What folks tell you about a patient who is your family is nothing. Just all of it. No one can prepare the family who thinks they know what it's going to be. It is the hospice nurse who knows to the ground she is nothing but office help at this point and doesn't know what is up or down. My sister Kristy is the real powerhouse in the caretaking business.
So drugs. They are a beautiful thing except for the time when they decided to have a upside down and sideways effect. It wildly swings from funny to infuriating and begging for quiet while he is in his mania!
Comedy was this evening's menu. All things are extra from him. He asks for something to drink, you get up to get it and he calls your name and says it again. Well, Kristy's the name he calls. He doesn't get that he JUST asked the question.
Tonight was the progression of him being willing to take us at our teasing as teasing. Sometimes he has to be reminded that there is still sarcasm in this life and that we are not out to get him. He is the WORST with his partner of 25+/- years. If there is something weird that happens while Meg is in the house, he will lash out and think the worst of her, first thing. Not deserved, btw. You know I would say if it were!!
When the yellow/tan skeleton decides that he needs to be walking around, everyone holds their breath! He is off balance and has fallen, held up by my BIL, John to avert another fall. He likely weighs 90 lbs.
Non-sense comes out of his mouth. Sometimes he can weave a story and then provide us clarity on the one piece that is missing. Then we catch up. He turns something on TV (which has to run all the time) and becomes agitated because Kristy is on her phone, I am on my computer or my phone and it doesn't feel like anyone is watching WITH him. Irritated. If he is watching and listening he shushes us. If we watch with him and are into it, he wants to tell every story with every distraction and then roll back for the TV show and start over. It's nuts.
He had an infection in his eye. He could barely open it and was in pain. We got abx and eye drops for him from hospice. Ornery, no on the abx, they don't taste good. No, he's tired and doesn't want to do eye drops.
Fast forward to today. Can hospice get me to an EN&T to check my ears, says he. My eyes are getting better but my ears still have fluid and are stuffed. So I say.....remember that abx we got from hospice? If you had actually taken that you would likely be over. Now, he's taking it. Also he had 2 contacts in. Refused to take it out. Either of them; until a friend came over and took it out for him.
Had me make him an eye doctor appointment. His prescription isn't updated so he needs order new contacts. Ahem. New contacts? OK...what are you gonna do? How long will you live to wear them? I'm the one who delivers the bad news.
His ability to swallow is on the brink of not being a thing. He is on so much medication that the use of the liquid meds we have in the house is going to be so insignificant. The hospice has an inpatient unit. We are hoping to get him in there for some IV medications continuously. We will see. We call and check in daily to see if there is a bed.
His belly is starting to swell. He will likely need to be tapped. It is starting to make it hard for him to deep breathe.
So we are in the confusion/sort of crazy/paranoid/funny/grouchy/needy/demanding/whispering/yelling/asshole/LOUK man!
Just keep swimming.....
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