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Subject: Cat's Corner

Posted by: Catreona
Date: Nov 11 20

A virtual blog to post updates on my mother's illness and other thoughts

629 replies. On page 3 of 32 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

rubytops

Cat, Sorry things were not do good last night. Don't beat yourself up about it you are doing your best.
I hope the help from the nurse friend helps for however long she can give you.
I pray for wisdom for you all in making future decisions regarding your mother's care. You have all done your best.
Thinking of you all. ??

Reply #41. Nov 21 20, 12:27 PM

rubytops

Re two ?? at the end of my post it should have been an emoji heart!!

Reply #42. Nov 21 20, 12:28 PM

Catreona

You guys are NOT gonna believe this!

About fifteen minutes after my last post we had two cops and three EMTs at the door. Nobody knows who called them. Well, I have a pretty shrewd idea. I think it was Spectrum. Anyway, Dad explained the whole sorry mess to them. They came in and had a look around. Said they could tell just from looking at the house and speaking to Mom that the accusations were bogus. Fortunately, at that point she was clean and settled, and of course, being Mom, she rose to the occasion and managed to answer clearly enough. They also said it would be a very bad idea to take her to nursing home or hospital under the current conditions with Covid. You reckon EMTs know what they're talking about.

Dad is extremely shaken, as you can imagine. I mean, opening the door to find two cops standing there! It took a few moments for the ambulance to arrive, so at first it was just the cops. He was shaking like a leaf and at a couple points Sis had to step in at take over the talking. If this whole mess doesn't give Dad a stroke or nervous breakdown or something it will be a miracle! There is no doubt in my mind that those bastards from Spectrum are deliberately persecuting and terrorizing us and in particular Dad. Please send him love and strength. He needs it!

Reply #43. Nov 21 20, 1:45 PM

Catreona

Thanks, Ruby.

For future reference, to make a heart type & hearts ; without the spaces.

Love you guys. You're all wonderful friends&♥

Reply #44. Nov 21 20, 1:48 PM

postcards2go

Strength and love to your dad, and to all of you. At least the bogus complaint has been dealt with, so that's a burden lifted. And the EMTs confirmed that your mom is probably best cared for at home, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Reply #45. Nov 21 20, 2:11 PM

rubytops

Sorry about your ordeal must have been horrid. Glad the issue was sorted and your family was vindicated.
Love and prayers to you all. X

Reply #46. Nov 22 20, 2:31 AM

Catreona

Apologies for the delay in reporting today. Sis has been sleeping most of the day, which meant I couldn't get upstairs to the computer.

The young woman from Dad's church came today. I can't get out of Dad or Sis exactly what she is, a nurse or a home health aid or what. Nor can they tell me her name: Jessie Lee? Jessie Lyn? My hunch is that it's Jessamyn. In any case, she seems competent and knowledgeable. Mom said she was "a nice girl" and both Dad and Sis feel comfortable with her. I didn't have a chance to speak to her, but did hear her making much of one of the kitties and saying she loves cats. That's always a good sign.

She will be coming for a time every day, if I understand correctly. She also knows the head of the city's Dept. of Elder Affairs and is going to see what she can find out about the charges and the harassment.

She had a lot of helpful suggestions, some of which have already been implemented and Mom is the more comfortable for it. She also said quite firmly that Mom is not dying.

Today for the first time I got Mom to work with the squeezy therapy ball. Sis has shown no interest in it but Mom did well with it. I told her she had to work with it a little every day, which she accepted.

Of course she was tired after seeing the 'nurse' which is natural. But Sis takes every time she is tired or downhearted as indicating that she is going to die immediately. It is really wearing on me. Can't imagine how it affects Mom!

Reply #47. Nov 22 20, 5:57 PM

MiraJane

Cat, it was cruel of that idiot nurse to say not wanting to eat or drink was a sign of impending death. I that was true, ask her to explain why Henry VIII was so fat when he died.

I don't know if you've had time to read your private messages here but I wrote you one reason your mother might not feel like eating. Don't take time to answer me privately, please. If you have extra time, I want you to spend it taking deep, meditative relaxing breaths.

Reply #48. Nov 23 20, 5:26 AM

rubytops

Cat
The new nurse sounds good and helpful and it is good that your mom responded well to her. Her being their for a couple of hours each day will give you all a bit of breathing space.
Do take care of yourself. keeping the prayers going for you all.

Reply #49. Nov 23 20, 2:44 PM

Catreona

May we not have another night like last night!

Early in the evening Mom had a massive incontinence accident. She pulled off the diaper at the same time her bowels were emptying. A couple times in the past few days it has seemed she couldn't tell when her bowels (or bladder) were emptying. One worries if she has lost sensation below the waist. Or maybe it's a brain problem? Anyway, the mess panicked Sis, understandably. She finally got Mom cleaned up and settled...as we thought.

Around midnight, Mom fell out of bed. We think she was trying to stand up. Her own story is that she was trying to reach for something, though she can't say what. Dad and Sis couldn't lift her back into bed and settled her on an air mattress on the floor. Fortunately, we were quickly able to persuade Dad to call the EMTs. They came promptly and were very nice. Even with Dad and Sis helping,they had a hellova time shifting her back into bed. They asked both Dad and Mom herself if she wanted to go back to bed or to the hospital. She was clear enough to say no hospital.

She was restless and fretful the rest of the night. I went in to check on her a couple of times and though she was quite insistent on whatever it was she wanted, I couldn't work out what that was. I told her firmly that it was the middle of the night so nobody was going to rearrange anything or search for anything. She eventually became disgusted with my noncooperation and said, "Forget it!" and turned over to go to sleep. The one thing she said very clearly was that she was hungry. By morning, she seemed calmer. Jessamyn came while I was snoozing. Fortunately, Mom took to her. She had juice and some oatmeal. A little later she worked with her squeezy ball, which she seems to like. Then she shooed Sis and me away so she could have a nap.

While I was eating some breakfast, Sis informed me that she told Jessamyn not to talk to Mom about living and getting better because this agitates her since she obviously wants to die. This was a not so veiled jab at me. Yeah, whatever. I'm going to go right on acting as if Mom were going to get better. Sis can do whatever she wants.

Reply #50. Nov 23 20, 3:09 PM

Catreona

What with the election here in the U.S. and then my mother's illness, I haven't been paying attention. Come to find out, I've been awarded seven of the new Rainbow mini badges, one of them at Tear 6.

* Author Rainbow: Inventor
* Author Rainbow: Virtuoso
* Author Rainbow: Director
* Author Rainbow: Dramatist
* Author Rainbow: Prodigy
* Author Rainbow: Mentor
* Author Rainbow: Sleuth

Reply #51. Nov 23 20, 4:11 PM

Catreona

MOM UPDATE:
Things are finally (knock on wood!) beginning to look up. The hospital bed was delivered this morning soon after 9:00. Jessalee was here and she got Mom organized, Sis having fallen asleep.*

The EMTs got Mom downstairs with a minimum of fuss and she seems much more comfortable now. Though Dad is generally a wreck, understandably! he's managing remarkably well, running errands, dealing with people on the phone, and being upbeat around Mom. Now that she's downstairs, she'll be using his television. He's a devoted viewer of Fox News while she is equally devoted to MSNBC. She said something about not wanting to watch Fox News, to which Dad sighed melodramatically and said in a long suffering tone, "I'll watch MSNBC and get radicalized." That made everyone laugh, including Mom. Fingers crossed that today marks the beginning of a better phase.

*Worryingly, Sis tried to wake me at 2:00 A.M. and again at 2:30, but I was too deeply asleep. On finally waking up at 5:00, I was distressed at having slept through the night. By that point, Sis told me to go back to bed, since she had to get up at 7:00. Guess I needed the sleep. Could go right back to bed this moment. Maybe I will for a while.

Reply #52. Nov 24 20, 12:08 PM

MiraJane

Cat, I'm happy things are looking better for the family. It's a great thing to have a good relationship with the local EMTs also!

Congrats on the badges! I bet the tier 6 is for all the Englebert quizzes.

I wrot eyou a super long message. Don't read it yet because I have to write an apology for writing you a super long message.

Reply #53. Nov 24 20, 1:26 PM

Catreona

Yep, Mira, thirty-three Music quizzes, several of which are on Engelbert. That means I only need seven more for Tear 7. When things settle down, I'll get that taken care of. I have a few more Marie Osmond quizzes in the computer and, of course, several more Engelbert.

LOL You don't need to write an apology for writing a super long message! :)

Reply #54. Nov 24 20, 8:08 PM

rubytops

Well done on you badges Cat. I will have a check out of your quizzes.

Reply #55. Nov 25 20, 10:40 AM

rubytops

Good that the bed came and the move downstairs went well and you had help. Your mom sounds a little brighter too. The lady nurse who is coming in sounds like a good find and a help to you all.
You need your sleep and to look after yourselves. Good your mom enjoying the news progs.
Still lifting you all in prayer.
Ruby

Reply #56. Nov 25 20, 10:46 AM

Catreona

Thanks, Ruby. The new Rainbow minis are a spur. I'm already thinking about how to climb the ladder in other categories.

Reply #57. Nov 25 20, 10:49 AM

Catreona

MOM UPDATE:
Quiet night. She seems much more comfortable in the hospital bed. Her kitty, Cecilia, eventually mustered the courage to venture downstairs to find her, so both Mom and Cecilia are now much happier. Last evening and this morning she was very insistent that she wanted records, not CDs, LPs. She no longer understands about CDs. Sis found a portable record player and we collected some of her massive LP collection. So this morning Sis has been sitting with her turning over and changing records every fifteen minutes, something she is not used to, being a child of the CD era. Maybe we can find a record changer/stack-o-matic. But at least Mom's much calmer with the music. Ate some breakfast and had her coffee frappe before I came upstairs.

A note on me:
Since the election earlier this month I've been listening to CNN over Sirius XM radio. They have different commercials than on the TV - some pretty sleazy commercials too! One that is maybe not so sleazy is Larry King advertising something called Omega XL, which purportedly reduces inflammation and the joint and muscle pain it causes. Lately I've been taking turmeric which helped a lot, till I ran out and bought a different brand, which isn't helping at all. What the heck? Larry wouldn't advertise a scam, right? (:P) Hey, if it helps, it helps. If it doesn't, well, it was more expensive than I expected but I've spent more on useless junk in the past.

Reply #58. Nov 25 20, 11:07 AM

Catreona

Hmmm... Need one more to mount the first rung of the Rainbow: Artiste ladder, since I already have a quiz in the Radio subcategory of Entertainment. And I know just what to do a second quiz on. The problem is doing it. Just the thought of researching anything at the moment gives me the shakes! Still, it's good to have a goal. When was this Rainbow series of minis introduced?

Reply #59. Nov 25 20, 11:47 AM

rubytops

Glad your mom is more settled and hospital bed helping. Very funny re L.Ps although these days they are making somewhat of a comeback. Is your mum an Englebert fan also?
I am glad you are still able to enjoy and contribute to the music chatboards etc.
When we went into the first lock down here I said I would write another quiz. I have 34 on line and quite a few music ones but no Englebert, I leave that up to you.
Keep getting your rest, hope mom continues to be restful.
Ruby
Ruby

Reply #60. Nov 25 20, 3:04 PM

629 replies. On page 3 of 32 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

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