Good Days, Bad Days

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I cannot believe dad has been in the hospital for two weeks already! It has gone by in a complete blur. I can barely remember that first week, driving to the hospital in daze, worried by what I would find when I rounded the corner into his room.

When I consider that week, things are definitely improving. Visiting dad on Sunday, he was sitting up in his wheelchair, ready to get back on his feet...

I hesitate to write about dad's confusion/dementia, as I want to retain some of his privacy. I guess I don't need to share all the details... just enough to explain it.

As mentioned, the nurses got him sitting up in a wheelchair, and tied him in with a seatbelt. (Being in bed so long, his legs are weak, so he isn't walking yet, though he is standing on his own. So he needs a seat belt while sitting up... so he does not get up and do a nose dive... no more of those, thanks!) He became increasingly aggitated as I sat with him. I watched him inspect the brakes on the wheels of the wheelchair, trying to figure out how to release them. He was gripping the arm rests and trying to stand up. I tried to get him to rest in the chair, but he got angry with me. I was worried he would figure out how to release the button on the seatbelt, then try to stand up!!

I expressed my concerns with the nurse just before I left. The nurse also noticed his actions and said he was 'restless'. They moved him up to the nurses station so they could keep an eye on him. I know tomorrow is another day, and he might come around. But it was distressing to leave him there in that condition.

Afterwards, I was thinking about the times in the past where he has been like this. He becomes overly fixated on something and I can't talk him out of it. When I try, he gets very frustrated with me, almost belligerent. I'm not a medical professional by any stretch, but it seems to be linked with low blood sugar, or low electrolytes. While I was there, his tummy was rumbling like he was hungry. This despite the fact that I'd taken him a slice of chocolate cake and sauce for an afternoon treat. I wish I had given him something else to eat, and more water.

This is why there are good days and bad days. When the medication/food stars line up, we can have a good day and I can talk to dad like it's the old days. (Kind of... short term memory loss does make communication awkward.) When the medication is off, and his blood sugar dips, we are in for trouble as you can see above. Can only learn from the previous errors, and try to build on that. Moral of this story is.... I will discuss my concerns with the nurses and make sure he is getting snacks between meals to keep his blood sugar up.