Changing Times
Last Saturday Lori went for her weekly visit. She found Mee Maw well and quite easy to talk to. While discussing cooking and recipes (anyone know her recipe for chicken chow mein?), Lori mentioned a couple of leftover baked sweet potatoes in our refrigerator and said that she was thinking of making a sweet potato casserole from them. "Why, I've never heard of such a thing!" exclaimed Mee Maw. "How do you make it?"
Now, we family members can remember holiday meals during which she heartily devoured sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping and (before she decided she couldn't eat them) pecans. She always would say how much she loved it. Now, she apparently cannot remember that.
That was the only "unusual" moment of Lori's visit.
I found out this evening from my mother that Mee Maw has spent this week lying across her bed. Apparently she has not even changed clothes or made it down to meals. She has even been skipping breakfast, which she will quickly tell you is her favorite meal of the day. On Tuesday morning the nursing staff brought her a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and got her to eat it. Other than that, we don't know if she has even left her room or eaten anything all week. She has called my parents at a few odd times to ask them what time it is or what she is supposed to do next. Then she lies back down across her bed and naps. Upon awakening, she has no idea of the time of day or how much time has passed. So, she picks up the phone.
She, like so many elderly patients, is overly concerned about her bowel habits. It seems that she is to the point of making herself sick if she does not "go" regularly. Of course, if she doesn't eat, there is nothing to eliminate, which only compounds her worries. With her sleeping and confusion she cannot always remember if she does "take care of business". This inordinate fear of going days without "producing" may ultimately be at the root of this current episode. We hope it is no more serious than this. I hope this subject goes away, because I get a bit embarrassed writing about it!
Note: If you are "kinfolk" and you know some others in our rather large family who would be interested in keeping updated on Mee Maw (or Aunt Mildred, to many), please send them a link to this blog. If you are a family friend, or know a family friend who would like this information, point them in this direction. If you are just a curious onlooker, HOWDY!
And feel free to post a comment. Any messages to Mee Maw will be relayed to her.
Now, we family members can remember holiday meals during which she heartily devoured sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping and (before she decided she couldn't eat them) pecans. She always would say how much she loved it. Now, she apparently cannot remember that.
That was the only "unusual" moment of Lori's visit.
I found out this evening from my mother that Mee Maw has spent this week lying across her bed. Apparently she has not even changed clothes or made it down to meals. She has even been skipping breakfast, which she will quickly tell you is her favorite meal of the day. On Tuesday morning the nursing staff brought her a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and got her to eat it. Other than that, we don't know if she has even left her room or eaten anything all week. She has called my parents at a few odd times to ask them what time it is or what she is supposed to do next. Then she lies back down across her bed and naps. Upon awakening, she has no idea of the time of day or how much time has passed. So, she picks up the phone.
She, like so many elderly patients, is overly concerned about her bowel habits. It seems that she is to the point of making herself sick if she does not "go" regularly. Of course, if she doesn't eat, there is nothing to eliminate, which only compounds her worries. With her sleeping and confusion she cannot always remember if she does "take care of business". This inordinate fear of going days without "producing" may ultimately be at the root of this current episode. We hope it is no more serious than this. I hope this subject goes away, because I get a bit embarrassed writing about it!
Note: If you are "kinfolk" and you know some others in our rather large family who would be interested in keeping updated on Mee Maw (or Aunt Mildred, to many), please send them a link to this blog. If you are a family friend, or know a family friend who would like this information, point them in this direction. If you are just a curious onlooker, HOWDY!
And feel free to post a comment. Any messages to Mee Maw will be relayed to her.
posted by Richard | 9:29 PM
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