We've tried a new drug! Yikes!

Okay, this blog may not be for the faint of heart. Oh, no blood will gush nor will raving lunatics surround you as you read. But your heart may break or your compassion my gush forth uncontrollably - or you may just quit reading! So mote it be!

This is day two of the 12.5mg of the anti-psychotic drug we are using for mom to keep her in a place where she isn't inflicting harm to herself. We had tried it the first day the doctor prescribed it and hated the effects. She sleep all day in a complete stupor. So we switched the dose the the bedtime to see if the effects would be greater benefit without the drugged sleep, which was okay but didn't really help with the problem of picking at herself. Nor did it help with her overall agitation. So we decided to try the morning dose this week and give it more time to work for her.

Yesterday, day one, it went well enough. She dosed briefly before the family went to church. Once she has stimulation, she manages to stay mostly alert without dropping immediately into a sleep. She did seem to pick at herself far less - which is good since she has a temporary crown that is giving her fits and she has been trying to remove "whatever that is" at every opportunity. And we can't let her because the teeth might move, making it impossible for the permanent crown to fit. So the constant badgering by us toward her has made life a bit tense anyway. Back to the medication. Yesterday it helped noticeably (yes, still problems but less intense).

Today, day two, mom dropped off to sleep while we were all conversing at the breakfast table. She held her head in her hands and acted as if her head hurt. Of course, some of this is attributable to the chaos of four people engaging in animated conversation. But some was clearly drug induced. Then, when we moved to the living room, she truly wen to sleep in her chair. Sigh. I expected it. Meanwhile dad went to the loo and then he and Star had a conversation in the bedroom about "all of this stuff we are deciding and such". Mom woke up and went to the bedroom, I hoped, to help dad dress.

I have been working on finances and noticed she had been gone awhile. Half an hour by my best guess, maybe longer. I wen to check. She was just coming out of the loo, without her glasses and her hearing aids. She immediately went to the bed and laid down. Dad, by the way, had returned to living room (still in his PJs) and feel asleep in his chair.

So I asked mom to get up and get dressed which she was willing to do. Now we get to more drug stuff. She didn't know where the closet was (we were standing in front of it, wide open). I suggested an outfit and she agreed. So she put her shirt on. Backwards. I asked her to switch it and she giggled and did so. Inside out. But frontwise. So I asked her to try again. As she did so I realized she hadn't put on her bra, so we stopped. She tried to step into her bra and got tangled. She untangled and examined her bra. She folded it to determine front from back. Except it was sideways folded, as in profile. So I helped her put it on over her head. She was appreciative. Meanwhile I noticed the first shirt was stained so I tossed it in the clothes hamper and got another from the closet. No problem!

So, I left her to finish her dressing. 15 minutes passed. I went to check and she was on the loo again. I encouraged her to join us in the living room when she was done (she had invited me to join her in the loo). When she came out, I had to send her back in to get her glasses and her hearing aids. She did so and came out. Dressed fine. She declined to do the ironing that she often does (her pants) and wanted to sit. Dad is asleep in his chair. It is 10:30 and the medication reminder for him went off. He took his pills about 11:00. After toppling over his water bottle and his coffee cup.

He just took a phone call from the dentist and didn't say goodbye when it was finished, just hung up. Although this particular office manager mightn't have offered closure either. She is odd that way.

And at 11:20 in the morning that is the way it is. The 12.5 mg dose seems to greatly inhibit what is left of her initiative. Thankfully, she remains complacent and willing if asked to do a thing.

further bullet points because we need to get them listed somewhere.

Sigh. There is more to list. We have to track behaviour, changes inpersonality and so on. These aren't in any order particularly. I will note dates where I can.

• 07.11.09 Went into the folks' bedroom to lay out clothes for Mom. When I picked up her bra to put it on the bed for her, I saw that she had fecal matter on it. Since she puts in on by stepping into it, I am sure she rubbed against her backside as she put it on - or took it off.
• 07.11.09 I went to the store at 9:30 this morning. Dad was asleep as I was leaving and I woke him to tell him. I returned at 10:45. When I looked in on him, he was asleep. He had been awake because the paper was everywhere. I sat down with the folks at 11:20 and Dad was asleep. He has been asleep to this minute - 11:44.
• 07.11.09 The living room smells funny - I can't tell if it is Mom or cat problems.
• 07.11.09 Mom is still fussing and picking at herself. The dentist told Star we have to keep Mom's hands away from her temporary tooth or the permanent crown won't fit. We have to tell her to remove her hands from her mouth every few minutes. I have told her twice in the time it took to write this bullet point and the one above.
• 07.11.09 To make matters worse, last night my tooth started bothering me. Nerve. Root canal is in my future. I have been putting this off for a couple of years.
• 07.11.09 Star decided to hire in a parent-sitter for us last night, so we could go to kids night out. We were leaving them alone for brief periods of time, but with Dad's increasing frequency of falling, we have decided that they cannot be left alone. So we have to look for ways to keep our time away intact. Sharon came over. She was wonderful. Dad reports that she is a good listener. Nice, to have options.
• 07.11.09 Dad is still sleeping, talking in it, to boot! 12:07.

Time to make lunch for us.