I work from home, which is a blessing (and a curse?). Yesterday, after fixing breakfast for my Mother, I left her alone to finish some work. A few hours later, I found her, quite apathetic and somewhat confused. Half her breakfast had not been eaten.
The real trouble started a little over a year ago, when she had a severe hypoglycemia episode. She had been checked regularly for diabetes and had no sign of it. Not suspecting that this is what she had, I called the doctor and got to speak with him within a half hour. He of course told me to bring her to the hospital and, if I had trouble getting her to get to the car, to call the ambulance (pretty basic stuff, but when the sky falls on your head, it helps to be given a sense of direction). I couldn't get her to sit up so that I could dress her, she was like a rag doll. I did as best I could while waiting for the ambulance. When it arrived, the attendant took her blood sugar level. It was at 1.7 mmol. A hair breadth's away from a coma.
To make things brief, she stayed in hospital for a week. She had another hypoglycemic episode at the emergency unit during the following night. Her blood pressure was over 200. No diabetes was diagnosed and they ran a battery of tests. Finally, her blood pressure came down to acceptable levels. Her personality, during the week she was in hospital, was completely alien. Mr. Hide and Dr. Jekyll. She terrorized doctors and nurses, refused to eat, complained bitterly and was totally unaware of why she was in hospital. I would bring some homemade soup, or food that she liked from the take out. She managed to eat a bit.
In August, last year, she was admitted to a specialized hospital unit for a geriatric assessment. At the end of 5 weeks, they had finally assembled the data that would enable them to make a diagnosis. She was found to have diabetes, but I was told not to insist on feeding her a diabetic diet.
I have had type II diabetes for over 10 years now, and counting carbs and assessing food intake is second nature to me. My diabetes is well managed and I have never had a hypoglycemic episode. So while preparing food for my mother, I apply what I know. Mum is in denial about all of her health problems, including diabetes. She refuses to eat 3 meals a day (she never has in her life) and can't understand the notions of carbs, proteins and fat. To her, food is food, whatever the source and she just doesn't like most food.
During the past months, she has gone on binges. Not in quantity, but insisting on eating creamed chicken for dinner for 3 weeks in a row, or refusing to eat proper meals and eating fudge and bananas and ice cream. She, thankfully, accepts drinking some Ensure (I get the one that gives extra proteins) that she drinks hot, with a touch of coffee added to it. And then, food she used to eat, like yoghurt, is now banned from her choice of acceptable foods. For a while, dinner was a bowl of tomato and rice soup with soda crackers and cheese. But that was for a while. Lately, she craves smoked meat. Pizza, she will always eat, so long as there is only tomato sauce and cheese.
Every day is an adventure in the kitchen, with most of the food going into the garbage can.
So when I found her apathetic and confused, I didn't even take the time to take her blood sugar level. I gave her some cranberry juice, followed it with a bottle of Ensure and ended the snack with some cantelope. Then I waited a few minutes and took her blood sugar level which was normally high after having taken some food.
It took her a while to get her bearings and four hours later, I gave her dinner. About 3 ounces of steak, a whole wheat toast, some asparagus, half a tomato and some cucumber slices. She refused to eat the bread.
Did I mention my mother is a Haagen Daz freak? I followed the meal with a banana, some maraschino cherries and some Maya chocolate ice cream.
I finally got an appointment with her doctor. He'll be seeing us this afternoon. I hope he'll be able to do something about the Aricept and the allergy symptoms. She told me last evening that the runny nose and sneezing is wearing her down (think of going through 6 boxes of Kleenex in a week and you'll get the picture). And there must be something he can prescribe that will make her feel hunger and have a craving for food?
How heartbreaking. All I wish for is that when the time comes for her not to remember, all she remembers is a feeling of well-being.
One should leave consciousness with gratitude for the road traveled and the experience of life.
2 comments:
Wow, that must have been scray. It's great that you recognized the symptoms and took action--your mom's lucky.
I never tried heating up my mom's ensure--maybe I could substitute that for her starbuck's mocha :)!
The Aricept is being replaced, the tranquilizer dose is being cut in half, and another nose spray replaces everything else we've been trying. We follow up in a month. In the meantive, we cross our fingers. After the doctor's appointment, I insisted we stop at a clothes store she likes (on the excuse that she needed some t-shirts). The store was on sale and we got some t-shirts, some denim pants and a jacket. I just left her in her room, happily looking at her purchases, her stomach filled with pizza and a caramel flan for dessert. It's an emotional roller-coaster, Colleen. I hope we ascend ;p Try it hot with a smudgeon of coffee in it but don't heat it up too fast and stir while it's heating so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Tell me if she likes it :) (sometimes you have to be a bit tricky - another trick I found is Welch's pure grape juice... have a look at the amount of carbs in the stuff, it's mind boggling and a real help when they refuse the carbs).
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