Monday, March 24, 2014

Did I say something about spring being in the air? If I did, I was wrong. Temps still in the 20s. Cold walk this morning with the pups and Aunt Betty. And tomorrow, we are expecting yet another snowstorm. Oh well. It won’t be too bad. At least all of the snow and ice from previous storms are gone. How will my plants survive?

Mom has been having trouble with her bowels. Serious problems. I called the doctor this morning to discuss possible solutions. But we solved the week-long problem with more water. We have been giving her MiraLAX for a week now. That, plus a large glass of water (mom only drinks water out of desperation) seemed to clear the problem. But cleaning was a challenge. The caregiver we hired must have been challenged last night and of course was not privy to where I keep my cleaning solutions. Thus, the work this morning was a little extra heavy.

This morning, mom thinks she is in Secaucus and that Rob’s brother lives in Ohio. Just a few miles off. He lives in California. Mom asks Rob about his brother with some frequency. And sometimes she actually remembers that he lives in California. And the cat is still on the ceiling fan. Someday, she and Dr. Seuss will share cat stories in heaven! Oh well. We all have good days and bad days. (Just check my Lumosity scores!)

But mom is eating her daily Cheerios and drinking her coffee once again. I have an editing job to get out on Wednesday—so, it’s back to work for me!

Later—

You finally do get a good routine going: changing clothing, diapers/underwear, soaking hands and cutting fingernails to be sure they are clean, sterilizing nail clippers, washing toilets and bathroom floors again and again…

Betty related an incident her son shared about his little son Dylan. He was not feeling well and would not eat supper. Later he vomited in the windowsill, of all places. When David felt Dylan might want to go out to join the Boy Scouts on a hike, he asked Dylan how he felt. Dylan agreed to go, but had to be carried half the way. Still later in the car, David noticed a terrible odor. It happened that Dylan had soiled his clothing and was totally unaware of it on all levels. Seems to be what happens at both ends of the spectrum. Both parents and caregivers have to be experts at cleaning and sterilizing and knowing what products to use that will be easy on them and on others in the household. Disinfecting is essential when dealing with children and the elderly.

I prefer isopropyl alcohol (watch out, it’s highly flammable) and hydrogen peroxide (in which the nail clippers are now soaking, but it’s not good on all metals). Clorox, although excellent, is tough on the lungs and should be used sparingly. Lysol wipes are good, and I use them prodigiously.

Still Later—

Nurse finally called back. They recommended, of course, a suppository for mom and Preparation-H. Will find some OTC variety that I hope will do the trick. Been a horrible 2 weeks. And I am denying her the cookies she loves. Gotta watch the diet! Would give her detox tea, if she would drink it. But that is a problem. Mom isn’t much of a tea drinker. And detoxing only provides a mild cleansing under normal circumstances. Still, am sticking to organic vegetable soups and no meats for right now. Mom asked for a sandwhich, but bread is also out until this problem is sorted out.

Well, back to work. More anon!