Mister Sandman

Thursday, September 22, 2011

I am sure my brother appreciated receiving email updates (from my iPhone, in bed) in the wee hours of the morning here. 1am... 'Haven't turned the lights out yet.' 2 am... 'I'm having a panic attack.' 3 am ... 'You won't be surprised to know that I am still awake.' 4 am ... 'Aaaand... still awake.' (Looking into a bright screen probably doesn't aid in the sleep department!!) That's the benefit of relatives and friends overseas... there's always someone to keep you company when you when you can't sleep. I was just so worked up after the week I've had, and couldn't talk myself out of it at 3 am.

One person who has no problems sleeping, is dad. The Sinemet itself, plus the mismanagement of the pills causes him to sleep. A lot. Whenever he gets assessed, I get asked, is the fatigue common? "Oh yes," I smile. Road trips when we were kids were interesting. Midafternoon, the yawning would start... windows were rolled down, vents turned on, the driving speed would decrease. Mom would say, "That's it. It's my turn to drive." Off to the edge of the road, to trade places. Dad would kind of loll out the driver's side, half a lazy smile on his face, strap himself into the passenger seat and out like a light. It was a common sight at home to see dad sleeping in the 'blue chair.' Yes, he does sleep more often now - with the disease and medication and boredom. But it's really nothing new!

I rushed to the hospital this morning ... mainly because I was starting to panic a bit about how dad was, especially after the previous two days. They had him up in his chair, and he was... you guessed it... sleeping. Lunch had been brought out and was sitting on the tray in front of him... I went to help him eat it... He'd been too weak and sleepy to feed himself since Monday. He'd taken a few bites and then I noticed he was out like a light... no rousing him. I said, 'Thats a bit rude don't you think? To fall asleep in the middle of your lunch?!'

The words of both my brother's are ringing through my head... 'Broken ribs are painful, Donna. You just want to lie around in bed and do nothing. Think of dad... he's old and he has a disease. And he has broken ribs. He just needs time.'

So the story at 8 pm from the nurses was, dad was a bit more alert and responsive today. Ok boys, I'm holding you to your theory!