Still Here...

Hello everyone. My buddy Harry sent me a comment via one of my other posts, and I guess it has been a bit since I last posted. Harry to answer your question, yes we are still here..  Thank you so much for your concern.
Things have just been busy: kids out school, going back and forth to our Carolina property..and my mother. She was officially diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimers. And the past month has not been easy. My mother is so fixated on all her OTC vitamins, laxatives and etc. The doctor asked us to clean everything out and destroy it. We tried, but did not realize the scope of her fixation, or the levels she would go through to protect them.  She has stuff hidden quite well throughout their house. Even stashing bottles in with my dads diabetes medication. We also found a hoard of pain killers she had in the very back of her kitchen cabinets, the expiration dates were several years ago. We thought that maybe she forgot there were there, but no. That is not the case, she became quite agitated when we tried to destroy them, and openly acknowledged that she still takes them..
She will then regress backwards in her mind to almost a childlike demeanor, beginning us not to take them away or judge her.

It is heart breaking for me to see my mom like this. One minute she is engaged in a conversation with you, and the next she has no recollection of every thing that was just said. She refers to the men in her life as "mister" because she can not remember their names.

So with all this going on the last thing on my mind has been writing up a post. But, I will say that maybe I need to do this, writing about it, and talking about it is therapy. It helps ease my heart ache because I know I have all you good folks out there who are concerned and  care.

-JUGM

Some Days...

I just want to pull all my hair out.. My Parents...I really do love them, but lately they have been the reason I have taken stock in Clairol hair color.

It is not easy with them. My father still has not fully recovered from his March hospital stay, and my mother's dementia worsens every day. Now, she has had an amazing amount of weight loss. Rapidly I might add.

My Concerns with my mother falls on deaf ears... To her the weight loss is a splendid thing and I am just being jealous. But to me, my family and even strangers. She does not look well and I am worried.
Today another argument with her, she takes too many medications and I fear she is also abusing vitamins...is that even possible? 
This was actually said today:

ME: " is this new magnesium pill you are taking doing any good" ?
HER: "Yes, the bottle says it helps relax muscles and helps with moodiness"
ME: "But do you feel it is helping YOU"
HER: "The bottle says it does..so yea it is"

Do you see where this conversation was going? Then she goes off topic, which happens in every conversation you have with her:

HER: " are you pregnant?"
ME: " WHAT"?  No.. 
HER: " well then maybe you need to take these pills to help you lose some weight, I think you are just jealous at how fabulous I look"

 She orders out of magazines, my father does nothing. My mother is taking so much crud, that she does not know what it is for. I believe one day she will drop from cardiac arrest.

*sigh*  Ever feel like you are in a bad situation and your hands are completely tied?  Yep, that is how me and my siblings feel..... 

Thank you all for listening...just needed to vent it out

-JUGM

End of a Long Week

I will be happy for the weekend. Sunday morning we leave for the South Carolina Estate for Spring Break..This week has been long and rough for me and my family. Dad is still in the hospital. Yesterday was the needle aspiration - 1-2 gallons of fluid was extracted, then he was started on Lasix. Since Tuesday he has now dropped almost 40 pounds.  WOW!

While he is feeling much better, he is having a potassium issue and for that reason they want to keep him hospitalized at least for tomorrow, but possibly until Sunday. This water retention problem will come back, the cirrhosis has grown more intense. Ultimately he will need a liver transplant, but my father because of his age, has all ready told us he will decline it.

I called the Foundation for Alzheimer's and Dementia to get some information in reference to my mom. Lots of prayers will be needed for this, as we start the dreaded journey down the road to obtain an evaluation and help for her.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for the prayers, love and support- it means more to me and my family then you will ever know.. 

             ***************************************************************
Today was beautiful here, I desired some much needed therapy so I grabbed my camera and prior to getting the boys from school I drove around a bit and took some pics.
Have I told you  lately how much I love black and white? 




This farmhouse is on the way to school- I  have always liked it
 



I pass this train car every day- I think it has lots of character

I like the way this branch hangs over this small creek



A old house turned into an antique store-


 

Update on My Dad...

First off  THANK YOU all for the prayers.. I could feel the warmth from all the concern and love expressed for my family yesterday.

Dad is in the hospital for at least a couple of days. He has approx. a 1-2 gallons of fluid built up in his abdomen, which is causing extreme pain and is pressing against his heart and lungs. The X-rays showed his lungs were clear, so that is a good sign. T
His doctor is using medication to help relieve him of the fluid, and it is starting to work. But, they are also going to do a needle aspiration to draw the fluid out. Also his platelet count is VERY low...today it was 39.
He suffers from Cirrhosis of the liver, and the doctors believe it has grown worse. It was interesting because the admitting doctor lifted Dads shirt, and showed us red blotches across his stomach, and he told us that was a sign of increased Cirrhosis. Plus Dad looks incredibly jaundiced, and his skin is very dehydrated and cold.

My brother flew in from Seattle to be here, mainly for my dad. But also because he is the one person  my mother will listen to.
If there is any good news from this, it is that Dad, yesterday admitted my mother is having problems, and needs some sort of evaluation for her mental abilities. For so long, he has denied anything was wrong, but her behavior yesterday opened his eyes to the fact that indeed something is not right.

It is sad for me, to see both my parents at the same time like this  How does one deal with this? I have one parent declining medically and the other mentally. It is hard to watch the daily deterioration of my mother. She was also so well kept, and her house was immaculate.
Now, she is the complete opposite, she has removed her self from society and all she wants to do is stay in their house, talking to her you would think she is a 4-5 year old..it is as if she is regressing in age.   It is really tough and makes me very emotional.

I have my Senior and my boys there for support they are wonderful and I am truly blessed to be loved so much. . If anyone knows how I am feeling it is Senior-he has lost both his parents, and my beam of support. His strong arms give me security. I know I have all of you as well, you are all a second family--So thank you again.

-JUGM