What a week!

I picked up my sister on Monday.  She is having trouble staying awake in the car.  She has recently started sleep talking.  I don't really know what to call it, but she naps and talks at the same time.  She really thinks these thoughts are true. It's sorta creepy.  I have learned to turn the music up so I don't have to listen to her mumbling talk.  It is hard to carry on a conversation with her when she drifts in and out of sleep.

She is very confused.  Someone called her from the hospital and she thought they moved her cardiology appointment to the next day.  You can see where this is going.  We went to the hospital the next day to cardiology and of course there was no appointment. She does this sort of thing a lot.  Instead...we went to lunch and had a nice time out.  That day, I bought her a three ring binder and clear page protectors and organized her many bags of papers.  I  hope this will help her to stay on top of things.

That night she did her clean out for her endoscopy and colonscopy.  She acted strange.  She made no sense at all.  I stayed up with her as late as I could to make sure she didn't eat anything.  I went to sleep about three only to have her knock on our bedroom door.  She was looking for her ex-husband. The next knock she needed her medicine. Three more knocks before the night was over.  Same kind of weird things she needed.  At one point, she wanted her other sister, Pam.  I said "I'm right here". She repeated the same thing "I want my other sister, Pam".  It was a long night.

I ask her if I could look at her medicines.  I felt like she did not need to self medicate, so she gave me her meds.  Her meds were a mess.  Some loose in the ziplock bag and some missing lids.  I organized her meds.  As I started counting her meds, I found out that she had taken nearly all of her pain meds and her muscle relaxant.  She filled these less than ten days ago.  It's a wonder she did not die from all of those meds.  I called her son and confirmed what we had thought.  Either she didn't know that she was overdosing or she did know.  It doesn't matter because from now on she will have one of us give her medicine to her.   All the while...she didn't remember anything.

The next day we showed up at 8:30 for her tests.  They didn't get to her until 3:00 pm.  They forgot about her.  How I don't know because there were about six or seven people on gurneys in the hall way. I went to get lunch at noon only to find out that they needed me to sign her release because she didn't understand the side effects and risks of the procedures.  I think someone got their wires crossed.  I had to cancel her cardiology appointment.  Her results were that she has Barret's esophagus which they did a culture of.  We made it home and she went to sleep.

Thursday, she woke up almost her old self.  What a difference. Back we go to the hospital to try to get her meds.  Just when I thought all hope was gone.  It wasn't a waste of time because we were able to get to see a doctor about her meds.  Thankfully, this doctor listened to what I said about her behaviour and all of her falls.  Now she has fallen about ten times.  He said the next time she fell to go to the ER and get her head ex-rayed.  He was adament about her this.

The doctor said she should not live alone.  Of course we know that but I think it really sunk in to Candy,,,finally.  Thank you, Lord.  I know it must be hard to relinquish your control to another person.  It is for the best.  She has agreed to let her son have power of attorney and a durable power of attorney in case she can not make her own medical decisions.

I think she is coming around to all of the new decisions she is facing.  While she was here for the week, her DIL started cleaning and pitching things at her home.  Candy was good with all that she had done.  We went to lunch at our favorite seafood place, The Mohawk and ate a delicious lunch of shrimp.  This place is as good as it was forty years ago when we were in college.  Brings back some nice memories of Hubs and me dating years ago.

Saturday, I take her to her son's house, talk with them about her needs and give her son her meds. I give her DIL a list of things that must be handled immediately.  DIL is the one that gets it done.  I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she is in good hands.   I visit a minute with my great niece and nephew, give them all hugs and I leave.  That night, Candy had a sleep study.  Her son will drive her and pick her up.  It is Sunday morning and I haven't heard from her yet.  So I wait, something I have become good at.  Got to go now.