Slip Sliding Away

The old Paul Simon song has been running through my had the past couple of days. I've been thinking of it in terms of both of my parents. Dad is home from the hospital with his live-in Aide. He is having more trouble with confusion. He told Far Away Sister that the time change really messed him up because he lost 3 hours in it. She told him that was interesting, she'd only lost one where she was. He insisted he'd lost three.

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He called me the other day, wanting to know how to treat a low blood sugar because he couldn't figure it out. With Aide's help, he'd already done what was necessary. He's been dealing with diabetes for almost 35 years, so he knows how to deal with lows, but that day he sure was lost. He doesn't have any use of his right hand, probably because of a stroke. That means he can't get on the computer. We are attributing the confusion to lack of oxygen to the brain as his congestive heart failure progresses.

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Mom has been very lethargic and is tilted towards the right. She won't even try to feed herself right now, and she is completely incontinent. It took Sister and Aide to get her in and out of the car for a doctor's appointment on Friday. The doctor thought maybe her depakote level was too high. She started on depakote after she had the grand mal seizure the morning after Brother's wedding. She's been off the depakote for a few days, but seems to be getting worse, not better. She also has a UTI. If she doesn't improve after treatment for that, the doctor wants another CT scan to see if she's had another stroke.

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I haven't been calling Dad quite as often. I'm so exhausted from dealing with Daughter that there are days I just can't deal with him and his confusion. Psychiatrist thinks Daughter likes being hospitalized because of the attention it gets her. She was amazed by how depressed Daughter seemed today, as that wasn't what she'd seen in the hospital. She thinks she needs more stimulation. Therapist and I are meeting with the workshop people on Wednesday to discuss this need. The reality is, we need to move to a more metropolitan area where there will be more opportunities for Daughter. The economy is not making a move easy.

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Sometimes, as I deal with all the needs around me, I feel like I'm slip sliding away, too.