On Saturday I woke up with a little bit of a cough and by Sunday morning I had a full-fledged cold. And it’s a doozy! I’m coughing so hard I can’t even eat anything and my nose is running like crazy and a low-grade fever to boot. I have tested negative for Covid twice. That was a relief. 🤧😷🤒
Needless to say, I can’t go see Mom, so it’s been left up to Dennis to go over three or four times a day and calm her down. I talk to her on the phone at least five or six times every day. She does not understand where she is. She thinks we dropped her off at a small town and left her there in a hospital. Well, sometimes at the hospital and sometimes it’s a hotel. We think that is because I got on the interstate to take her to the neurologist on Friday and that made her think we went to a different town. She thinks we all, Dennis and I, Brad, Mandy & Piper, live there with her. She keeps asking where Piper’s room is because she wants to go tuck her into bed. I feel so bad for her because she sounds so lost and alone sometime. But other times she’s thrilled to be there and thinks it’s the greatest place in the world. They took her to the theater upstairs this afternoon, where she watched “Beethoven” and had a wonderful time and then they had a welcome party in the dining room for the new residents.
We’re hoping she will settle in more and more every day, although we know that our new reality is going to be much different than it has ever been, and will change daily. Meanwhile, I just don’t have the energy to do anything except sit and knit a few rows at a time and mindlessly watch YouTube. I hadn’t started packing anything at Mom‘s apartment until Thursday so we wouldn’t confuse her. Even with that, when I got there early Friday morning, she had already unpacked a few boxes, and I found things in the strangest places! By Friday night we had everything put away in her new apartment except the pictures being hung up on the walls. We did that Saturday morning with Mandy‘s help.
I’ll be back when I can but I think I’m going to have to take another short break. I’m still reading your blogs. I just don’t have the energy to comment at this point. I don’t know how Cindy does it with having Covid for weeks. My hat is off to you, Cindy!😍 (Cindy has the blog “delighted hands.”)
Take care everyone!
Blessings and love,
Betsy
Being sick is no fun. I hope you feel better soon. I had an upset stomach since Friday evening and had to reschedule my visit with my sister that was supposed to be 2/17. I stayed home Sunday but after church Phil took me to Dennys for lunch. Hope you have a good night sleep and diffuse YL eo that may help you in this time life 😀. You're in prayers 🙏 ❤️ I hope Dennis is doing well with his mom. God bless you both. ~ Becky
ReplyDeleteI hope you get better quickly and recover fully. Being sick is no fun.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better and that Mom settles in soon. Sending hugs!
ReplyDeleteIt is so difficult to deal with the emotions that go along with dementia. All this stuff with my unexpected brother has brought up all those feelings again for me and I'm not exactly happy about re-living all that. Take care of yourself. I hope you are feeling better soon.
ReplyDeleteTake all the time you need. Having gone through this same thing with my father a few years ago I realized it was almost worse for the family than it was for him. It's easy to resent all the time and emotional energy that it takes to deal with a person who can no longer care for themselves. I had to keep reminding myself that we were all doing the best we could for him; he could no longer care for himself and all the angst in the world was not going change the situation. He lived in the memory care facility for 3.5 years and grew to feel very safe there. We were advised to not bring him home too often because it confused him. Also, short visits with a limited number of people worked the best. I know every family situation is different but I found the people who worked in my Dad's facility were gifted in ways I had no connection with. They created a safe, clean and somewhat normal environment for the patients and helped the family members interact so as not to create more confusion for the patient. It's also common for them to think things are different from what ithey really are. . For example: My dad thought I was his sister (I do look a lot like her) and the odder thing, he tought my mother ran off with another man! She actually died soon after he entered this facility. That made me realize he was in an alternate reality and had no connection to the real world. They were happily married for 64 years and there never was any infidelity. A sense of humor is important! Take care of yourself and feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteStaying connected while I've been so sick has been medicine for me-that's how I've done it! It is lonely to be cut off while you are sick! I am so sorry you have been knocked out of commission with this cold; I'm sure that snot messes with your brain cells! lol Rest up; I am so sorry your mil is struggling with the change of apartments!
ReplyDeleteGet well soon!
ReplyDeleteFresh garlic and vitamin D help!
Oh, I am so sorry to hear how sick you are with that bug. That is NO fun, especially with all you are going through otherwise. My heart goes out to all of you. We went through that with my MIL years ago, but once she got "settled", she loved it and told us to never try to take her out of there because she loved it! She enjoyed the interaction with other people and playing bingo and other activities. It was great for her and us once she got settled. But this confusion is quite normal. Not sure what kind of meds she is on, but hopefully the neurologist will look at all of that along with her MRI and see what's going on. She may just need an adjustment to some of her meds. Time will tell, but we will be praying for you and your MIL. Please take care of YOURSELF right now! You probably just had too much to do after that lovely vacation/cruise, and your body didn't have time to catch up! Praying!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling better very soon. We went thru a similar situation with my mother in law and it was heartbreaking for sure, but she did settle in after a while. I hope that's the case for your family. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot going on your lives right now, Betsy. I'm so sorry to hear that you've picked up a nasty cold. I hope and pray that you can get over it soon. Good job moving Dennis's mom into her new place. I will pray that she will love it ALL THE TIME and not just some of the time, soon. Take care and get well soon! Love you guys.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you have been ill. A cold like that just lingers and it is exhausting. I think resting and watching a little Youtube and a little knitting is just the ticket. I'm so sorry about Dennis's mom. It is so hard to watch someone you love in that state. I know with my dad it was also so wearing just trying to keep up with their thoughts. When I moved him to assisted living, I thought I would get some rest. Silly me. He would call me all day long with questions and demands. I was over there at least once every day. One night he was having trouble breathing and called me instead of pulling the cord. I had to borrow my husband's phone to call the nurses station on another line. He knew where it was, he just wanted me to come over and take him to the hospital, not the nurses and the ambulance. He didn't trust them. I will pray for all of you. It is so great she is participating in activities!
ReplyDeleteYour poor dear MIL. I hope she settles in quickly. And you, poor dear. I am so sorry you caught that awful cold. Drink lots of tea and have lots of naps; hopefully soon you'll feel better.
ReplyDeleteYou have so much on your plate and your sweet attitude while doing all this sick yourself. Praying God will heal you quickly and do great and mighty things for your MIL. Sending love and prayers.
ReplyDeleteYou, your family and especially your mom are in my prayers. It's hard to take care of yourself when you feel the need to take care of someone else, but right now you need to take care of your health. You can't care for others until you're better. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better soon. Remember what they say on the airplane ......put your oxygen (take care of yourself) first.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard when someone has dementia and their routine changes. Hopefully, Dennis' mom will get into a new routine quickly and love her new place.
Hugs from way out here in the east.
Oh dear Betsy, I'm so sorry to hear about all the upsetting things you have going on. I can only imagine how difficult it is to not be able to go see her, especially with the transfer to the new facility. And having a nasty cold is so miserable - praying for you now, that you will get healing and relief soon from all these things! Blessings, hugs and prayers!
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