Mom’s New Jewelry

I’m sure you have all heard of ear rings, but have you ever heard of ear forks? A better analogy might be where people use the ear to park their pencil; Mom decided to use it to park her fork. I could not resist grabbing my camera so you could share a smile with me, a bit of humor in this very grim situation.

 

You can see from the fork that she had been using it., which is a good thing. I guess she needed a free hand so she could drink her DanActiv.

Speaking of a free hand, I took this picture of Mom’s hand this morning. As you can see, she is literally skin and bones.

Some of you probably wonder why I put these types of pictures on the Internet. I hope no one thinks this is disrespectful. While some bring a smile, they can also bring a tear.  Most of Mom’s family and friends are scattered in the Northeast. This helps give them an accurate picture of her condition.

Funny, after days of sleeping, Mom’s now having trouble sleeping. She was awake all night and is still awake at 11:15 am. I don’t know where she gets her energy, because she is still not eating very much.

Hope you all have a great week. Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Until next time…

Ethelyn Van Winkle

Since Sunday, it seems that all Mom does is sleep. Of course, that is only until I get into bed. Then, apparently a switch goes on and she gets restless and begins to talk and make noise.

This morning, after a somewhat active night, Mom insisted on getting up at 4:30. I have to lift her out of bed and set her in her roll-a-tor and wheel her out. She sat and slept for a while and then got hungry. After a few bites of food, she was ready to go back to bed. I changed her nightgown and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

She slept most of the day and then wanted to get up. She was probably up for an hour and a half, ate a few bites of dinner and then it was back to sleep. She’s sleeping quietly now, but I expect her to waken as soon as I go in.

Since she is not eating much, i think she is just worn out. It’s hard to believe that she can lose much more weight. She is noticeably thinner than she was even a couple of weeks ago. How much more can she lose?

Thanks again for your prayers.

Until next time…

Hospice Nurse Checks Out Mom

This morning, when Mom did not seem to be any better, I called Hospice and her nurse Michelle came out. She checked Mom’s blood pressure – it was normal. She listened to her heart – it was fluttering all over the place, but her O2 Saturation was 96%. She listened to her lungs – they seemed mostly clear. She thought Mom might have had another small stroke, since the change in her physical condition was so dramatic.

Michelle also offered 24-hour nursing care, but I think that was more for my benefit than for Mom’s. There’s not really much a nurse can do. Now that Mom is pretty much confined to bed, a Home Health Aide will be coming on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to bathe Mom and change her clothes. This will be enormous help and there will now be only one day when I’ll be completely by myself for the whole day. It will be great to have people who see Mom to discuss her condition with. I’m always afraid I’m not doing something I should or that I’m doing something I shouldn’t.

Mom’s not in any pain and seems much more mellow – she may just be too exhausted to get agitated.

This whole episode is giving me some idea of what it will be like to not have Mom here. I think it will be a difficult transition. Even in her questionable mental state, at least she was someone to communicate with. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t bring a smile to my face. I’ll miss that.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Until next time…

A Day of Dichotomy

Yesterday was both good and bad. Good, in the sense that my brother Jeff came to visit and bad in that Mom seems to be going downhill fast.

After a fairly good breakfast, Mom spent most of the morning in bed asleep and most of the rest of the day and night sitting in a chair with eyes barely open. She was unresponsive and didn’t seem to be aware of what was going on around her. She finally did indicate she wanted to go to bed, where she stayed until this morning. She can no longer stand up or even help me transfer her from one place to another.

This morning, I wheeled her into the living room and helped her into her recliner. She seemed more alert than yesterday, but not much. She again ate a pretty good breakfast, which I fed her. Getting her to drink was difficult because she has forgotten how to swallow through a straw. After breakfast, she stayed in the living room for awhile, but mostly slept. She again indicated she wanted to go to bed and has been there ever since.

She didn’t acknowledge Jeff when he said goodbye and pretty much slept the rest of the day away. When not sleeping, she restlessly moves her hands, clutching her blanket, rubbing her head and face. Occasionally she makes some unintelligible noise, but mostly she’s quiet.

My cousin Richard arrived today about 1/2 hour after my brother left. Mom was sleeping. Richard and I had a nice chat, a delicious spaghetti dinner (if I do say so myself), and spent a quiet afternoon together. When Dickie went to leave, Mom again did not respond.

Tomorrow, if Mom is the same, I will probably call Hospice to let them know of the change in her general condition. Someone from Right at Home will be here tomorrow afternoon, but I plan to mostly stay near home. I have to pressure-wash my mobile home, but will probably also go to Publix while I can.

I appreciate your prayers and support more than words can ever say.

Until next time…

Peace of Mind

Yesterday, after Mom threw (as opposed to dropped) my Amazon Kindle on the floor, I finally decided to try what someone suggested: use a sheet and confine Mom to her chair.

I had been in the kitchen cleaning out the refrigerator, making applesauce, rinsing aluminum cans and doing dishes. I thought Mom was sitting in her green chair, but should have known better; she decided to explore. When I heard the thud, I was afraid she had fallen, but instead, she had thrown my Kindle on the floor. (Thankfully, it was unharmed.)

I don’t know what she has against books. This week, she ripped the cover off my crossword puzzle book, as she has others of mine and hers.

I have to admit I was more than a little scared because I thought she had fallen and somewhat angry since I had repeatedly asked her to stay in her chair. In that moment, I decided to try what I had been putting off: confining her to her chair.

Within three minutes, she was sitting in her green chair, secured by a queen-sized sheet. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem to mind a bit. And I had complete peace of mind as I finished my work in the kitchen.

She didn’t try to get out and didn’t get angry about not being able to. I’m not sure she has figured out the reason she can’t get up. The sheet is folded so it’s wide enough to not cut into her and I don’t tie it very tight. In fact, it’s not even knotted; I just tuck it in the back of the chair.

When i realized how well this works, I can’t tell you what a difference it made in my stress level and general peace of mind. Now, I can take a shower or leave the room without having to listen for the sound of her body hitting the floor.

Why did I wait so long?

Until next time…

The Mt Vernon Statement

I just had to add this:

On Wednesday, February, 17, 2010, when I discussed signing the Mt. Vernon Statement, there were more than 6000 signers. I looked tonight and discovered that there are now more than 24,500 signers.

Keep up the good work, Americans!

If you haven’t had a chance to read and sign it yet, visit http://www.themountvernonstatement.com/

It kind of makes you feel like you’re signing the Declaration of Independence. Add your “John Hancock” today! Let’s help get America back to a Constitutional republic, not a socialist autocracy.

Until next time…

A Second Sleepless Night

Last night was my second sleepless night in a row. Where my mother gets her energy is a big mystery. Maybe she’s creeping out of bed in the night and eating a bunch of amphetamines, but I doubt it. She certainly isn’t eating food – at least, not much.

This morning, she walked into the bathroom, then had to be carried half the way back to her bed… it was as if she just collapsed. She then slept about 3 hours and I pushed her on her Roll-a-tor into the kitchen for breakfast. She might have eaten 3 bites of food.

This evening, I fed her some chicken and Popeye’s mashed potatoes. She ate all of the potatoes and 1 bite of chicken. Then, it was back to bed. I’m thinking I might get a good night’s sleep tonight.

On Another Note…

Today, I saw Percy Kimball and the Lightning Thief, a GREAT movie which I recommend to everyone, though I don’t think I would take young children. There are a lot of scary creatures who make loud noises and it might give young children nightmares. But, it’s a funny, thrilling,  fast-moving film. Some familiarity with Greek mythology would not go amiss. Uma Thurman is a very believable Medusa, who will either scare the pants off you or give you the creeps.

On Still Another Note…

How many of you saw Glenn Beck this afternoon? The economic state of this country is worse than even I suspected. When i began working at the Department of Social Services in Canandaigua, NY, we believed that though we government workers were underpaid in comparison with people in the private sector, the benefits of job security, vacations, extra holidays, sick leave, etc. helped make up for it. Wow, has that ever changed!

Today, Glenn revealed the following differences between the average salary of government vs. private sector workers.

Year	Government Worker	Private Sector Worker
2005	$59,000	$40,500
2009	$71,000 (+$12,000)	$40,333 (-$167)

 

He also pointed out that this year, average government worker pay will reach $75,000. And people in the private sector will be lucky to even have a job, let alone earn a salary.

He also pointed out that only FOUR states in the nation have fully-funded pension plans, or like the rest of government, heading for bankruptcy.

What a mess! Our government must stop spending so much money and make some hard decisions. We are Americans and we can do it. It won’t be easy, but we have to stop the entitlement mentality and get back to the virtues of our founding fathers.

Sorry for the ranting and raving! -but not too much :)

Until next time…

Use of Washcloth #3

Besides a cloth to be used for washing, when I was a child, Mom would use a folded washcloth to cover my eyes while she washed my hair.

Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that Mom had found a new use for a washcloth:

In several posts on this blog, we’ve seen Mom cover her head with various items. Today, it was the versatile washcloth, or as Alton Brown would call it a real multi-tasker.

Why do you suppose she does this? Is it to keep people from seeing her or to make it so she doesn’t have to look at me? Or is there some other reason I haven’t thought of?

On a more serious note, she fell again today, but as usual didn’t hurt herself. The Hospice nurse stopped by to check her out after I called them. Her blood pressure was great. Her heart rhythm was steady. She and Mom had a rather mangled conversation, with Mom impressing Michelle with a bunch of words Michelle hadn’t heard before.

My biggest concern right now is that Mom just doesn’t eat enough. She doesn’t like anything she used to and, of course, with no teeth, she’s limited in what she can eat.

Until next time…

The Mt. Vernon Statement

You may have heard about the Mt. Vernon Statement which a number of conservatives have signed. I signed it on-line and you can too. Just visit: http://www.themountvernonstatement.com/

If you are concerned about the direction this country is going, please read the statement and consider adding your name.

It might just make you feel like one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It certainly re-emphasizes the founding principles of this great nation.

Until next time…

Monday Morning – A Start of A New Week

At this moment (we got up about 4:30 am and Mom ate a pretty good breakfast), my insomniac mother, who is covered by two blankets, is sleeping in her chair. She spent the night entertaining me with shouting, screaming, singing, talking, etc. etc. Hopefully, the rest of the week will be better.

She was up and very active all day yesterday.She even dried some dishes. I wish I knew where she gets her energy; she rarely eats and as far as I know, has no access to amphetamines. I could sure use some – energy, that is, not amphetamines.

I did manage to put about 60 books for sale on eBay this weekend and have already sold one. It was difficult because I had to pop up and chase Mom quite a few times.

On Friday, while Rosemary was here with Mom, I went to Walmart and bought Mom a couple of pretty nightgowns with a gift card she got for Christmas. She loves pretty things and wants to wear them all at the same time. This leads to a few battles.

Today, while Maria is here, I think I’ll find a boring movie and sleep through it. It’s likely to be too cold out to park the car somewhere and sleep.

On Another Note…

Did anyone catch the Daytona 500 yesterday? Delay! Delay! Delay! I wonder how many viewers they lost because of a pothole. It didn’t look like anyone left the stands, but then they paid a lot of money for their seat, unlike the TV audience.

I’m really enjoying The Survivors Club, the book I spoke of before. Ben Sherwood tells some incredible stories of survival that really support his theories about how we can survive even the most potentially challenging circumstances. I recommend this book to everyone. It’s much more interesting than you might expect.

Until next time…

Food for Thought (courtesy of Dianne Webber)

This Teacher Is Truly A Genius!

"You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."  Adrian Rogers

This man is truly a genius!

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he
had never failed a single student before,  but had once failed an
entire class.  That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked
& that no one would be poor & no one would be rich, a great
equalizer.  The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment
in this class on Obama's plan".  All grades would be averaged &
everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail & no one would receive an A...

After the first test, the grades were averaged & everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset & the students who studied little were happy.  As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less & the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D!  No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F..  The scores never increased as bickering, blame & name-calling all resulted in hard feelings & no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, & the professor told them that
socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is
great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all
the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.  Could not be
any simpler than that.  (Please pass this on)  Remember, there is a
mid-term election in 2010!  Please vote wisely to build back a

Patriot Democracy, as our Forefathers intended us to keep.

(I would make one change to this … we live in a Representative Republic, not a Democracy… K)

Until next time…

78 POUNDS!

Michelle, the Hospice nurse, was here today. In the course of her visit, we weighed Mom again –> ONLY 78 pounds. That’s 6 more pounds lost since they weighed her after she left the hospital – less than a month ago. Boy, my cooking must be worse than i thought. Seriously, though, it’s so difficult to find anything she likes to eat, that she can eat without choking.

We discussed ways to get her to eat, how to keep her in her chair so she doesn’t fall, and how to keep her from choking. I’m afraid solutions are difficult.

She suggested baby food, then  thought maybe toddler food might suit Mom more. She also ordered some thickener – apparently thickened liquid is easier to swallow than straight liquid, like milk or coffee or water.

For keeping Mom from falling, she brought with her a strap that beeps when Mom tries to get up, but that’s not the problem so she took it back with her. She suggested that others have used a flat sheet to keep their loved ones in their chairs. 

Survival…

Yesterday, Glenn Beck interviewed Ben Sherwood, author of The Survival Club. --if you’re interested in a transcript of the interview, see: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/21752/

At that site, there is a shortened Survivor IQ test you can take. It only takes a few minutes and will tell you which of the five categories of survivor you are. Ben Sherwood points out that this really gives you your dominant survivor trait; you can still have aspects of the other four. The five categories, in no particular order, are Believer, Thinker, Fighter, Realist, and Connector.

Regardless of your survivor type, your best chances of dealing with disaster is to:

1. Be aware
2. Know the threat
3. Prepare accordingly.

I don’t know if you saw any videos of the empty store shelves in the D.C. area during the latest snowstorms, but it’s a pretty good indicator of what could happen in any kind of regional or national emergency. What if this emergency lasted more than a week or two.

Are you prepared? Have you considered what disasters could befall you? Could you survive on the food and water you have at your house? What if electricity, water, and phones were out of service for a month or more? Do you keep enough gas in your car to get you away from any regional threat without having to stop for gas?

Take the time to be aware of what’s going on around you. Assess any threats that might come your way and get ready for it as much as possible.

Sorry for getting on my survivalist pulpit, but we are so spoiled in this country. Of course, you are reading something written by someone who never had to buy a roll of toilet paper or can of tuna for a year or more after 1/1/2000. My motto was: I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. How will I handle all of this survivalist prep when I’m in my 25-foot travel trailer?

Until next time…

A Great Day!

After a sleepless, noisy night, Mom decided she wanted to get up about 4:30 this morning. We got up, had breakfast (she ate about 2/3 of her meal), and then she decided she had to go to bed. She slept all day including through lunch, then woke up smiling about 4 pm.

All in all, it’s been a fairly good day. Mom ate a pretty good supper, including about half a chocolate cupcake for dessert.

She does seem to have increasing difficulty walking. This afternoon, I had to use the roll-a-tor to get her from the bedroom to the living room. We did this because this morning, I had to carry her the last few feet to her chair.

Right now (about 8:30 pm), she’s sleeping peacefully in her recliner. I’m hoping for a sleepy night tonight.

On Another Note…

Today, I opened my brand new EdgeStar ice-maker that I was able to buy for a good price in a scratch-and-dent sale. It’s for my camping lifestyle. Absorption refrigerators such as are found in campers are notoriously bad at ice-making and ice retention and I love ice in my drinks. This makes 28 pounds of ice per day, in as little as 6 minutes. And, I don’t even have to do any plumbing.

Since it only stores 2 1/2 pounds of ice, I’ll make use of the many coolers I have for storage.

The really neat thing about the ice-maker is that it came just when I needed a box of the size it came in to send my brother the dehydrator I got him at Bass Pro Shop. (Wow! what a sentence structure. He’s hoping to make jerky from all of the venison he harvests. I’m hoping he’ll make me a lot of dried fruit and veggies…just kidding!

The only downside is the ice-maker weighs 29 pounds. I may carry it in the back of the pickup truck.

On Still Another Note…

Today, I started a new book: A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart. Those of you who have known me for a long time probably know I was a history major in college. The book was recommended by Glenn Beck, whom I watch faithfully every afternoon at 5 on Fox News Channel. I also listen to him from 9 – 12 every morning on 970 WFLA.

Though I haven’t gotten very far in this book, I already find it interesting. I hope people in this country begin to wake up soon, before progressivism and socialism take over and we lose whatever freedom we have left.

We need to get back to our Constitution and rule of law. On the news today, I heard about some Republican (I expect it of Democrats) scoundrels who, though they voted against the stimulus bill and decry it vocally every chance they get, are not above accepting stimulus money for their states. That is why I think we should throw them ALL out. We need to tell them to GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE (see WWW.GOOOH.COM).

Until next time…

Rut Confirmed

Yep, you guessed it; last night Mom spent yet another sleepless night, talking, shouting, crying, whining, and sitting up in bed. When she sits up, she usually can’t lie back down by herself, because she puts her legs through the railing before sitting up.

About 6 am, she finally wanted to get up. Then, during a breakfast of cornmeal (which should be very easy to swallow), she had a choking spell. Later in the day, she fell.

I often wonder if there is something more I could be doing to keep her safe. So far as falling, I think the only solution is to tie her in a chair. I hate to do that, but when she fell today, I couldn’t stop her. She stood up and, before I could get around my computer desk to walk with her, she was on the floor.

She’s also been reluctant to eat anything today. I think she’s afraid she might choke again. I’m surprised she remembers the choking, but it was pretty scary.

Thankfully, I was able to get out for four hours thanks to Maria from Right at Home. I made my trip to Sam’s and to Publix. I don’t know how the pioneers did it, not being able to go to the store any time they needed to. After bringing in and putting away my purchases, I was able to take a bunch of garbage to the dumpster. I can’t believe how much garbage two people can generate.

On another note…

I’ve gotten plans for building solar panels. All the soldering looks extremely tedious, but you can make an 85-watt panel for under $100. I tell you, I am sold on solar, especially living here in Florida where it’s sunny almost every day.

The plans even included some neat instructions for building a small solar charger for AA and AAA batteries using chipped or broken solar cells.

If anyone is interested in seeing how this works, let me know.

Until next time…

I Think We’re in a Rut

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything since Wednesday, but I could almost post the same info tonight as Wednesday.

Last night, my mother had another sleepless night. Note that I didn’t say quiet night, but rather sleepless. She didn’t sleep and neither did I.

Then today, she decided she could just walk wherever and whenever she wanted. I warned her to let me know when she got up so I could walk along beside her. She is still so shaky when walking, as evidenced by the fact that she took another spill. Even after that, though, she still wouldn’t sit in one place for more than a few minutes.

The only thing that would be different from the above is that she didn’t just fall once today, but twice – once while I was in the shower and once while I was in the bathroom for another reason.

Yesterday, Nadine came again which allowed me to go to one of my favorite stores -- Bass Pro Shop in Orlando. Karen Dersham went with me and we enjoyed a great lunch at the Cricketeer Arms after walking through the store. The Cricketeer Arms is a British pub that serves the best fish and chips I think I’ve ever had.

Mom is becoming increasingly unresponsive. She won’t look at you when she talks. It’s nearly impossible to understand what she says – unless it’s profanity. She constantly drools even if it’s been hours since she ate or drank anything. It’s not uncommon to have to change her clothes 2 – 3 times per day.

Any ideas, anyone, on what I can do about this? I bought her a very long bib for meals, but she hates it and pulls it off whenever she gets a chance.

Though she says she’s hungry more often, it hasn’t changed how much she eats. Now, my niece will probably say that is a reflection of my cooking – wouldn’t you, Colleen -- and she may be right, but Mom doesn’t even eat much of her favorite take-out foods.

Tomorrow, a nurse from Hospice is supposed to stop by to check Mom out after her falls. Maybe she’ll have some suggestions about the drooling.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Until next time…

Another Sleepless Night

Last night, my mother had another sleepless night. Note that I didn’t say quiet night, but rather sleepless. She didn’t sleep and neither did I.

Then today, she decided she could just walk wherever and whenever she wanted. I warned her to let me know when she got up so I could walk along beside her. She is still so shaky when walking, as evidenced by the fact that she took another spill. Even after that, though, she still wouldn’t sit in one place for more than a few minutes.

Fortunately, this afternoon, Nadine from Right At Home Plant City came by and I got to have a little break. I went to see the movie Leap Year with Amy Adams of Julie and Julia fame. It was a terrific movie. The scenery in Ireland was spectacular.

Until next time…

Manatees

Today, while Maria from Right At Home Plant City was with Mom, my brother Jeff, sister-in-law Kathy and I went to lunch at Westshore Pizza (our second trip there in 3 days) then drove over to the TECO plant on Big Bend Road to see the manatees that shelter there during the cold months. Water temperature there near the plant is over 80 degrees while the Gulf temperature is only 67.

There were easily more than 50 (FIFTY) manatees there swimming lazily around in the water, occasionally lifting their nose out to breathe. If you have never been there to see this incredible sight and you are within a day’s drive, you should come to see them.

This is the first year I have seen so many manatees – from past experience, I’ve only seen 20 or 30 at one time. Of course, this winter has been so much colder than normal.

On Another Note…

Mom had a choking incident this morning. It was very scary, but she finally was able to get rid of whatever was stuck in her throat. I was sure glad I wasn’t here alone for this.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Until next time…