08.11.09
Knock Knock….who’s there?
Wow. It’s been an interesting few weeks. Something is definitely going on..and I don’t know if it’s little mini strokes, or just the natural progression of the disease. I had Mama over the other day…she was doing this new thing she does, where she uses the wrong word for something….some every day thing. “What are you looking for Karen?” “A hangar” “Well….here”..and she reaches in her pocket and pulls out her keys. Woah. That’s happening more and more. After I took her back to her apartment, and made her promise she would NOT put on her pajamas and go to sleep (it was 2:30)…I went to a business meeting. She called me in a complete panic. “Karen…you MUST come over here…NOW!” “Mama….I saw you for hours this morning…I just took you back there” “If you don’t come over, then I’m just FINISHED!” I had to do some “tough love”, and it was just awful. Stuff like…”do you want me to have NO career? NO life? Then you have to pull yourself together!” She said,
“you’re right”..but then went on to melt down further to the point that the nurse called for help. My friend Merri was able to go by and calm her down, after a couple of phone calls by me, reassuring her that yes, I DID, indeed know where she lives and how to find her. I was ready to cancel a trip out of town this weekend to find her a memory care place to move into. I called yesterday morning, scared to death about who was going to answer. Which Mama would be there today? It was the one I’ve known forever. “Karen, I can’t talk to you now…I have some friends in here (the nurses aides) and I’m getting ready to go down to breakfast”. Praise God.
My trip is back on.
I think. Of course….I haven’t made
“the call” yet this morning.
I’m thinking the Serenity Prayer was actually written by the child of a dementia afflicted parent and not a recovering addict.
Talk about “the things I CANNOT change”!
So…I’ll be putting on my big-girl panties here shortly, and discovering WHICH Molly Berke awaits me today.