I look forward to another day that I can call a “Good Day,” but right now it looks like our lives are a mixture of highs and lows. That is the story for yesterday. Kate was awake early and wanted to go to the bathroom. She was unusually unsteady and frightened. She held my hand tightly as we waked to the bathroom. At one point, she thought she was going to fall. After finishing in the bathroom, she went back to bed and wanted me to stay with her.
After an hour, I tried to get her up again, but she was too tired and seemed weak. I told her I wanted to take her to lunch before the sitter arrived, but she still didn’t want to get up. I decided to forego lunch with her and let her rest. I did, however, manage to get her up and dressed before Mary arrived. She was very uneasy about standing up and said, “I don’t feel good.” I asked if she were in pain or wanted to throw up. At first, she said she didn’t. Then she said she wanted to throw up. I brought her a pan. She couldn’t throw up. I think she must have picked up on my suggestion and didn’t know what I meant. We walked slowly from the bedroom into the family room. She seemed afraid and unsteady. She wanted to lie down. I took her to her recliner where she was when Mary arrived.
I met her at the door and explained what was going on. I also told her we had bananas and breakfast bars if Kate wanted something to eat. I also reminded her that I have gift cards for both Panera and Applebee’s should she want a meal. When Mary walked in, Kate seemed perfectly normal. I put the chair in its upright position and left. I thought she might be all right. When I returned, Kate was still sitting in the chair. I don’t think she had been asleep. All she had eaten was a banana.
After Mary left, Kate was eager to “go home.” I told her I would take her and that we could get a pizza on the way. Kate was still unsteady on her feet and almost lost her balance as we walked to the car. Everything seemed fine again at dinner. Again, I thought the problem was over; however, she was still unsteady and frightened when she walked.
Once we were home I decided not to watch the news and turn on YouTube for some music that Kate might enjoy. Kate watched for almost two full hours and enjoyed every minute. It was a great time for both of us. She was enthusiastic and would have watched longer if I hadn’t told her it was time for bed. That may have been the source of the next problem.
As we went through the nightly routine of going to the bathroom, brushing teeth and getting her night clothes on, she became irritated with me. She said, “You don’t know what it is like to have someone tell you what to do all the time.” I apologized. Then she did the same. As I walked her to the bed from the bathroom, she said she was all right and let go of my hand. Then she became unsteady and fell on the bed. No harm was done, but it scared both of us. I was up another thirty minutes before joining her in bed. When I got in, she was glad to see me. We ended on a high note.
That leads me to this morning. Once again, she was up early and wanted to go to the bathroom. She was as unsteady and frightened as she was yesterday. She also mentioned that she didn’t “feel good” but couldn’t identify anything that was wrong. Several times she said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not usually like this.” She asked where she was. I told her we were in Knoxville, and she said, “I knew that. I’m having to learn things that I already know.” I told her I was glad to help her with anything she wanted to know.
I suggested she take a shower. She didn’t protest at all. Her insecurity continued and she held a security bar the entire time while I bathed her. Several times she expressed her appreciation and said she wished she could do things for me.
She wanted to lie down again after drying off. Once she was in the bed, she said, “Sometimes I can do things and sometimes I can’t. That may be a sign that I am getting better.” She asked if I would stay with her. That’s where I’ve been for the past hour. I just asked her about lunch. She indicated that she would like to but not now. It’s still just 11:20. I plan to give another thirty or forty-five minutes before asking again. If it is like yesterday, it could be a long time.
I’m still trying to make sense out of what is happening. By best guess right now is that she may not be “sick.” Instead, it may be changes that are related to her Alzheimer’s. I did a Google search on balance among Alzheimer’s patients and found quite a few references to just what I witnessed yesterday and today. Unless I see clearer signs of an infection of some type, I will take this as another symptom that Kate is experiencing with her Alzheimer’s. She has also had more difficulty getting up from a seated position during the past couple of days. Her mobility problems could easily have as great an impact on our lives as her memory loss.
