I'll be staying at Mom's tonight...

[Janet]

I had to take her to Lafayette to the training center for a refresher today. Don't like going to another city between bus routes. I'm always afraid something will happen and I won't get back in time for the afternoon route.

She was a bit of a pill again today and tonight I will be spending the night, probably tomorrow night too. Not going to be a fun weekend, but she needs me whether she wants to admit it or not. I just have to keep an eye on her so she doesn't contaminate anything. Hopefully two nights will do it.....we'll see.

[Blueyes]

Maybe just one night will do it Hopefully she will be in a better mood tonight...maybe you'll actually have fun

[gja1000]

I'm sorry that you have to do this, but your mom needs you and you and she will do just fine! Maybe you'll be able to stay home tomorrow night - but if not, it will be OK!

[Janet]

We got through the first night of dialysis just great. We only had one alarm go off and that was a clamp that wasn't completely open. Mom slept really well all night and didn't have any problems.
She is on dialysis during the night for 9 hours. That sounds like a lot of time, but it's really very little considering our kidneys function 24/7.

We had her all hooked up by 8:45 last night. She has tubing long enough that she can have the machine in the bedroom where it needs to be and can sit in her recliner to watch TV in the living room. Mom can also go to the bathroom if she needs to during the night. As Diana can confirm....her house is very small, but fits her needs.

Now...today....she can do what ever she wants. I'll go back in tonight and then on Sunday night...I'll probably just go in to watch her hook up and then I'll come home to sleep in my own bed.

I forgot just how noisy it is in town....LOL. I think I probably slept 3 hours total. Darn trains have to blow their horns all through town at all the crossings. Plus she has a light on the TV (I slept on the couch) that she doesn't want turned off...it goes off by itself on a timer. She said it goes off at midnight.....LOL....at 5 till 2 the light finally went off. Mom also gets cold so her air conditioning isn't low enough for me and I was sweating all night.

I came home this morning about 7 AM and went right to sleep. It will be better tonight because I'm taking a fan...LOL.

I'm so glad we made it through our first night without any major complications. I'm really proud of her.

[judy]

I'm so glad it went okay Janet! As uncomfortable as it sounds, you are doing such a good thing to stay with her.

Good luck today!!!

[DianaB]

It sounds like things went well and that you were there to help with getting your Mom hooked up. That's really great that she can go into some of the other rooms while she's hooked up, especially the bathroom.

Sorry, that you didn't get much sleep. Hopefully a fan will keep you a little cooler and also drown out some of the noise from the trains and traffic. You might want to take a Tylenol Pm. Just take one. They work great for me and I don't wake up sluggish, but only take one. Two knocks you out cold!!!

[gja1000]

The fan is a great idea! My mom likes it warmer than I do also, so I have to sleep under a fan when I stay over there. I know what you mean about lights, she keeps several night-type lights on, but thankfully, I sleep upstairs so I dont' see them!

I'm so happy that things are going well - sometimes technology is just the berries, isn't it!

[Janet]

Guess I spoke too soon. Last night wasn't good at all. Alarms kept going off every hour or so...low drainage and something else. We had to call the centers after hours number for help twice.

I will be going to Mom's this evening and staying for a little while after we get her hooked up, just to make sure everything is going good. Mom is really good at getting off the machine of a morning...it's just getting everything hooked up to start.....so many tubes.

[gja1000]

There are bound to be times when things don't go well. The call center is a godsend - we have to call sometimes about Gary's insulin pump or his coumadin check machine. Technology is great, but comes with a price!

You've had a good night, and one with oops! The good ones will far outweigh the opps nights as time goes on!

[Janet]

Thank you Gayle for the reassurance...it truly helps. The first night just went so great and we were so proud of ourselves. I kind of new things were not going to go well because Mom got a tube kinked and it was hard getting it straightened out. From then on....the alarms kept going off. I am thankful though that we have alarms so we know when something is not right.

Hopefully tonight will be a much better night.

[judy]

I hope it is a peaceful night for you and your Mom, Janet.

[Marilyn]

Janet, so hope that all goes well tonight and you both get some much needed rest. You are such a good daughter!!

[Janet]

Last night wasn't good either. Don't know if you remember me tellilng you that Mom had broken down in tears on a Friday when we were going for lunch. Well.......I guess last night was my turn. Things started going wrong and I know my Mom was touching areas of the tubing that she was not suppose to. I'm so worried she'll get an infection.

It got the best of me and I cried. I cried so hard all the way home and cried myself to sleep. I look a fright today...lol. Looks like my eyes are so puffy from all the crying...but I needed to get it out. I do feel better this morning. Mom did really well last night and thinks she'll do much better alone....she has to learn to do it alone anyway. Tonight I will be staying home.

This has been one adventure I would never wish on anyone. So much stress anyway, but with an 86 year old......for me...is even more stressful..because she is my Mom.

I guess things will be getting better now, because it's been pretty rough so far.

Thanks for being so supportive. Love ya all very much.

[DianaB]

I'm so sorry that this has been so hard on you and your Mom. I hope that when your Mom starts feeling better that you'll decide that it was all worth it. She'll just have to be very, very careful about keeping things clean because infection is a big worry. Wish that I could just give you a great big hug, my friend. I'm just a phone call away if you need to chat.

[gja1000]

Janet, I have cried so many time myself for one thing or another related to Gary's illnesses and treatments. It is perfectly normal!!! And it won't be the last time you cry yourself to sleep either. I just keep saying (to you and to me) things will be OK, and they will. Things might not turn out like we want them to, but they will turn out how they are supposed to. Just like kids that we can't protect from everything, neither can you protect your mom from every possible problem. It will be what it is. What will happen will happen. Things will work out, one way or another.

Gayle