Two days ago, I called Kate’s doctor. I wanted to get her thoughts on Kate’s recent changes. I received a quick callback from the doctor’s nurse who said that we ought to test for a urinary tract infection. I am no expert on this subject but told her that it didn’t seem as though she had a UTI. Out of the past fourteen days Kate has had problems on only four days. The inconsistency made me think it might simply be a function of her Alzheimer’s. In addition, her delusions, although they might have been somewhat more frequent, were pretty much in line with the past. She made a point that I can easily understand. She said that symptoms can vary from one person to another. This is one of my mantras. I agreed to take them a urine sample that afternoon.
First thing yesterday morning, I received another call from the nurse informing me that the test was negative, so we can rule out the UTI. She also said the doctor had some time at 2:00 on Friday and would be happy to see Kate and me or just me if I would prefer. That’s a day for the sitter, and I would really like to have a conversation with the doctor without Kate’s presence. I’ll see her then. In the meantime, I think I will write a brief summary using this blog as a source and send it to her via our online portal. I have been using that for years to provide updates before each of Kate’s appointments. I don’t know how helpful that is, but I feel more comfortable that I will give her a better description of our situation in written form than I might do in a face-to-face conversation.
Yesterday went pretty well. Kate was still tired and didn’t want to get up in the morning. She was in a good mood. It took about thirty minutes, but I was successful in getting her up to join me for lunch. As she has done on a number of other occasions, she wanted to lie down again right after using the toilet and washing up. I reminded her that we were going to lunch. I started to help her dress when she wanted to lie down again. I didn’t stop her. We continued to talk for a few minutes before I mentioned that we would need to get ready for lunch. She got up willingly, and we were off.
She was uneasy on her feet walking through the house, down the steps to the garage, and from the car to the restaurant and back. I started investigating walkers yesterday although her inability to follow directions or to learn new things could be a handicap. That’s not to mention the fact that it has to be a walker suitable for someone who is unstable. I have serious doubts that she would be able to use one. This may seem strange to those who haven’t had much experience with someone with Alzheimer’s, but I am finding explanations for almost anything are challenging or impossible for her to grasp. For example, Kate is losing the ability to do simple things like using the toilet, brushing her teeth, where to put her napkin at a restaurant and many other things. She is very dependent on me for help with everything. There is no way I would trust her with a walker unless I were right with her every step of the way.
As usual, she rested immediately after returning from lunch. She was in her recliner when the sitter arrived. When I returned four hours later, she hadn’t moved. Fifteen minutes later, we went to dinner. She went to bed soon after we got home. She was tired and went to sleep. My own interpretation of her being so tired is that it is normal for late stage Alzheimer’s and not something for which we are going to find a solution. I am eager to talk with her doctor tomorrow.
The rest may have caught up with her because she was awake at 5:15 this morning. Her mind was blank. I heard her say, “Who are you?” I gave her my name and told her I was someone who could help her. This began a thirty-minute conversation that went back and forth with her asking the same questions and my giving the same answers. (Who are you? What do you do? Where am I? Do other people live here?) When I told her we were in our house, she wanted to know how we paid for it. That led to how we got money to live. It was particularly confusing for her when I told her we were both retired. The toughest question to answer was “Why don’t I remember any of this?” I told her she sometimes wakes up and doesn’t know anything. Then she goes back to sleep and is all right when she wakes up. Shortly after that she did fall asleep, and I got out of bed just after 6:00.
A few minutes after 7:00 I was about to take my walk when I heard her say something. I checked on her. She wanted to get up. She still didn’t know who I was or where she was. She just wanted to “get out of here.” She must have because she had been to the bathroom, dressed, and taken her pills before we left the house for Panera at 7:45.
An hour later, we were back at home where we started to look at one of her family photo books. We didn’t get beyond the cover photo when she said she was tired and wanted to rest. I’ll be eager to see if I have any problem getting her up for lunch. I am especially interested in getting there early so that we can get her back for a 1:30 hair appointment.
