Descent into Alzheimer's Disease

On Thursday when I was getting ready for work, I received a call from the nurse at Facility telling me Mom was acting really weird, shaking, and her lips and fingers looked blue. We made arrangements for Mom to be transported to the hospital via ambulance while I hurried to meet her there.

I was shocked to discover Mom unattended in a room, struggling to get off the bed when I arrived. I had thought someone from Facility would go with her and wait for me. I don ‘t know why I assumed such a thing. If they rode in the ambulance with her, how would they get back to Facility? How could they send an aide when they barely have enough to make do as it is? Even so, I was upset that she had been left alone.

At first I wasn’t very worried. I knew Mom was sick, but figured it was just a worse than normal UTI. The ER doctor ordered ½ milligram of Ativan to calm her so she would stop trying to get up. So she lay there sleeping and I sat there counting the hours.

Optimistically, I had called in late to work instead of calling off. I never made it to work. After about 6 hours in the ER, I was finally told Mom was being admitted to the hospital. At this point she was catheterized and IV antibiotics were started.

I still thought she wasn’t that sick and called my sister to ask if she would come and sit with Mom so I could go to work.

“My hair looks terrible. Can you call someone else… or can’t they tie her to the bed?”

“No, I don’t think they tie people to the beds. That’s okay, I’ll just do it.” Sigh

[In my sister’s defense, she said later that she wasn’t feeling well enough to make it to the hospital.]

As it turned out, we were worried needlessly about trying to keep Mom in the room/bed. She ended up getting very sick and didn’t even open her eyes for two days.

Mom has urosepsis, which is a very serious UTI in which the bacteria has spread to the bloodstream. Mom’s blood culture came back positive for E. coli.

Somehow Mom didn’t even have a fever for the first 10 hours at the hospital. However, around 3 A.M. she started shaking again. When the nurse checked her vitals her temperature was over 104 and her blood pressure was 77/38.

They gave her a Tylenol suppository and soon her temp came down and she stopped shaking and rested peacefully. I, on the other hand, did not rest peacefully. I sat there feeling sick as a dog, wondering if Mom was going to die. I stared at her chest all night to make sure it was moving up and down.

The next morning, she was still fast asleep and not responding much. In the afternoon, I begged for Tylenol for her for two hours before they finally brought her some. In a little while she opened her eyes and smiled at me! I was ecstatic. I was even able to get her to eat a little food.

I finally started to relax a little and began to think she would be okay. They sure don’t like to let anyone have Tylenol in that place. I think if something so simple makes her feel so much better, then let her have it!

Anyway, after being at the hospital for 29 hours, my sister and niece arrived to relieve me. They stayed for three hours until the girl I had hired to help arrived at 9 P.M. Needless to say, I was wiped out.

I was back by 7 A.M. so I could speak with the doctor. He said we will be aiming for Wednesday for her release. He was concerned because Mom’s white blood count is still elevated. He switched to a new antibiotic, so hopefully tomorrow is will be down.

Saturday was just wonderful. She was awake almost all day. She ate three meals and was also drinking well. She was smiling and laughing and fussing some, too. We got her out of bed and walked her around in the room a little.

On Sunday my brother arrived. Mom had just finished a huge lunch and a nice bath and was sitting up in a chair. He sat with her while I ran home for a quick nap.

I went back and fed her dinner and stayed a couple more hours. From Thursday to Sunday I spent over 50 hours at the hospital! Not gonna do any chores this weekend!

I managed to find a couple of people to hire to help me and that was a lifesaver.

I told my sister I had to go back to work on Monday and she is supposed to sit with Mom from 3 P.M. til 8 P.M. on Monday and Tuesday. I’ll have the mornings before work. If she is able to do this, it will be terrific. We’ll have to wait and see, I suppose.

I’m confident that she’ll continue to improve and I’ll get to have her with me a while longer. I am just not ready to let her go. I love her so much. I feel like I should have known she had a UTI and I feel partly to blame that it went untreated so long. I noticed her going downhill, but I attributed it to Alzheimer’s and never even thought of a UTI. My brain just doesn’t function sometimes. One thing is for sure, I definitely don’t want Mom to die because of me being stupid.

She is actually acting more ‘with it’ than she has in a good long while. I can tell she is sick, because she isn’t trying to get out of bed, but she is laughing at things she used to laugh at months ago and joking and answering questions. She looked at me twice this morning and laughed and said my name. I am curious about the length of time this bacteria has been festering in her system.

The doctor also said her thyroid was a little low and put her on meds for that. He said that might give her a boost, too.

I am very tired now, but also happy and hopeful. I’m counting on having Mom back in my life in a more participatory manner. What can be sweeter than hugs and kisses and that special eye contact when you’re sharing an inside joke?

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Karen was not so fortunate and lost her Mom last Sunday… the day after she called me. It happened quicker than she was expecting, but all the family was able to get there in time to say goodbye. She is hanging around to be with her dad for a few days. He will be taking care of his Mom (Alzheimer’s Disease) alone now.

Karen said it felt very strange to be there without her Mom. It reminded me of how I felt when my Dad died. It’s just such an empty feeling and you think of all the warm hugs and times together that will be no more. It’s all just very sad and it leaves a big hole in your life.

I know Karen is missing her mother terribly, but she is grateful that her Mom only suffered for a very short time in the end. She said her Mom was at peace and ready to go and that allows her to be at peace with it, as well.

[ Melody Ruth Shadd Kent, 67, of the 100 block of Etheridge Drive, died Aug. 1, 2004. A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, Maple. Twiford Funeral Home, Elizabeth City, is in charge. ]

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Josh is coming to visit for a week at the beginning of September! Yay! Yay! Yay!