Some days require planning, some days require preparation, some days require check lists...yesterday was one of those days. It was Homecoming Saturday - the first of many, I am sure, Peyton had a friend sleep over, Patrick had to work, the lawn needed to be mowed and Murph had baseball practice from 4-7.
What I wanted to do was to sleep in - all day maybe!, but my list of tasks would not allow that. Besides, mom doesn't handle a day off schedule very well. So, alarm off at 7:00...could've slept til 7:30 since I really couldn't shower until we finished the yard work! Fire in the fireplace to take the edge off the cold and damp of the downstairs, started breakfast and got mom started getting ready.
Very normal morning - the kiddos even came down in order - Keaton is my early riser, the Patrick and then the girls. Since it was cool - I made oatmeal...not the healthy kind - banana, chocolate chip oatmeal - the yummy kind!
Mom and I sat at the table and ate - I tried to give her my undivided attention (as much as I could with everyone else needing something) - it was a good start to the day. I try my best to take baby bites and talk too much so I don't finish my breakfast 'WAY before she finishes, but I never seem to time it just right. So, I got up and fed Sophie, sat back down to finish my coffee, got up to put the oatmeal pan in to soak, sat back down for another sip of coffee, put the kids dishes in the dishwasher, sat back down one more time.
Finally mom finished up, so I cleared the bowls and mugs and put them in the dishwasher. Mom was still sitting at the table. I grabbed up some recycling to take out and mom was still sitting there. I turned around to see if Sophie wanted to come out with me and glanced over at mom and she was head down, hands trembling and really out of it. It was so scary and so sad.
I had Patrick call 911 - thought she was having another stroke or another attack of the heart arrythmia.
Funniest thing - mom remembered my name and who I was when she was totally out of it...she called me Lisa and asked me to sit with her for a minute...so sweetly.
Paramedics came - stable, vitals, history, decision not to go to hospital, here's what it could be, here's what you need to do Monday, etc. It was a big deal - they were here for 30 minutes or so. Half the neighborhood stopped by to make sure everything was okay. They came up with sirens wailing, they brought their big stretcher and lots of monitors and hooked mom up to everything - even pricked her finger to do a blood test!
And as soon as they were out the door...mom didn't remember that they had even been there. She didn't want to rest, she didn't want to drink the Gatorade or water, she didn't want to take it easy. Why on Earth should she rest?
ALZ never fails to blow my mind, but bearing witness to something like that is unbelievable. How is it possible to be that suddenly sick and unable to function and then not remember anything about it in 2 minutes?
It's getting harder and harder to communicate with mom - she has no points of reference, but she is always right. She NEEDS to always be right. I know the books and blogs and experts say there is no benefit to arguing or even explaining most of the time...but how weird to argue with a grown woman about the fact that we had to call 911 that morning and the doctor/paramedics said to do this and this and this...
WOW!
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