student loans." I say, "The student loans won't matter if you're dead or severely disabled by a stroke." And you think life is hard now, just try it with kidney failure. Aaargh.

Last night Hubs noticed that Sam the cat suddenly pulled his head back and then batted at his face with his paw. Hubs looked to see what was going on, and saw a scorpion on the floor. It would seem that Sam got stung. He seems fine. I learned that we can give him benadryl (1 mg/lb of body weight). It's unsettling to think about a scorpion in the house. My friends who live in Arizona have to watch out for them all the time but I can't remember ever having one in the house here. I got stung by one at Girl Scout camp when I was 11 or so and it hurt!

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 23, 2024

Our friend has a doormat that reads, "Doorbell broken, yell DING DONG real loud"

Ado, ugh, scorpion?? Hope the cat is OK. I also hope Twin B's meds help his rash and BP. Yes, that high BP IS scary, as we nurses know. And it is hard to pass on that concern to others, especially those we know well. Similar to the Bible verse (I paraphrase), a prophet is without honor in his own country.

No Stars, Ihopeihopeihopeihopeihope Nannie goes to the beach, and soon! And that something opens up for senior day care. Agree, the rest of the family have only a partial understanding of the depth of Nannies dementia and what it takes to be her 24/7 caregiver. That awning sounds nice to have.

Quiet day here. I need to get gas in the car and a couple things at the grocery store. And I have a sewing project I want to accomplish.

Have a good day/evening!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Oct 24, 2024

Scorpion!? Yikes! My little house spider that was on the handle of my coffee cup is nothing compared to that! I found it this morning, and just moved my cup outside for a while to let it find someplace to catch yummies outside.

I worked at the demo garden this morning, spreading compost, cleaning up rose bushes, picking a few weeds. I noticed a lot of whitefly, but it will freeze soon, so I'm not going to do much about those now. I took some cookies to ds, and then called my sis. Somehow I managed to run down the battery in the car, so I called dh in the off chance he was near. He was finishing some food bank deliveries and then came to pick me up. In the meantime I grabbed a BLT and a cup of coffee. The sandwich was very salty. I went back to the pharmacy to pick up a refill, that still hasn't come in. So I will go back tomorrow. Weather was partly sunny and only in the 40s. I took a nap, I keep waking in the night with numb, aching hands.

I can only imagine how Nannie might decompensate if she spent some time away out of her element. That could be a huge reality check for her family.

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 24, 2024

I got my sewing project done. Got groceries earlier, cruised thru a newly opened Dollar Tree, spent a whole $12 there. Got gas in the car and got it washed.

I hope we all sleep well tonite.