A Sunny Day

Yesterday, Jack and I installed the new chair lift for Mom in the front stairway. He took some photos, maybe he will post them for your viewing pleasure. It works great, Mom got a ride down and up on it when we were done and it was really fun to watch her cruising up with a big smile on her face. Thanks Jack!! Thanks to Jack and Connie Hume for their considerable generosity. Big ups. (and downs. and up and down again. the thing doesn't go fast enough to sell rides to the neighborhood kids, darnnit)

Mom spent a lot of yesterday feeling nauseas. She had neglected to take the suppository before her anti-biotic which is what keeps her from feeling so nauseous. She had the dry heaves several times and complained of having alot of mucus. Dr. Dasher recommended she take robotoson DM. Also, when Tony, the hospice nurse, came over, she discovered that the patch on Mom's arm was hanging off. We thought maybe Mom might have been picking at it and that made it less effective. Tony put a new one on and taped it on and wrote on the tape the date and time so we could remember. She suggested that Mom have a schedule made up of all the medications and times to take them so that she could get evened out. Mom wasn't in favor of that. I asked her several times during the day if we could work on making one. I thought I could make it in word and send it to someone who has a printer hooked up to their computer. She insists that she doesn't need one.

The hospice nurse, Cathy, just brought over a pill container that is arranged by days and morning afternoon and evening. Seems like an effective schedule keeper too. I'll help her load it up.. I think in conjunction with the pill journal, this will help keep her on track.
Cathy just took some blood from her and is bringing it to Nathan Lateur for cbc tests to determine how her red blood count is doing and if she needs a transfusion.
I'll post later when we find out the results.

Yesterday Mom didn't eat all that much, the nausea was keeping her from eating. I made her some eggs and toast in the morning, she barely touched it. I made her a smoothie, she drank maybe one sip of it. I cooked some quinoa and she finally ate a little. Later, I made some nice veggie soup for her, but when I gave it to her, she couldn't eat it either. I went and got some ginger ale for her and that seemed to help her stomach out. We initially thought she should take it flat, but turns out she likes the carbonation because it helps her to burp. I guess she likes burping, it relieves some of the nausea. We decided last night that carbonated water is the way to go and I am thinking that I could add some ginger tea to it. That way we avoid the high fructose corn syrup that is in the commercial ginger ale and the nasty chemicals lurking therein.

Last night, Mom had a nice acupressure session with Nancy from up the street and also had visits from Mary Ann and Lynn but not at the same time. Mary Ann rode up in the new stair lift!

She had a bit of a rough start to today, with dry heaves again this morning. But she is not constipated anymore, which is a huge relief. She had some very active bowel movements this morning. She took some toast this morning with ginger tea and rice milk. About an hour ago I fed her some nice sauteed spinach with onions over quinoa which is her favorite food, apparently. (I also can't spell it- quinoa? quionoa?)

Later on we are going to see if she wants to ride down the stairs to spend a little time in her studio for a change of scenery.

Jules is purchasing a new fancy chair for Mom tomorro morning and will be bringing it up in the early part of the day. I will help Julie bring the chair upstairs and get it situated. It will help her to elevate her feet above her heart. We are currently co-ordinating a ride for Mom to the doctors office at one. Silas is going to call Lynn and Harry to ask them. I'll be going south back to Brooklyn stopping in Rotterdam to visit my Uncle Jim and Aunt Deb whom I have not seen for quite a while....

I am encouraging Mom to gave that nice priest from the Catholic Church a call and see if he'll come by and visit her again, last time it really lifted her spirits considerably.

I am trying to remind Mom to have a sense of humor, but honestly, it's really been a hard week for her, so her humor is a bit wore out. Hoping that getting her downstairs in the studio will elevate her spirits a bit. It's a beautiful, sunny day outside today. The cats are planning a mutiny if I don't hurry up and go buy them some nice cans of cat food.

Jack is downstairs putting the door back on backwards so it doesn't interfere with the new stair lifts action. Thanks Jack!! (how many times can we thank you guys?? You, her friends, are really becoming more and more part of the family)

I know Mom is very thankful for all of the wonderful support everyone is giving her. All of your help, this means YOU, is much appreciated. Thanks!!!!!!

Holding down the fort at the Commonground, yours truly