Saturday, November 05, 2011

Remember, remember the 4th of November

Someone asked what NaBloPoMo is (I got it right this time) and since I didn't know the name properly I looked it up and found this page:
http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo
which was a surprise, because I didn't realised that you registered for it and there were prizes and things. I haven't done more than glance at this because I'm exhausted, but I will at some point - it's all to do with blogging every day for November, though. Anyway, I'm not doing it properly because I've already missed some days.

To continue from yesterday - I'll not write about the morning (castle and enormous building site) just now but skip on to the afternoon, when Mum suddenly took very ill at about 3. Her main symptom was almost complete incoherence apart from saying over and over again things like, "I feel terrible." She could manage short repeated sentences - she said, lots of times, "Can anyone help?" - but most of the time she sounded as if she was talking (with remarkable fluency) a different language that sounded a bit like English, but wasn't. I can't remember anything precisely, but she was saying things like, "Cart oval fring sporn fallt premmed." And she would gaze at me expectantly, waiting for the answer, as I played this over in my head, trying and failing to make sense of it.

Anyway, in short, I called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital, where we spent many hours in a receiving ward, she getting more and more ill and agitated and unable to communicate and me talking to various rather baffled nurses who ran tests on her. We all wondered if she'd had a stroke but she also seemed hot and uncomfortable while shivering and shaking, so she seemed to have a temperature though in fact, according to the thermometer, her temperature was only slightly raised. She also had a urinary infection, but she'd had this for a few days with no apparent ill effects.

Eventually, at 10, she was taken on to an assessment ward and given more antibiotics and I came home, very worried. If there one thing that my mum wouldn't like - and neither would any of us, but maybe especially my mum - it's not being able to talk.

This morning Dr Son, who has just finished 8 days of night duty during which, as you will perceive, he didn't shave (hmm) came down from Perth for the day to visit us and his granny. When I phoned the ward, however, I was told that she was much better, which cheered us up. Here he is, unshaven but cheery.


"An old lady [patient] told me that I was a hunk," he informed me. "She didn't seem to notice that I hadn't shaved. She said that if she was 40 years younger, she'd marry me."


Cassie ran up Son's front, an operation not entirely without pain for him, and sat on his shoulders. You can just see Mr Life's toes in the bottom right hand side of this photo. He was lying on the sofa in his pyjamas, with a rug and Sirius over his legs.

So Son and I went to visit Mum and she was pretty well fine. Slightly muddled as to what had happened even today and unable to remember much about yesterday, but basically back to about 90% of her usual ability to speak.


I went back this evening and she was again fine.


I'm not a person who gets very tired on the whole but right now I am, as I said before, exhausted. But very very relieved. Urgh.



Happy Guy Fawkes Day, British people.










18 comments:

  1. Oh, Isabelle, what a rough time you're having just now - hope it all improves very soon! Those urinary infections do incredibly odd things to people, things that you would never believe were connected to an infection. Here's hoping your mother is over the worst now - and look after yourself, too. Remember the 'oxygen mask on the plane principle' - you can't help the others if you don't make sure you're ok first. Sending you virtual hugs x

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  2. I can concur with the Annie. I have seen a urinary tract infection convince an elderly lady that there was someone talking to her from the top of the wardrobe. I hope your mum continues to improve. It's very hard being the bystander.

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  3. Oh, I hope your mom continues to improve! I hope you can get some rest, soon, a sound, peaceful rest so you feel like yourself, too! Many hugs!

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  4. Now that she's in the best place if she has to be unwell (my sister's phrase - she had a mild heart problem years ago whilst at work, at a hospital!), take the time to take it easy and catch up on your sleep. Glad she's better, but look after yourself.

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  5. Elderly people do get very confused and ill with a urinary tract infection; very upsetting and scary for all involved. You have had a lot of worry about your mum; no wonder you're exhausted. Look after yourself; feet up whenever you get a minute..... Or make a minute if it doesn't come naturally!

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  6. it's true, what others have said about UTIs - my mother gets very, very confused whenever they occur - and she becomes more and more agitated with me because i try to make sense of what she is saying (although i HAVE discovered that she is more than capable of delivering the "I'M not the one who is STUPID!" message, even when she is most discombobulated) ... it is all so overwhelming, innit?!?

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  7. UTI's will make the elderly act irrational; found that out when my Dad was suffering from Alzheimers. The doctors never told us that happened, got the info from the Alzheimers Society.

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  8. Oh, I hope you got some rest and a good night's sleep soon.

    Like Annie in comments has said, urinary infections can cause mayhem. I wondered before you mentioned it, if that was the case.

    Try and take small moments of calm for yourself throughout the day, hard I know when so much is happening, but somewhere in it all of your hectic days you have to look after yourself too.

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  9. Oh my. It does sound very scary -- did they ever figure out what caused the problem? I hope you manage to get some rest this weekend -- and a bright spot -- you were able to lay eyes on Dr. Son for a short while!

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  10. I'm glad your mum is on the mend. How worrying for you all. Time to take care of yourself now while others take care of her.

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  11. I can only echo what others have said, and I have also seen what infections can do to the brain. Thinking of you all.

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  12. We had a very short bout like this with M-in-law - only lasted a couple of hours - when she had a gastric upset. Hope your Mum continues to improve.

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  13. How distressing, glad it looks better and hope you can rest. I'm quite reassured on your behalf that so many people are confirming the UTI was probably responsible. The on-line world can be so helpful like that sometimes.

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  14. So glad your Mom is better, Moms are precious people, I lost mine 20 years ago and miss her still.

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  15. oh that sounds scary - glad she's recovering

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  16. Thinking of you, Isabelle - and your mom. Glad you have family around you to keep you going! And kitties, of course. They always help.

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  17. That sounds very distressing all round, except for your son being chatted up by the elderly patient, and I'm glad to hear that your Mother is now on the mend.

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  18. Oh, Isabelle. That all sounds very worrying. I hope you've managed to get some rest, and that your mother is recovering.

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