Started the day in the hot tub with a coffee. Glorious
Rotary lunch was interesting as the guest speaker was absolutely convinced that I had worked with her at Staples. There was no convincing her otherwise. She ran after me to show me a picture of me and I laughed as it was my friend, April. I don’t think we are remotely interchangeable except in the way that we are both unique in our style.
Nathan Liewen
I received a call from Dr White to say they do believe she has Parkinson’s. It has thrown them off as she doesn’t have resting tremors. They will start her in a drug that should treat the muscle tightness.
I arrived to see mom after work just as she was telling the nurse that she wasn’t hungry and didn’t want dinner. I told her that her illness was giving her brain bad or no messages and that she had to override it to do what her body needed. She is depressed today and I had to put food on her spoon and hand it to her to get her to eat. I spent a good deal of time and made sure that she was going to get a bath tomorrow as she has only had two since May 3rd.
From there I went to Encore to meet Mike and Jenny. We bought a booth to see The Hip Replacements. I wore my fedora with the feathers that Dave gave me last time they were in town. Rae joined us and we had a fun night. I loved when Dave leapt off the stage and danced with me 🙂
Arrived at work to this waiting outside my office door. Such a kindness from a dear friend
After a productive Rotary Board meeting over lunch, Ashley and I went thrifting at the Hospital Auxiliary shop. I found a fun capybara shaped drink holder with a straw for Kerstin and a half price dress option for Alexa’s wedding in the summer. $5!
I had a long visit with Mom after work. I am getting more and more disgusted with the state of the third floor. there is still garbage all over the floor in the room she shares, she was wearing the same food stained gown as yesterday and I had to ask to ensure she gets a bath soon as it has been over a week and a half. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I also have to mask up as there is a virus outbreak
It was an incredibly busy jump around between clients day
In the middle of it all, I got a call from the new nurse practitioner at the hospital who will be looking after Mom’s care. She had met with the doctor and she wanted to know more from me about background in my observances because they think that she has Parkinson’s. Due to my dramatic experience, looking after my grandfather when I was a teenager who at the time they thought had silicosis and Parkinson’s disease I blanked out many of the symptoms but it also makes sense why I have known for so long that something else was wrong. I also don’t feel bad for pushing her all these years that’s she’s been here as the best thing is to keep her body and mind active.
She has all these symptoms
Hard to know the onset, still some tests to confirm.
I had a good visit with Mom although I am concerned about two things
There is a sign that there is an outbreak on their floor and we should not visit if sick. I asked a nurse most of the way through my visit and she said it was a virus (can’t remember the name) and when I asked if I should mask she said it was a good idea that everyone who visits the third floor does.
There was also a random mention of Mom’s hernia. Thus is the first I hear of this and will have to follow up tomorrow. Mom can’t remember who told her that she has one.
Started the day with a Mom visit. She was much better having been put on opioids last night. I wanted to clear up her thoughts about the kids getting things. I was told I had to take the stairs back down and was surprised by the decor
Jake drove and we went to stadium for day 2 of swim meet. She did great
We got back to town and visited GG.
While dinner was being made I took Ash to Granny’s to pick out a few things. He made sure she has the picture of Granny diving
I also gave her and Rae each a set of emerald necklaces and earrings
I am grateful that the kids are getting their visit with her.
Mom called as she was having anxiety. I called Jake and asked him to go see her as I had a client arriving soon. He stayed until it was her mani-pedi time and then picked me up to go for lunch. We went to munch. It was delicious and I liked the vibe very much. We had a good visit and an amazingly loaded baked potato grilled cheese
He dropped me back at work and I got a lot done until I left early to visit Mom. She is a mess. Shaky, depressed, weak, all the negative things. I stayed quite a long time and then headed for family dinner. Roger made amazing chicken, rice and corn on the cob. Afterwards we three adults went down to Heidout for dessert and a drink.
Today I stopped and picked up Mom’s jewellery from Delmont. They didn’t charge me. He sorted it into two boxes one that is 10 karat gold/real emeralds and the other that is costume jewellery. Now don’t get me wrong, It’s some nice costume but it is good to know the difference for sure.
Breakfast
I got some work done and then went to Rotary lunch, which was our AGM for our two societies so not all that exciting but I did connect with two different guys to use their information and photos for the upcoming newsletter so that was a good thing. Judy has been putting us through our paces for the Cross Canada participAction challenge.
After getting a good deal of work done this afternoon, I went to visit Mom. She seems to be fading fast. There is only anxiety and pain in her manners and face. It has been over a month now and she should be pending upwards, not downwards. I fear the news of her cancer has made her give up on everything.
I’m at Jenny at Encore as Mike was busy with his dad. JD and then Brett showed up and we all played trivia the all music night as the team: 89s Music for 500, Alex
We had fun it was hard. We came in third with only 38 out of 60 points. That’s how tough it was. I do like hanging out with those guys though. I always feel better afterwards.
The bottom line is, if you are following the instincts, the universe is giving you when you must welcome the path the universe is putting you on.
It’s simple really. I was completely overwhelmed by my visit with Mom tonight. I arrive there as she was having some kind of reaction with very flushed cheeks said she was boiling hot and her hands were shaking, and she had a massive cramp in her thigh. She had pushed the button, but no one responded for a very long time. As it happens, the doctor came by and checked her out and they are going to watch her for fever because she has tenderness in her abdomen again and although she is on antibiotics for a UTI, it could be appendicitis flaring up again. It’s just me selfishly, saying at the moment that it is too hard to sit there and not be able to take any of this away for her. I helped her through getting her food cut up so that she could eat some of her dinner and she was unable to tell me the correct day her full, correct address or my birthdate. In all cases, it was close, but not close enough, and I fear for her baseline.
I laughed, heading home, feeling overwhelmed and sad, but my car automatically took me to wing night at F&B. Turns out that is exactly what the universe had in store for me. Two people that I knew were already sitting at the bar, and I met an amazing lady sitting beside me who was substantially older than me from whales, and she immediately sparked up a conversation about whiskey and Edinburgh. I enjoyed meeting Lynne. Bejea and Jake were equally supportive in the conversations that we had they didn’t all just dwell on my sad, but they lifted me out of it.
It’s hard because I shouldn’t be spending any money at all right now. I have lost too much wages with the time I’ve spent with mom‘s appointments in mind this past couple months. I have to realize, though that self-care comes in many forms and being there this evening getting many good hugs was exactly what the universe ordered.
I am watching The Great Flood. I need a real anxiety inducing crisis movie to push aside all the feels I picked up from Mom today.
I took Will to his dentist appointment and turned in all the expired medication’s from mom’s apartment to the Safeway pharmacy. After I dropped him at school, I went up to see Mom and make arrangements to see the transition nurse.
I was there for quite a while before Tanya came to see us. It was a tough visit. His mom was not responding a lot, and I didn’t want to respond for her to the important questions. When I asked how she was feeling, she just said up and down, and that I was more up and down. I finally let my shield down and felt her feelings and told Tanya that Mom was feeling fear and resolve. Tanya asked her if she wanted to go back home or felt she needed to go someplace where she could get more help and mom said she wanted to go someplace where she could get more help. At this point, I was overwhelmed by all the emotion that I have been protecting myself from and honestly, I’m still not back to myself.
We found out from Tanya that the hospital’s plan is to keep giving Mom therapy as she is on a short day list to be transferred when a space is available to the FW green home. That is where she got good Physio the first time this happened which I think was early 2022. Then they want her to go back to her home with some more home support and at that point, she will be evaluated to be put on a list for long-term care or they will continue to give her support as palliative care at home depending how quickly the cancer spreads. I am glad that we have started clearing her place out, but left the things that she needs on the daily. I will need to get her bed out of there as it is too high for her to get in and out of now. We finish the application for the palliative care, benefits, one plus side of the terminal cancer diagnosis is that there is a fund that will take care of any equipment, a hospital bed, special meds, etc.
Tanya did ask her if she wanted to spend her final days of her journey at home or in the hospital which I thought was a bit too soon to ask as we won’t even know where she will be by that point.
Yeah, so that was my day around the little bit of work I was able to fit in and the calls dealing with Strata things. I’m a little bit done. I’m going to watch this movie and enjoy an enhanced beverage and try to get a good deep sleep.
Today was a good start with Physio, followed by a good amount of work before going to visit Mom and then meeting the Guedes family at my mom’s apartment. The mission was to have the boys, especially pick out any of the kitchen where that could be used, and then we went through a bunch of other things. I loved that Gene was able to find pot and serving utensils and things that he could put to use as well as a beautiful teapot. Will was especially in Emirate of the old brown Betty teapot that didn’t look like it had been used at all. Lukas took CDs and the print of the map of New Zealand that she had framed on her wall. Sawyer found a couple more cats that he couldn’t live without and Rhiannon and Roger found some trinkets and things that meant a lot to them and that they could use. Nothing was of a lot of value, but it sure was going to be well used and saves me taking stuff to the thrift store. There is still much to go through.
When I visited her, I talked to her nurse, and I am to go just afternoon tomorrow to hopefully meet with the transition, nurse and make a plan. I am worried that they will suddenly decide that mom has to be out of her apartment and we are not ready for that hence the purging as we go at the moment. I brought home some random things in her liquor cabinet, her coin collections to go through. These notepads made me laugh so you know they’re going to the office with me.
I had some leftovers with Rae-Anne and Roger back at their placeand we shared a bottle of the wine that was found in a cupboard it was OK can’t say that aged perfectly but then I’m not a big Merlot fan. Roger and I also had our meeting of the double D club.(Dead Dad) as it would’ve been his dad, Ryon’s, birthday today. A dram was toasted in our dad’s names.
This was one of the sweet finds of the day in Mom’s sewing kit, which I was very pleased William wanted
triumphgal 