Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Today the hospice nurse called with an update. Mom had been ill with the stomach bug yesterday afternoon. Today when the RN stopped by to see Mom she was seated in her chair but was very upset. She asked Mom if Mom was in pain and Mom replied that she was so they gave her a small dose of morphine and put her down for a nap. She was still napping when I arrived. I kissed her forehead and she woke up and I asked her how she was doing. She was alert and fairly coherent. Tonight was the family support group meeting so I went to that. I find those meetings very helpful. It's good to discuss with others. At the end of the meeting we learned that C, who lived on Mom's side of the building, passed away on Monday. This was a shocker to me since C was always fairly with-it and also very cranky. This news made me sad even though in a way it is a blessing because she will no longer suffer from this awful disease. God bless C and her loved ones.

4 comments:

Annie said...

Was the pain from her hips? Is she still having problems with them? I hope she feels better soon.

~Betsy said...

I was thinking, Robyn - is there a way to have your mom on a 4 to 6 hour maintenance of Tylenol? If she is in pain from her hips or other causes, the Tylenol will keep the pain at a manageable level for her. If she feels a little better, she just may stop sleeping so much and crying.

I read that on an AD message list I belonged to when my mom was with me. It was advise from an AD Nurse Practitioner. She said she put all of her patients on a 4 to 6 hour Tylenol regime (so long as they didn't have issues with kidneys, etc). It helped them feel better without the use of stronger meds.

Just a thought. Let us know how things are going.

I will remember C and her family in my prayers.

rilera said...

Hi Betsy, hospice recommended that for Mom and they increased it to every 4 hours recently I think. Mom was inconsolable yesterday I think so they decided to try a very small dose of morphine.

Annie, we can't quite pinpoint where Mom's pain is coming from, we just know that she seems to be in pain from somewhere.

It's so hard as you both know. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your advice and that of hospice. It lifts a huge burden from my shoulders to know that they are involved in Mom's care.

Anonymous said...

I am always surprised when a resident has died. They all become a part of us, don't they?

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