Guest NowakowDA Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Last night seemed like Hell. Mom had a wild look on her face and in her eyes. I heard things last night from her that hurt. I was trying to to get her to eat, take her medicine and drink more water when she exploded. She said that i was trying to kill her and she didn't want me to do anything for her. I was talking to her primary care provider when she got out of bed came to the parlor. She stood on the other side of the desk just starring at me. She reached down and picked up the bottle of laxative sitting on the desk. I thought that she was going to hit me with that bottle. I have never raised my voice to my mother, until last night. My eyes narrowed, I raised my thumb and fore finger and told her she was this far from having her white *ss put in the hospital and she could stay their. Last night I told her that she would go back to bed I would not do anything for her and I would not go into her room. She could get herself up and go to the bathroom. If she were hungry she could get to the kitchen and feed herself. This morning she is very weak. She has a headache at her right temple. She has trouble finishing her thoughts. She dosen't remember anything about what happened last night. Thank God for that. She let me make her breakfast, fix her medicine and she even took her inhalers. Michael, her primary care provider, thinks there is something going on in the front lobe of her brain. He thinks she might be loosing some of her cognitive ability. He doesn't know what's causing it. Whether it's the cancer or a stroke or whatever he just dosen't know. I'm going to have to see if I can get the PET scan down here in town as Mom doesn't think she could stand the trip to Santa Fe. I think that last night's episode was caused by the 4 1/2 hour trip to the Cancer Center on Wednesday. Even if I have to pay for it, I think the scan should be done in town Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 It does sound like your poor mom is going through a hellish time. What kind of meds do they have her on? have they done bloodwork and Oxygen level tests? I will keep her and you in my thoughts. elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Don, I am truly sorry for the grief you are going through now taking care of your mom. it's pretty scary. You need to find some relief caregivers, before you lose your health. I will pray that things will improve for you and your mom. Keep us posted... Warmly, XOXOXOXOXOX MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoniRobertWilson Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I certainly agree with the post about you getting a break from it all. Surely there is someone who could come in and watch her either overnight or during th day. Being the caregiver is horrible. I know it's hard to leave them when you know you're the best person to be there for her but you won't be the best if you don't/won't take a breather. It doesn't mean you don't love her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NowakowDA Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Just heard from Dr. Wong her radiation oncologist. He said he wants her to go to Santa Fe because they have equipment there that no one else in the state of New Mexico has. He said that he can take the data from their PET Scan computer and enter it into his machines down and get the best possible position for the radiation treatment. Dr. Wong said that if Mom is too weak to go on Monday, then I should call the people in Santa Fe and reschedule. He said this PET scan is"very" important. Dr. Wong told me if Mom did not want to set up during the trip Sheshould take a pillow and blanket and lay down in the back seat and try and sleep. He said that when she gets to the lab inSanta Fe, they may give her a seditive to help her relax. Dr. Wong said he does not think that her memory problems, or the disorientation and confusion are related to the lung cancer. He still mantains that it is probably due to a combination of a low blood oxygen leveland low fluid level. We'll see Her lastO2 level was 85%. Meds? All she takes is Zocor, Tizac, Synthroid andtwoinhalers. Oh! There's also Club Med????? Excuse me! My crazy side poped out there for a second Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCarl Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Don, Just an off the wall thought, but do you know anybody with a van or even a small motor home you could transport you Mom in? Some way she could lie down on a matress or something and just sleep the trip away? Might make things a bit easier. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Hi there. An oxygen level of 85 % is quite low. Did your Doctor increase your mom's oxygen after this and repeat the level. In the hospital, we increase the oxygen until the saturation level is above 90%. How often are her levels checked? faylene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Don, Sometimes my dad's O2 level drops to the low 80s and even briefly dips into the 70s. When it happens, and if it takes a while for them to come back up, he is a little bit delirious until he gets to 90% or above. Please keep us posted how your mom is doing and also about the PET scan next week. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ven Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Don, I'm sorry to hear about the way things are going for you right now. Maybe she can take a sedative before the trip. Rent a van if you have to. The PET scan is very important. If you have family or friends around, now is the time to call on them. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinaresholz Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Hi and sorry to hear about your Mom. My friend at times was short of oxygen to the brain and would act wierd. I also remember my father when he was very ill with cancer got violent. Maybe the cancer had gone to his brain. A hospice nurse had to come out and give him thorazine.Maybe something is obstructing the oxygen to the brain. A failing heart caused an older man I know to start acting very nasty. His doctor said he wasn't getting enough oxygen to the brain. Hope your Mom will be okay. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NowakowDA Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 I know Mom is not in her right mind. I don't need some doctor to tell me that. Had she been, she would rather die then let me do what I had to today. I had to give my mother and enema. It wasn't pretty. In fact it was very messy. It seems that Mom's plumbing started to back up. She wouldn't go to the ER to get flushed out. The reason for this has to do with a “very” private and ”deeply” embarrassing episode that happened to her on New Years Day of 2000. Since this is a private and personal memory for my mother, naturally I published it on this board. Go to Caregivers, and find a post called from me called “More Adventures From La La Land”, and look at my (NowakowDA) reply. The doc gave her a combination laxative and stool softener but she won't take it because she can't crush the pills. This is due to my grandmother. To get my mother to swallow a pill my grandmother would put the pill in the back of Mom's mouth. Then she would pinch her nose and rub her throat. To this day she can't put an entire pill, no matter how small, in her mouth. The doc said that this stuff comes in a liquid form. Maybe I can get her to take it. Until then, it's warm water and vaseline. I'm worried how Mom will hold up on Monday when I have to drive her 60 miles north to Santa Fe for her PET scan. I have a 1998 red Nisen Frontier pickup. I definitely will not put Mom in that. Instead, I will use Mom's car. She has a 2001 Toyata Corolla. It has air conditioning, a tape deck and the front seats tilt ”way” back. I figure I'll put two or three O2 tanks in the back seat and some of her favorite tapes in the front. She gets the shotgun seat, with a big pillow, lots of water. Her radiation oncologist said that when they get started on her she can have something to “relax” her. I hope they relax her enough so she can sleep all the way back home. I know it will take a lot out of her. I figure she can sleep from Monday afternoon clear through to her next appointment this Friday. This has to be done and I will get through it the best way I can. This last week she had he blood oxygen level tested twice. The doc told me to turn the level up to 3ltrs. He said she could go up to 6ltrs with her cannula. I thought about renting a van so she could lie down, but I think that it would make her nervous if she could not see where she's going. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glo Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Don - Just have to tell you how impressed I am with the way you take care of your mother and are so down to earth with your thoughts and feelings. Some of this personal care stuff is touchy even with husband/wife or mother/daughter. I sure understand when you say your mother -- if in her right mind would never put up with an enema from her son. hee,hee Your mother is so lucky to have you. You will obviously find a way to do whatever it takes to get her the proper treatment. Best wishes and prayers for both of you. Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berisa Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Did your mom do the Brain MRI yet ? PET scan is good for whole body trunk but not good for brain. PET cannot precisely detect the existence of brain tumor, but instead, MRI is the best scan for brain tumor. Is your mom taking any Steriod? Steriod may also influence one's behavior. Certainly, the brain tumor itself will affect as well. But, please do keep in mind that what your mom behaved is not your real mom and she was affected by the drug or the cancer. She is unable to control herself that you need to have great tolerance in front of her. My dad had bad temper and did things in an unreasonable ways that he is not that kind of person in fact. So please calm yourself and try your best to be patient to her. Hope your mom has the earliest diagnosis and the best treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Don, You're a good soul, to be doing what you are for your dear mom. I pray you find the strength you need to make the trip, and that nothing untoward happens en route. Prayers for you and your mom, always. XOXOXOXOX MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elnodel Posted June 21, 2004 Share Posted June 21, 2004 Dear Don, I hope the trip to Santa Fe goes well. I know how difficult it can be to hold it together when everything is exploding around you. I've found myself "losing it" at times when my husband gets particularly cranky -- and he's never been anywhere near irrational. So you have my sympathy and my admiration. My husband is having an MRI (an open one because of his claustrophia) for his skull since the PET scan, for which he had to be really sedated, didn't really show enough information. Can you combine two tests on one trip so you don't have to do it again -- or do you have an MRI locally that will be easier to get to? Hang in there; hope things look up for your mom and that her oxygen level and her mental acuity both stay stable! Ellen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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