Mom's decline

Mom's decline started on May 3rd, when she wrecked her car. She insisted she hadn't done it, that someone must have hit her while she was parked. But when I looked at the photo, it was obvious she had caused the damage herself without realizing it. That was when I began the long process of getting her off the road.

Doing that remotely from Alaska took a lot of work, but eventually I went through the county to require her to take a driving test. She failed. She wasn't happy with me and made sure I knew it, but it had to be done. That was around the middle of July, I think.

Losing the car meant losing her world. She used to go out every day, whether for organ practice or a fast food run. Without those trips, she had no reason to walk any farther than the TV. She started sleeping a lot, about 20 hours out of every 24. Her mobility faded, and she spent nearly all her time in bed or in her chair.

Then came the incontinence. She was in a diaper around the clock and couldn't clean herself well, so she was probably sitting in wet ones for long stretches. Unsurprisingly, that led to UTIs and eventually a bladder infection. Her doctor prescribed an oral antibiotic that upset her stomach. She stopped eating for five or six days and drank very little water, and that led to acute kidney damage.

She arrived at the ER around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15th, and was admitted to Aultman the next day. I flew down Wednesday and got to the hospital Thursday morning. Her blood sugar had dropped as low as 33 the night before, but IV fluids had it climbing back up by the time I arrived. With the catheter and IV in place, the staff can keep a close eye on it.

I've been here a week now. She's still sleeping most of the time and has gotten up only a few times, taking a few steps with the walker and a physical therapist beside her. At mealtimes she manages a few bites and complains about the food. Even her favorite "Yummi Bowl" takeout got only about five small bites. She must be losing weight, and that isn't sustainable.

The hours she is awake are the good ones. She's alert, she knows where she is and what's happening, and she can hold a real conversation. She just mostly wants to sleep. When I asked if she wanted anything from home, the only thing she asked for was the cat.