The week after vacation
Well, I wanted to share with you what has been happening this week. the week after our time in Vermont. There is a definite change in Rick. He has been a basket case all week long.
You remember that Sunday we went to the church picnic and Rick had a great time with everyone. He laughed and joked with people and seemed to enjoy himself. We watched a movie on TV that afternoon and he laughed at it and really seemed to enjoy it too. Then Cheryl called and asked if we would like to go see a movie at the theater. So we decided to go. Superman Returns was playing at the $3 theater in Kernersville and Erin said it was a very good movie. I thought that Rick would enjoy it. But he slept through it. I guess it was just too late for him.
Monday he was doing fine until he heard me tell Erin on the phone that I was trying to get an appointment with our family doctor in the morning and then I would be taking him to the center. All of a sudden, Rick became pensive and anxious and teary. He asked why I was doing this to him. And he has been this way most of the time ever since.
Tuesday, of course was the 4th of July and we were out of work. The center was closed. And we had a parade to go to. Mara had spent the night with us and she and Emma were to ride on the Missionette's float. So we rode with Cheryl and Jeremy to take the girls to the parade starting point. Then we parked the car and found a place to watch the parade. We met a couple who we know from the center. The husband also has Alzheimer's Disease and attends the Center. The wife comes to the Friday noon support group that I go to. It was interesting to see Rick's and Gene's interaction. They knew each other and were glad to see each other. Gene can talk better than Rick. He told me that Rick had some trouble yesterday and that he was helping him out. He said he was taking care of Rick. Anyway, Rick did pretty good during the parade.
We went home and Mara and Emma both stayed with us. Cheryl and Jeremy wanted to go to Lowe's hardware store and wanted to leave Emma with us during that time. That was great and the girls had a wonderful time together. Cheryl brought Emma's inflatable pool over and they swam and played with the playhouse that had been given to us. The commotion seemed to upset Rick. He was agitated all afternoon. He didn't want to eat his lunch. I couldn't get him to sit at the table. I tried to feed him and he resisted that. He was not a happy camper.
After a while, Tamara and Cade came over so that Cade could mow the yard. Thank you, Cade for your help with the yard. It is a real blessing. Tamara tried to talk to Rick. She spent most of the afternoon talking to him and listening to him, trying to get him to calm down. Nothing seemed to help.
We went with Cheryl and Jeremy to the Kernersville fireworks show. We stopped at Subway to get sandwiches to eat there while waiting for the right time. Well, God decided to show his fireworks first. We could see the clouds coming in and then the lightening became very stark. So we packed up and went back to the van. Jeremy put the back seats down and we sat on the back of the van with the back door as a roof for us. The rain came down hard and the wind blew it under the door. So we all climbed into the back of the van and shut the door. We sat there for a while and then Rick started getting restless. He got more and more restless. I guess he got claustrophobic. He was glad when the rain stopped and he could get out. They did go ahead with the fireworks about 40 minutes late. But it started raining again and they hurried them up. We left and came home.
Rick was still agitated and I had a hard time getting him to go to bed. He would get in but before I could get around to my side he was back up again. It took me a long time to be able to get him in the bed and stay there. It wasn't until I was actually able to get in the bed too, that he went to sleep.
Wednesday morning he was still agitated. Erin said he cried off and on all the way to the Center. The nurse at the Center said he was ok after he got there, but he did have a spell around lunch. He is not eating well any more. We went to church Wednesday night and he did well there.
Thursday, we went to the family doctor to have him checked out about the blood we saw from his kidneys. She took another urine specimen and it was still negative. She also did some blood work. The report came back negative on that too. I think he should be having an appointment with the VA urologist soon.
When Tamara went to pick him up from the Center, he didn't recognize her. She asked him if he was going with her and he looked at her quizzically and said, "With you?" He just didn't seem to place her at all. When he got home he seemed to be better but we quizzed him and he couldn't come up with any definite answer. This was very upsetting to Tamara. It was the first time he didn't recognize one of us.
Thursday and Friday nights he didn't sleep all night. He woke up to go to the bathroom and then couldn't settle down to go back to sleep. He would get in the bed, shake and moan, get up and pull on the sheets, pace back and forth in the room, and then get back in the bed again. This lasted 1-2 hours. Very hard for me to get a good nights sleep.
Friday afternoon Tamara and I went to support group and then had a meeting with the director of the Center. She has worked with Alzheimer's patients for many years and has a wealth of knowledge. We asked what the next steps were, how long they would be able to keep Rick at the center, and other questions. She said that as long as we can keep him at home they can keep him at the center. She gave us a list of nursing facilities that have Alzheimer's units and told us which ones were the best ones to think about. She also told us that she thinks Rick's agitation is due to his medications. She said that she has seen side effects from being on the Alzheimer's medications too long. Rick has been on his for 3 years. So she recommended that we talk with Dr. Pearce about getting him off of them. Also she suggested that we get him on a happy pill. So I called Dr. Pearce right away to get his take on these suggestions. He agreed that we stop the Alzheimer's medications and gave me a plan for that. I started right away. I am sure hoping that things will get better soon. He also has prescribed an antipsychotic medication that we are starting at the lowest dose. So we will see. At least I feel that we are being proactive about his care.
Friday night friends of ours from church, George and Candi, took Rick to their house for the evening and Tamara and I went shopping and out to eat. It was a good time for me. I really enjoyed it. George said Rick did well for them.
Saturday was my family's gathering at Fairystone State Park in VA. This has been a tradition for several years now. It started out being on Father's Day weekend to honor my dad. But this year we couldn't seem to get everyone together on Father's Day weekend so we moved it to July. It was such a beautiful day. We really had a good time. He went in the water once with me and swam a little bit. He only dog paddles now. He doesn't seem to remember the right strokes any more. He started to swim out toward the dock but I didn't let him go that way. I was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to swim that far. I mentioned that to my sisters and Rick heard it. He didn't like it that I said he couldn't do it. After a while he got up and walked back into the lake by himself. I let him go a little bit and then followed him. He walked out to the rope that divided the shallow from the deep and then turned around and came back. I had to direct him to the right place. He had no sense of where we all were. After a while, Rick got anxious again and agitated. He tried to talk to my dad and aunt. They listened and tried to sympathize with him. Aunt Phyllis walked with him a couple of times. Everyone was very understanding and tried to help Rick as much as they could. Once Rick got up and stood in the middle of the group and tried to tell everyone how much he liked our family and then apologized for something. My brother in law, Darrell, stopped him by saying, "You know Rick that we all love you and respect you." Rick said, "Thank you, Thank you." My sister, Cindy, got up and hugged him and said that she loved him. Again he said, "Thank you." I think that was so good for him. I think he is aware enough to know that he isn't responding right and he is trying to apologize for it.
Today, Rick did well at church. He did get restless during the service. I ended taking him out to go to the bathroom. Then he was a little bit better. We came home and sat down in the living room to watch some TV. Rick went to sleep pretty quick in his chair. I dosed some too. I woke up to Rick wandering around the house and coming to stand by the couch where I was sleeping. He said, "I was wondering if you would be willing to help me?" Of course, I asked, "Help you with what?" He never could tell me what. He kept making statements through out the afternoon that didn't make any sense. I couldn't seem to figure out what he was thinking about. Once he said, "I think you have made the right decision." I don't know what decision he was talking about.
After we came home from evening church, he was restless. I took him to the bathroom and when he had finished I asked him if he felt better. He said, "Yes, but I'm still restless. I'm sorry." We took a walk with Kasee, our dog, and Erin. This seemed to calm him down. He is asleep right now. I hope he will stay asleep all night. I guess I will go join him now.
Thanks again for all your prayers. They are felt and greatly appreciated.
You remember that Sunday we went to the church picnic and Rick had a great time with everyone. He laughed and joked with people and seemed to enjoy himself. We watched a movie on TV that afternoon and he laughed at it and really seemed to enjoy it too. Then Cheryl called and asked if we would like to go see a movie at the theater. So we decided to go. Superman Returns was playing at the $3 theater in Kernersville and Erin said it was a very good movie. I thought that Rick would enjoy it. But he slept through it. I guess it was just too late for him.
Monday he was doing fine until he heard me tell Erin on the phone that I was trying to get an appointment with our family doctor in the morning and then I would be taking him to the center. All of a sudden, Rick became pensive and anxious and teary. He asked why I was doing this to him. And he has been this way most of the time ever since.
Tuesday, of course was the 4th of July and we were out of work. The center was closed. And we had a parade to go to. Mara had spent the night with us and she and Emma were to ride on the Missionette's float. So we rode with Cheryl and Jeremy to take the girls to the parade starting point. Then we parked the car and found a place to watch the parade. We met a couple who we know from the center. The husband also has Alzheimer's Disease and attends the Center. The wife comes to the Friday noon support group that I go to. It was interesting to see Rick's and Gene's interaction. They knew each other and were glad to see each other. Gene can talk better than Rick. He told me that Rick had some trouble yesterday and that he was helping him out. He said he was taking care of Rick. Anyway, Rick did pretty good during the parade.
We went home and Mara and Emma both stayed with us. Cheryl and Jeremy wanted to go to Lowe's hardware store and wanted to leave Emma with us during that time. That was great and the girls had a wonderful time together. Cheryl brought Emma's inflatable pool over and they swam and played with the playhouse that had been given to us. The commotion seemed to upset Rick. He was agitated all afternoon. He didn't want to eat his lunch. I couldn't get him to sit at the table. I tried to feed him and he resisted that. He was not a happy camper.
After a while, Tamara and Cade came over so that Cade could mow the yard. Thank you, Cade for your help with the yard. It is a real blessing. Tamara tried to talk to Rick. She spent most of the afternoon talking to him and listening to him, trying to get him to calm down. Nothing seemed to help.
We went with Cheryl and Jeremy to the Kernersville fireworks show. We stopped at Subway to get sandwiches to eat there while waiting for the right time. Well, God decided to show his fireworks first. We could see the clouds coming in and then the lightening became very stark. So we packed up and went back to the van. Jeremy put the back seats down and we sat on the back of the van with the back door as a roof for us. The rain came down hard and the wind blew it under the door. So we all climbed into the back of the van and shut the door. We sat there for a while and then Rick started getting restless. He got more and more restless. I guess he got claustrophobic. He was glad when the rain stopped and he could get out. They did go ahead with the fireworks about 40 minutes late. But it started raining again and they hurried them up. We left and came home.
Rick was still agitated and I had a hard time getting him to go to bed. He would get in but before I could get around to my side he was back up again. It took me a long time to be able to get him in the bed and stay there. It wasn't until I was actually able to get in the bed too, that he went to sleep.
Wednesday morning he was still agitated. Erin said he cried off and on all the way to the Center. The nurse at the Center said he was ok after he got there, but he did have a spell around lunch. He is not eating well any more. We went to church Wednesday night and he did well there.
Thursday, we went to the family doctor to have him checked out about the blood we saw from his kidneys. She took another urine specimen and it was still negative. She also did some blood work. The report came back negative on that too. I think he should be having an appointment with the VA urologist soon.
When Tamara went to pick him up from the Center, he didn't recognize her. She asked him if he was going with her and he looked at her quizzically and said, "With you?" He just didn't seem to place her at all. When he got home he seemed to be better but we quizzed him and he couldn't come up with any definite answer. This was very upsetting to Tamara. It was the first time he didn't recognize one of us.
Thursday and Friday nights he didn't sleep all night. He woke up to go to the bathroom and then couldn't settle down to go back to sleep. He would get in the bed, shake and moan, get up and pull on the sheets, pace back and forth in the room, and then get back in the bed again. This lasted 1-2 hours. Very hard for me to get a good nights sleep.
Friday afternoon Tamara and I went to support group and then had a meeting with the director of the Center. She has worked with Alzheimer's patients for many years and has a wealth of knowledge. We asked what the next steps were, how long they would be able to keep Rick at the center, and other questions. She said that as long as we can keep him at home they can keep him at the center. She gave us a list of nursing facilities that have Alzheimer's units and told us which ones were the best ones to think about. She also told us that she thinks Rick's agitation is due to his medications. She said that she has seen side effects from being on the Alzheimer's medications too long. Rick has been on his for 3 years. So she recommended that we talk with Dr. Pearce about getting him off of them. Also she suggested that we get him on a happy pill. So I called Dr. Pearce right away to get his take on these suggestions. He agreed that we stop the Alzheimer's medications and gave me a plan for that. I started right away. I am sure hoping that things will get better soon. He also has prescribed an antipsychotic medication that we are starting at the lowest dose. So we will see. At least I feel that we are being proactive about his care.
Friday night friends of ours from church, George and Candi, took Rick to their house for the evening and Tamara and I went shopping and out to eat. It was a good time for me. I really enjoyed it. George said Rick did well for them.
Saturday was my family's gathering at Fairystone State Park in VA. This has been a tradition for several years now. It started out being on Father's Day weekend to honor my dad. But this year we couldn't seem to get everyone together on Father's Day weekend so we moved it to July. It was such a beautiful day. We really had a good time. He went in the water once with me and swam a little bit. He only dog paddles now. He doesn't seem to remember the right strokes any more. He started to swim out toward the dock but I didn't let him go that way. I was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to swim that far. I mentioned that to my sisters and Rick heard it. He didn't like it that I said he couldn't do it. After a while he got up and walked back into the lake by himself. I let him go a little bit and then followed him. He walked out to the rope that divided the shallow from the deep and then turned around and came back. I had to direct him to the right place. He had no sense of where we all were. After a while, Rick got anxious again and agitated. He tried to talk to my dad and aunt. They listened and tried to sympathize with him. Aunt Phyllis walked with him a couple of times. Everyone was very understanding and tried to help Rick as much as they could. Once Rick got up and stood in the middle of the group and tried to tell everyone how much he liked our family and then apologized for something. My brother in law, Darrell, stopped him by saying, "You know Rick that we all love you and respect you." Rick said, "Thank you, Thank you." My sister, Cindy, got up and hugged him and said that she loved him. Again he said, "Thank you." I think that was so good for him. I think he is aware enough to know that he isn't responding right and he is trying to apologize for it.
Today, Rick did well at church. He did get restless during the service. I ended taking him out to go to the bathroom. Then he was a little bit better. We came home and sat down in the living room to watch some TV. Rick went to sleep pretty quick in his chair. I dosed some too. I woke up to Rick wandering around the house and coming to stand by the couch where I was sleeping. He said, "I was wondering if you would be willing to help me?" Of course, I asked, "Help you with what?" He never could tell me what. He kept making statements through out the afternoon that didn't make any sense. I couldn't seem to figure out what he was thinking about. Once he said, "I think you have made the right decision." I don't know what decision he was talking about.
After we came home from evening church, he was restless. I took him to the bathroom and when he had finished I asked him if he felt better. He said, "Yes, but I'm still restless. I'm sorry." We took a walk with Kasee, our dog, and Erin. This seemed to calm him down. He is asleep right now. I hope he will stay asleep all night. I guess I will go join him now.
Thanks again for all your prayers. They are felt and greatly appreciated.
posted by Unknown at 9:11:00 PM
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