Thanksgiving

There are many things I am thankful for...my family and friends; that the Lord has provided food, clothing, and shelter; health and healing both emotionally and physically; and the aides that faithfully care for Muddear.

Walter, Muddear's other son and my father, was rushed to the hospital a few days prior to Thanksgiving. Wednesday night, I spent time at the hospital and received several calls Wednesday night through early Thursday morning about his status. Therefore, it was a blessing to be able to sleep in on Thanksgiving morning knowing that Sharon, the aide would arrive bright and early to care for Flossie before we left for dinner. Between the family, work, and the hospital I was exhausted. (In time, Walter is going to be okay.)

It was nice to only have to worry about getting myself ready to leave on Thanksgiving day knowing that Sharon was taking care of Muddear. We packed Muddear up and left the house about 2:30 p.m. First stop...Glencare Nursing Home to visit with Phil. Muddear was so excited when I told her. She asked if we would stop by the store on our way so that she could purchase a candy bar to give to Philip. Very Cute!

Upon arrival at the nursing home, as usual, they were ecstatic to see one another. Hugs and kisses were shared and then Muddear's usual request for Phil to "stand up so I can see how tall you are." Philip, as usual, forgets to put the brakes on his wheelchair and we are yelling, "No Phil, don't stand up without your brakes!" About mid-way through the visit, Muddear pulls out the coveted candy bar (3 Musketeers) and gives it Phil - you should have seen his face! He was so excited to receive the candy bar.

I must continue the monthly visits, I think it does wonders for both Muddear and Phil. The funny thing is Muddear only stays about 30 minutes to an hour. Phil inevitably needs a smoke break and I think Muddear takes that as her queue to leave. The two of them may be in the middle of a conversation, holding hands and giggling, when suddenly Phil says..."Okay. Bye Bye. Thank you" and wheels himself away for a smoke break. Phil and cigarettes are like two powerful magnates.

After leaving the nursing home, the three of us headed for Mike's mom's house for dinner with the family. My side of the family was divided up between Mississippi, Indiana, and Ohio this year. While I missed my family, I think only having one place to visit made things a little easier on Muddear. She was very easy to get along with - all evening Muddear talked and laughed with the family. We managed to only have one anxiety attack which occurred when dinner was served. What is the correlation between dinner and anxiety attacks? Fortunately, Muddear "managed" to overcome it and ate a substantial dinner topped off with a piece of the chocolate cake I made for the occasion.

We probably arrived home around 10:00 p.m. Muddear was exhausted! I helped her change into a clean gown, dispensed final medications, and in the bed went Muddear. It was a great day for which I am thankful!

Still Confused

Poor Muddear...she is still confused. I don't know what to say to help her realize, understand, or accept day is day and night is night.

For the past several evenings, Muddear has become increasingly afraid. She continues to think that it is daytime, but due to severe weather it is unnaturally dark outside. She expresses much consternation over the fact that it is so dark outside when it really should be daylight.

In general this concerns me, because Muddear suffers from anxiety and experiences anxiety attacks. I try to counteract this fear by reassuring her that it is supposed to be dark. But personally, I don't want to add this to the list of things that bring on anxiety attacks. That list is long enough.

Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 was Muddear's 96th birthday! We took Muddear to dinner at Montgomery Inn - this was the first time she had ever been there and boy was she excited to go out for her birthday.

Of course, we ordered Muddear their famous ribs so she was fitted with a Montgomery Inn bib. Our appetizers came out first - onion straws, and Muddear was in heaven. Next came the salads, and Muddear continued to eat and eat. Suddenly, unexpectedly, Muddear says..."Where is the meat?" I reassured Muddear that this was just the salad and her entree would be out shortly.

When the entrees arrived, Muddear began to have an anxiety attack. The amount of food served was overwhelming! Fortunately, we were able to calm her down and Muddear began to eat. About halfway through her meal, Muddear decided she was full, but definitely ready for dessert.

As we waited for our desserts to come (Mike's caramel apple shortcake, my chocolate volcano, and Muddear's caramel volcano), we decided to give Muddear one of her gifts. One of my friends and granny-sitters not only purchased a gift for Muddear's birthday, but wrapped it as well. She has truly shown us up! I hate wrapping gifts with a passion! However, when I gave Muddear the gift...she had another anxiety attack! This time the receipt of the gift was overwhelming! "I didn't expect all of this! Put it away...put it away! I'll look at it later." Once again, we were able to calm Muddear down, so that she could enjoy her dessert.

Of course, when the dessert arrived, what do you think happened? Yes, another anxiety attack! This time we were not able to calm Muddear; therefore, we ended up getting a to-go box for the dessert. At this point, Muddear was ready to go home!

Once we arrived home, Muddear had calmed down and was elated by her night out. I began to assist Muddear with her bedtime rituals, dispensed her medications, and started her breathing treatment. About halfway through the treatment, Mike decided to check on Muddear. I started laughing when I overheard their conversation...

"Mike, when do I get my medication?"
"Nikki already gave it to you."
"No she didn't. I haven't seen Nikki in days."
"Muddear, Nikki was just with us at dinner, remember?"
"No she wasn't. I told you I haven't seen Nikki in days!"

What can I say? At least Muddear had a great birthday!