Ridin’ in Style

03 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Eason House, Humor, Inspiration, Mom, Pharma, Smiles

This past Wednesday, Mom had an appointment with her neurologist. Susie offered to go along, which is always extremely helpful. Since she spends the most amount of time with Mom, I really appreciate having her there to answer the multitude of questions he asks regarding moods, behaviors, et cetera. Not only did she go, but she drove her convertible so that we could ride in style.

Seeing my mom SO happy on that trip to the doc was absolutely priceless. She laughed and laughed, pointed at this and that along the way, jabbered emphatically, and waved her arms, all the while her hair blowing wildly in the wind!

I got a few fantastic pictures that will continue to make me smile for years to come… Here are the highlights.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The appointment itself went very well. She was having another wonderful day, and never stopped laughing and joking the entire time we were there. Seems the most recent med changes are yielding definite improvements, so we’ll remain status quo for now. He was concerned that her blood pressure readings were unusually low and wants to keep an eye on that, which might ultimately mean a change to the blood pressure meds.

For now, though, we’re just enjoying the good days.

… Until next time… carpe diem…

On an “up” note…

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Mom

≈ 2 Comments

I received a text from Susie this evening, asking that I call her. Thankfully, she always clarifies that it’s not an emergency so that I don’t panic, but I have to say, I still dread seeing those messages. Safe to say it isn’t typically good news.

As I dialed the phone, I ran several scenarios through my head… ah, what could it be??

Imagine my surprise upon learning that the only reason for the call was to tell me that today was a GOOD DAY for Mom!!!

No crying, screaming, hitting, pinching, or acting out in any way… She even ate like a champ, and… get this… fed herself at lunch and dinner (with the other ladies at the table)!! While she still wasn’t as peppy as she has been in the past, she was caught laughing, making faces, and even dancing!!

Hearing that, my friends, is definitely the way to end Monday on a resounding high note!!

Until next time… Carpe Diem…

To eat… or not to eat…

24 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Mom, Pharma, Ruminations, Weight Loss

≈ 2 Comments

Really noticed today how thin Mom’s arms are looking. She has definitely lost more weight. Apparently eating wasn’t high on her list of priorities this past week. Meds, perhaps? Definitely a possibility, but who knows for sure. Doc took her completely off the Depakote, which is surprising since she had been on 250mg for a long time before he upped it to 500mg a couple of weeks ago. I definitely think that was what was sedating her, but I didn’t expect him to d/c it altogether. Will see him on Wednesday and ask about that. Also increased Inderal to 10mg, 3x day.

So, at least this week, she was more “with it.” Tired, but certainly not sedated. Definitely back on the emotional/behavioral roller coaster, but I’d prefer that to sedation any day. She’s back to covering the full range on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis – from laughing to crying to screaming to dancing and anything else she can come up with. It sounds like the highlight of her day today was going for a little ride in Susie’s convertible, with the top down, of course. Just thinking about that makes me happy!

She’s at a point where she won’t eat when the other ladies are at the table. Too much commotion, and too many people in her business. I really didn’t think she was going to eat at all today, but Susie finally followed her around with a bowl of jello and Cool Whip until she got her to take a few bites. Sure enough, Mom walked over to the table on her own and sat down.

I sat down and fed her, and surprisingly she ate her entire plate of lasagna and most of her garlic bread, plus she finished the jello and a glass of ice water. She doesn’t eat by herself much at all anymore; having someone feed her has become pretty much the norm. When she does try to eat herself, it’s always with her fingers – even if it’s lasagna. Today when she stuck her hands in there, I let her go. WTF, at least she was eating…

As is so often the case, I left Eason House today wondering how in the hell we arrived at this point. I look at her, and quite truthfully, my mind just can’t grasp any of it. But today, she smiled at me, laughed a little, and she was full of kisses, so I’ll hang onto the good and leave the bad behind.

Until next time… Carpe diem…