It’s been a busy week. Four days ago I left Carolyn asleep on the couch (futon) which is only about a foot off the floor. In the morning she was found on the floor beside the couch, unresponsive, cold and pale with oxygen levels in the seventies. No bruises or scrapes this time, though.
She recovered completely with just a few minutes on the oxygen concentrator.
She is also starting to have trouble swallowing. If they are serving beef, chicken or pork, it ends up packed into her mouth and cheeks, and we have to spend several minutes sweeping it out with a toothbrush. The nurses are crushing her medicine and mixing it with applesauce so she can get it down. They ran out of applesauce today, so I went and bought some. Still trying to keep her happy!
I still keep cups of yogurt, which she can eat OK. I also bought some diet shakes to supplement her nutrition. She did not like the Dark Chocolate flavor at all, which surprised me, but she really likes the Strawberry flavor. She drank about six oz. tonight. I took a sip myself. Not bad at all.
Falling is getting to be a daily thing now. Yesterday she fell in the dining area holding a plate in her hands. The plate broke in half, and she hurt her back or hips, but not seriously, we think. She can still stand and walk slowly. The fact that she put her hands out in front holding the plate, and that she twisted her back may mean that she was not unconscious when she fell this time. It may have been a trip or unbalance.
They have changed her medication to something more sedating, so I have discontinued the afternoon wine tasting for a few days. She is now sleeping most of the day, which should reduce the chances of a fall, I think. And since walking is a painful thing right now, she most likely won’t be pacing the halls at night for a while.
I spent the morning sleeping across the room from Carolyn on the couch, and then in the afternoon, as she was still asleep, I took a welcome break and went to Wilma Wright’s house for Holiday Festivities. I enjoyed myself immensely. I don’t think I could survive without the family friendship I have here in Oklahoma.
I went back to see her this evening, and for the first time in a week she didn’t recognize me. She was talking to me about what Don told her. I looked into her eyes and said, “I’m Don, and I love you!” Without any hesitation she replied, “Oh, good!” and pulled me in for a kiss.
The little things make it all worth while.
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