Update on Mom the Alzheimer's, getting home from the hospital and of course hurting my back again, and so forth....

You are all such a blessing, and know you are so loved and appreciated... Mom and I had "hell" getting into the house last night. They did not officially discharge her till like 6PM! And I had to get her into the house by myself, so with her having having both back and front, I chose the back, with two lower steps, and using her walker, we very SLOWLY and with a few "choice" words, LOL, made it into the house, and finally to her bed. Hospice DID come by last night around 7PM, I was so shocked, I did not expect a nurse by, plus they had a courier bring some stronger pain medication for her, and now all of her medications will come via courier.... so that will be easier... of course now Hospice has taken over for the doctors etc as far as the dementia, and anything "to do" with that diagnosis, etc for now.... so I am hoping it will "settle" down a little... I really did a huge NO NO though - I injured my LOWER back, which already needs surgery, between all of the walking yesterday back and forth, our hospital is laid out so stupid, and you have to walk what seems like a mile just to get to patient's rooms, but then getting Mom in the house, I did a real number on my lower back and my neck.... I got her settled in and came home very early this morning to do some stuff done here, that I have to do and then I will head back over there, because her Social Worker, Aid, and so on will be coming sometimes after 8AM I gather... so it will be another day of hell I think, just being up on my feet, and getting stuff in order and so on... but now the Ensure, pads, Depends, and any and all "medical stuff" she needs, they will automatically bring us. and I no longer have to be picking those things up, including I gather most of her "meds" ... not sure if it is all of them yet, but ones that go along with the hospice diagnosis they will get and have brought to me... which is some help... then they have a list of people I can have either come "sit" with Mom in the week, night, day, etc for a few hours, some volunteer, some I will have to pay, but I can still go with ""Home Instead" which is a "sitter service" BUT they will have someone there, and I don't have to worry over if I get sick, or need to be away, and someone HAS to be with Mom, even though it means paying for them, they are bonded and so forth, I've met with one of the main case workers already.... and it is MUCH less although not cheap, than putting her in a nursing home, which means about at the lowest 3,000.00 a MONTH for room and board.... so hopefully we can keep her at home, where she REALLY wants to be, and hydrated, and well enough to avoid the hospital again... I can't say how much I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers... and I need to get busy getting things done here, etc... but I will post when I can... Love to all of your guys and gals, Rhia Steele "All things Autoimmune"

Another Week of Horror, severe pain, trying to BE A CARETAKER TO MOM, when I NEED a CARETAKER RIGHT NOW ALMOST MYSELF, LIFE, AND what it decides to pitch at us!

Once again things are not well with my Mom nor Myself. I found her in the floor again yesterday around noon time. I actually think she may have not "fallen" but more just slipped out of that rocker and down onto the floor from the way things looked.... anyway, I FINALLY by getting her to sit up for awhile, and her medications, and then getting her feet under her and her walker "steady" I got her up and into the chair... the lady that is over the PT portion of the Home Health came over and of course I had to tell her about this.... and as I told her, Mom got up, walked with her walker after she was there, she was able to talk fine, she had no bruises, she did NOT hit her head, and I saw no difference from her the day before... she seems to be "fine" one moment, and the next she has no clue where she is or who I am... 
so none of that changed. 

So, after that woman left, I gave her the rest of her regular medications, some Ensure, something to drink and tried to get her to eat, and she of course did not want to eat again. And besides all that she stopped up the damned toliet (I have no clue what she is doing) but she did not tell me until yesterday and claimed it had been that way for a couple of days... well in among the woman being there, me trying to answer questions, trying to plunge the toliet, I finally went and got some MR. Plumber gel, poured it in, tried again, and I got it partially unstopped... but I left it and told Mom NOT to use it at all, to let it sit overnight and use the potty chair by the bed... and today, it may go ahead and unstop...

I have a "small snake" that can go down into the toliet and I know it is not very far, because the sinks work fine, I used the washer etc... and only the toliet seems to be the issue... I may have to call a plumber but I know how much they charge... last time mine was stopped up but down below my "clean out" in the yard, I poured bleach in it for days, and it was tree roots that slowly can "seep" into the pipes and fill them... so little did I know I almost had it unclogged...so when he got there, he basically ran a bit of the hand auger through there, and hell it took him 2 minutes and cost me over 100.00!!! So, that is why unless I just can't get it today, I do not want to call a plumber, especially on a weekend.... So, I was totally exhausted, hurting badly, my own lower spine is worse, and my neck, shoulders, arms and hands throb, burn and hurt so badly, I can barely stand to sit here and type... dammit the hell I am sick of this crap... but I get a call about the time I pulled up to my home from Mom's and it was the "lady" I 'thought" had been at the house earlier... and she was "concerned" that Mom falling out of the chair "worsened" her condition... and as I told her, in the first place both myself, my son feel and the woman that was there, that she really did not take a "hard fall" - it was more she just slipped out of that chair... that I have been TRYING TO GET RID of anyway... she cannot get in and out of it, it rocks and glides... and she needs to not sit it in anymore... 

plus I threw out an old magazine table, that is so wobbly and old, she tried to "push" herself up on it, and I know also is an issue... in fact I threw it outside yesterday and told her it was NOT coming back into the house... anyway, this woman almost acted as if I was "not doing the right thing" with Mom... well maybe I am wrong, but I have been doing everything, and 

if I remotely thought she was hurt, or in any way had hit her head, or was "worse" from this "fall" I would have called the ambulance and took her out to be checked out... but she was NOT injured, not even a bruise and in fact once she was up off the floor, got up and walked around, and so forth, she told the woman she felt "okay" and that was no "pain" at all other than her regular "back pain" that has been there for many months now.,. so I took "offense" to this woman, not knowing what took place, what I see every day of my life, what I know goes on etc... acting as if I am being "cruel" or something... honestly home health care is a "joke"... other than the "aid" helping Mom by showering, washing her hair, and changing her sheets a couple of times a week, the other 2 really do "nothing".... so I am not thrilled... I thought the entire purpose was for them to spend up to 35 hours a week with her, and be there to take some of this off my back, where I don't have to be over there 3 or 4 times every day... it is taking a toll on me badly, especially this past week... I am physically in horrible pain myself now, and when I am complaining, then it is really, really HORRIBLE pain! 

SO, I have a QUESTION? DOES ANYONE KNOW MORE ABOUT "NON TERMINAL HOSPICE" or more of A PERSON THAT COMES IN AND DOES MORE THINGS SUCH AS STAYING THERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HOURS A DAY? I am "wading" through the insurance to see what is covered, and what she "qualifies" for... but I MYSELF NEED A CARETAKER, AND I NO LONGER HAVE ONE, and me trying to be almost a "FULL TIME CARETAKER FOR HER AND MYSELF, IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON ME"... so if anyone knows someone here in Ennis that does that type of thing whether just "personally" or through a company would you let me know?