Mom's
eating issues got worse by April. She passed out on the sidewalk, across from
the theatre where I was working. I tried to catch her but it didn't work out
well. Thank goodness people suddenly appeared and helped me lower her to the
ground slowly. She ended up going to the hospital by ambulance. She was down
from 140 lbs. at the end of December to 107 pounds. Insanity! I ended up
putting her on Hospice for "failure to thrive", which turned out to
be the best thing I could have done for her. They took her off a lot of meds,
put her on new ones and made sure to add an appetite stimulant. By June, she'd
gained enough weight to be taken off of Hospice and now she's back to 134 lbs.
She still looks a little too thin, since she was 160 a little over a year ago.
It's a relief that she is gaining weight, because she barely had the energy or
stamina to walk. I started getting really nervous about taking her out, because
I was afraid she'd pass out and/or fall again and I'm just not strong enough to
catch her. Now, I feel like I don't have to worry about that as much.
Her memory is getting WAY worse. It seems like it happened quickly
over the past couple of weeks. She can't remember anything from a day before.
For example, we went to church and to lunch yesterday. She even had her
favorite food! Yet, today, she has no recollection of it. She's convinced that
she stays home all day every day, even though she goes to the Alzheimer's
Center 3 days a week, and I take her to church/lunch on Sundays. She can't even
remember the name of the school where she worked during most of my life...not
even with hints. I knew her short-term memory would slip, but it's shocking to
see the long-term going already. She was just diagnosed in November! She has
also lost the names of foods and objects. She'll just say "Those
things" or "That thing". It’s really sad to see.
The worst part is that she's begun to get verbally abusive toward
me. It's been pretty awful. I know it's the disease, but it's really hard to
hear horribly mean things coming from the person who's supposed to love you
most...and had been my best friend during most of my adult years. This part's
been very hard on me and particularly stressful. I'm still seeing my therapists
and taking my anxiety meds, but it's still so painful. This disease BLOWS!!!
Finding the Fun:
1. I love listening to my Mom sing gospels in the car. Strangely,
she still remembers most of the words to those.
2. Sometimes, I get to watch Mom dance to her music with her
caregiver, J.
3. Yesterday, she looked fabulously put together for the first
time in months. She's been wearing clothes that are not weather appropriate or
matching. Usually, I have to coax her to change into clothes that match by
making it "fun and fabulous".
