I’m so proud of Mom this morning. It’s been almost a year since she’s been capable of staying in her own apartment and last night, she and I made the brave decision to have her try it. The LAST time she stayed the night, she was terrified of demons flying through the air and thought that the room was filling with water every time she shut her eyes. The devil was after her…
Mom and I spent a busy day. We ran to Grand Junction to sign a lease with new tenants. We ate way too much food at the Golden Corral and I was able to push her independence by telling her that she could only have desert if she got it for herself. I watched from around the corner and she did a great job…other than getting lost a bit on her way back to the table. Then my dear friend, James Smith, spent a couple of hours with me on the guitar and Mother sat and listened and watched just like she did when I was a kid.
The day had been going well and the girls and Craig are in Iowa and KC. So, I decided to invite her to try staying the night at our home, if she thought she was up to it. She was eager to do it. So, we made dinner and watched a couple of episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and then got her settled into her bed. She made at least 5 trips up and down the stairs while we were upstairs in the FROG(that’s the Finished Room Over Grandma). She got LOTS of exercise, yesterday! I massaged her legs and she fell asleep. I slept on the couch. We tried doing the night to without the Neurontin/Gabapentine . But, when Mom had been up 3 times by midnight, I decided that we’d use half of the dosage and would see if that would do the trick. She got up, again at 2:00, but we decided together that we’d try really hard to stay in bed and sleep and NOT take the extra medication. I think that the Neurontin may be making her more likely to fall at night(she’s fallen a couple of times this past few weeks). I also think that it may be fogging her mind and keeping her from thinking clearly.
Anyway, she got up 4 times in 9 hours and is in good spirits, this morning! Yeah!!! Of course, I’m a bit weary. It was a little like bringing home the new baby, trying to sleep with one eye and both ears open to be sure that she’d be all right. Even when she was all right, I was tempted to watch, just to SURE! **chuckle*
We’re enjoying the humming birds, the cool morning, our hot water to sip and oatbran to eat to help Barry Manilow to sing to us this morning.
God Bless everyone and thank you for your continued prayers. I’ll try to write more later this week, since the rest of the family is gone and if I’m not writing I really SHOULD be cleaning house! Of COURSE, I’d rather write to YOU. Hugs, Mary