Life lately
~*~
I started an entry full of the pleasant things happening lately. This is not that post.
One week ago, Dec. 13th, is probably when my Uncle Clayton’s decline in health was noticeably worse because on Dec. 12th, he was still somewhat communicative and cognitive and responsive.
My uncle had an appointment on Dec. 13th with the hearing specialist at the local hospital, regarding the results of his hearing test. When I arrived at the nursing home, the nurse told me he wasn’t having a good day. He was disoriented and not himself at all. I probably shouldn’t have taken him to his appointment but he needed the prescription for his ear drops. He wasn’t happy about going and I almost couldn’t get him out of the car. I thought he possibly couldn’t hear/understand my asking him to get out of the car and into the wheelchair. I also thought he might be too weak to get up so I helped him get his legs out of the car but as soon as I turned back from pulling the wheelchair closer he had gotten back into the car. We did that several times. Since it was cold and drizzling rain, I had pulled under the covered entrance to the clinic to get him into his wheelchair and wheel him inside. I tried telling him loudly to stay right there and wait for me while I parked the car but I knew it was 50/50 whether he heard or understood me. I parked as fast as possible and he hadn’t gotten too far on his own. He doesn’t do well with the waiting to see doctors and he’s gotten so weak he can’t really sit up for long. He kept sliding out of his wheelchair. He saw the doctor, got his prescription, and got the doctor’s written order/recommendation for hearing aids. When I got him back to the nursing home, he was asleep before I could even get him into his bed. I’ve requested his doctor recommend ambulance transport for future appointments/treatments. That way he can lie down during the trips and have priority in seeing the doctor, hopefully lessening the time/wait for him.
My mom, dad, sister, and I have been visiting him every day and he’s not improved any this past week. I’ve been in contact with the nurses daily and as well as his doctor.
On December 15th the nursing home contacted me, saying they had found him in the floor by his bed. The nurse had just been in the room five minutes prior, giving him his medicine. He probably fell while trying to get to the bathroom. He was thoroughly checked, seemed fine, and said he was okay. They monitored him closely for 24 hours after that.
Given what the medical staff is saying and what I’m reading, he’s showing many signs and symptoms of a cancer patient’s final weeks/days as their body’s systems begin to shut down. He’s already experiencing all of the following: Progressive weakness and exhaustion; Needing to sleep much of the time, often spending most of the day in bed or resting; Weight loss and muscle wasting; Loss of appetite and difficulty eating or swallowing fluids; Decreased ability to talk and to concentrate; Loss of interest in things that were previously important; Loss of interest in the outside world and wanting only a few people nearby; Breathing slower, sometimes with very long pauses between breaths; Skin becomes cool, especially the hands and feet; Dry mouth and dry or cracked lips; Physical restlessness or repetitive, involuntary movements; Disorientation and confusion about time, place, and identity of people, including family and close friends; Hallucinations; and Drifting in and out of consciousness.
Needless to say, this is and will be difficult for all his family and friends. I know Mom is having a hard time with this because he hasn’t recognized her during the last couple of visits. One good thing is he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. His scheduled pain meds seem to be working well. We’ve been taking his favorite foods between meals but he was only eating maybe one or two bites of food at a time, if that. The nursing home is doing everything they can to make sure he’s comfortable. He has another chemo treatment scheduled for Dec. 26th but if he’s still in this condition, I doubt he’ll be able to go. I’ll be calling his doctors before then to check with them.
Now on to today’s events. This afternoon the nursing home called to let me know my uncle was being transported by ambulance to the hospital ER for evaluation. They said he tried to stick a fork in his ear so evidently his dementia is continuing to worsen. At the ER, they ran CAT scans and were able to do some lab work with the very few drops of blood they were able to get. Everything came back satisfactory, not requiring any medical treatment. The CAT scans didn’t show any significant changes in the brain and lung tumors. He was released and transported back to the nursing home by ambulance.
Dad went to the nursing home to make sure my uncle got settled in and I went back to work. Fifteen minutes later Dad called to tell me Clayton had gotten out of bed and was found in the floor. His had a bruise on his forehead and did answer yes when asked if he was hurt. They suspected he may have landed on his hip so they sent him back to the ER for X-rays. My BIL and I went to the ER so Dad could go home for a while. The doctor said the X-rays looked okay and released him. I drove ahead so I could be waiting in his room and my BIL rode with him in the ambulance back to the nursing home. We got him settled in, he took his meds (well, he spit out two of the four pills), and was sleeping when we left. The nursing home set up an infrared sensor which will detect when he tries to get out of bed and a courtesy aide will go by his room every fifteen minutes. Dad will be going by to check on him tomorrow morning after he goes to his own doctor appointment.
I think that’s it for today. Hopefully. *watches the clock*
My mom's side of the family has really had a roller coaster rush of major medical issues this last few months. My uncle's surgery/diagnosis coincided with my mom's knee replacement surgery, actually one day apart in two different cities. One cousin was scheduled for a leg amputation the day after Thanksgiving but it became an emergency situation, happening the day before Thanksgiving. My aunt and cousins had their T-Day dinner in the hospital cafeteria 2-1/2 hours from home. The amputation went well and he was just released to spend Christmas at home, but he will return to the hospital the day after Christmas so they can amputate his other leg. What could have caused this? Alcoholism. Yes, he's 54 and has almost drank himself to death. The doctors replaced the arteries in both his legs this summer trying to save his legs but even that couldn't help. I'm not close with this cousin but I am close to his mother and sister and I feel terrible for what they're now dealing with.
Another cousin (same family) was recently in a car accident and his back is broken in two places and fractured in seven. He broke every rib, left side and right, and punctured a lung. They were finally able to remove the intubation tube but he now has pneumonia. This morning he had to have a tracheotomy. I think he's in his late 20's. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and I'm doubtful his tox screen results will be clean. Again, not a cousin I associate with but I feel compassion for him and his family. I do get a glare from my mother whenever I make a natural selection joke lately. I guess I should be nicer and curb that instinct.
I am worried about my mom's sister who is having a very difficult time dealing with all this. She's not in great health herself and she's been stressing about her sister's knee, her brother's cancer, her son's amputation(s), and her grandson's accident/hospitalization. My mom is a worrier herself and she's worried about everyone. I am ever so thankful I'm not a worrier. Despite everything going on, I'm blessed with clarity of thought, peace of mind, and a strength that continues to grow. I think everything falls into place according to the Serenity Prayer with serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Maybe tomorrow I will post that other entry about happier things, because there are joyful moments to be found in life even during the worst of times.
~ The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love. ~
I started an entry full of the pleasant things happening lately. This is not that post.
One week ago, Dec. 13th, is probably when my Uncle Clayton’s decline in health was noticeably worse because on Dec. 12th, he was still somewhat communicative and cognitive and responsive.
My uncle had an appointment on Dec. 13th with the hearing specialist at the local hospital, regarding the results of his hearing test. When I arrived at the nursing home, the nurse told me he wasn’t having a good day. He was disoriented and not himself at all. I probably shouldn’t have taken him to his appointment but he needed the prescription for his ear drops. He wasn’t happy about going and I almost couldn’t get him out of the car. I thought he possibly couldn’t hear/understand my asking him to get out of the car and into the wheelchair. I also thought he might be too weak to get up so I helped him get his legs out of the car but as soon as I turned back from pulling the wheelchair closer he had gotten back into the car. We did that several times. Since it was cold and drizzling rain, I had pulled under the covered entrance to the clinic to get him into his wheelchair and wheel him inside. I tried telling him loudly to stay right there and wait for me while I parked the car but I knew it was 50/50 whether he heard or understood me. I parked as fast as possible and he hadn’t gotten too far on his own. He doesn’t do well with the waiting to see doctors and he’s gotten so weak he can’t really sit up for long. He kept sliding out of his wheelchair. He saw the doctor, got his prescription, and got the doctor’s written order/recommendation for hearing aids. When I got him back to the nursing home, he was asleep before I could even get him into his bed. I’ve requested his doctor recommend ambulance transport for future appointments/treatments. That way he can lie down during the trips and have priority in seeing the doctor, hopefully lessening the time/wait for him.
My mom, dad, sister, and I have been visiting him every day and he’s not improved any this past week. I’ve been in contact with the nurses daily and as well as his doctor.
On December 15th the nursing home contacted me, saying they had found him in the floor by his bed. The nurse had just been in the room five minutes prior, giving him his medicine. He probably fell while trying to get to the bathroom. He was thoroughly checked, seemed fine, and said he was okay. They monitored him closely for 24 hours after that.
Given what the medical staff is saying and what I’m reading, he’s showing many signs and symptoms of a cancer patient’s final weeks/days as their body’s systems begin to shut down. He’s already experiencing all of the following: Progressive weakness and exhaustion; Needing to sleep much of the time, often spending most of the day in bed or resting; Weight loss and muscle wasting; Loss of appetite and difficulty eating or swallowing fluids; Decreased ability to talk and to concentrate; Loss of interest in things that were previously important; Loss of interest in the outside world and wanting only a few people nearby; Breathing slower, sometimes with very long pauses between breaths; Skin becomes cool, especially the hands and feet; Dry mouth and dry or cracked lips; Physical restlessness or repetitive, involuntary movements; Disorientation and confusion about time, place, and identity of people, including family and close friends; Hallucinations; and Drifting in and out of consciousness.
Needless to say, this is and will be difficult for all his family and friends. I know Mom is having a hard time with this because he hasn’t recognized her during the last couple of visits. One good thing is he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. His scheduled pain meds seem to be working well. We’ve been taking his favorite foods between meals but he was only eating maybe one or two bites of food at a time, if that. The nursing home is doing everything they can to make sure he’s comfortable. He has another chemo treatment scheduled for Dec. 26th but if he’s still in this condition, I doubt he’ll be able to go. I’ll be calling his doctors before then to check with them.
Now on to today’s events. This afternoon the nursing home called to let me know my uncle was being transported by ambulance to the hospital ER for evaluation. They said he tried to stick a fork in his ear so evidently his dementia is continuing to worsen. At the ER, they ran CAT scans and were able to do some lab work with the very few drops of blood they were able to get. Everything came back satisfactory, not requiring any medical treatment. The CAT scans didn’t show any significant changes in the brain and lung tumors. He was released and transported back to the nursing home by ambulance.
Dad went to the nursing home to make sure my uncle got settled in and I went back to work. Fifteen minutes later Dad called to tell me Clayton had gotten out of bed and was found in the floor. His had a bruise on his forehead and did answer yes when asked if he was hurt. They suspected he may have landed on his hip so they sent him back to the ER for X-rays. My BIL and I went to the ER so Dad could go home for a while. The doctor said the X-rays looked okay and released him. I drove ahead so I could be waiting in his room and my BIL rode with him in the ambulance back to the nursing home. We got him settled in, he took his meds (well, he spit out two of the four pills), and was sleeping when we left. The nursing home set up an infrared sensor which will detect when he tries to get out of bed and a courtesy aide will go by his room every fifteen minutes. Dad will be going by to check on him tomorrow morning after he goes to his own doctor appointment.
I think that’s it for today. Hopefully. *watches the clock*
My mom's side of the family has really had a roller coaster rush of major medical issues this last few months. My uncle's surgery/diagnosis coincided with my mom's knee replacement surgery, actually one day apart in two different cities. One cousin was scheduled for a leg amputation the day after Thanksgiving but it became an emergency situation, happening the day before Thanksgiving. My aunt and cousins had their T-Day dinner in the hospital cafeteria 2-1/2 hours from home. The amputation went well and he was just released to spend Christmas at home, but he will return to the hospital the day after Christmas so they can amputate his other leg. What could have caused this? Alcoholism. Yes, he's 54 and has almost drank himself to death. The doctors replaced the arteries in both his legs this summer trying to save his legs but even that couldn't help. I'm not close with this cousin but I am close to his mother and sister and I feel terrible for what they're now dealing with.
Another cousin (same family) was recently in a car accident and his back is broken in two places and fractured in seven. He broke every rib, left side and right, and punctured a lung. They were finally able to remove the intubation tube but he now has pneumonia. This morning he had to have a tracheotomy. I think he's in his late 20's. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and I'm doubtful his tox screen results will be clean. Again, not a cousin I associate with but I feel compassion for him and his family. I do get a glare from my mother whenever I make a natural selection joke lately. I guess I should be nicer and curb that instinct.
I am worried about my mom's sister who is having a very difficult time dealing with all this. She's not in great health herself and she's been stressing about her sister's knee, her brother's cancer, her son's amputation(s), and her grandson's accident/hospitalization. My mom is a worrier herself and she's worried about everyone. I am ever so thankful I'm not a worrier. Despite everything going on, I'm blessed with clarity of thought, peace of mind, and a strength that continues to grow. I think everything falls into place according to the Serenity Prayer with serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Maybe tomorrow I will post that other entry about happier things, because there are joyful moments to be found in life even during the worst of times.
~ The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love. ~