Lots Of Things

This day was productive.

I made several bead rings. These will be offered for sale at Pau Wau this year. 

My hubby's friend went with me to the paid storage building and we got the sewing machine, lots of cloth, and a few odds and ends.

We came back and straightened up the storage building here--hoping that will be a full fledged Craft Room by January--hint, hint Honey. (My birthday is in January.)

Then, we realized we had to go back over to the paid storage building as my jewelry making supplies were not here. Note-It was starting to storm outside. Luckily the rain held off a few hours.

Brought a box in the house that needs to be gone through. Bet most of it can be trashed.

Sat down and watched "Every Which Way But Loose" while I beaded "Dakota" in pale yellow with a pale green background.

Yes, it is very hard to read. I believe it will be made into a choker for her. She's still too small for a bracelet with her name. Little bugger, she pulls her earrings out then tries to take her Mom's out!

Giorgianna and I went to Linden, Tennessee the other day. Stopped at the Cane Creek Market. Bought a new mortar and pestle, Farmer's Cheese, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, bologna, and oil based natural flaorings to use in some of my products.

Nothing like shopping at a true country market!

Hubby has been sickly the last few days--seems to have bronchitis, but you know these hard headed men!!! Refuses to go to the doctor. Of course going to the VA can be a true pain at times.

Had a pattern made to make Ms. Robbie some jumpsuits that zip up the back--she has an annoying habit of taking her Depends off and then wetting herself. She also has developed a habit of tearing them apart and flushing them down the toilet.  That gell just swells and stops it up. A friend snaked the toilet for us last week.  She will also play in the poop in the toilet--this was the best way I could figure to stop these activities.

I will be working on getting at least three made this week.


Here are some pictures one is the bead work for Dakota's choker and the other some of the bead rings:

The Crossing Over

The weeks leading up to 21 July 2009 were tiring to say the least.

Bob had been more restless than usual. He kept wanting to get up and walk around--forgetting he only had one leg and needed his wheelchair.

For several months he had bouts of not remembering how to eat or what was appropriate to eat. He would dump food off his plate and try to eat the plate. At first this was only with the paper or styrofoam plates so I stopped using them.

Then one day, as I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and he and Robbie were eating supper I heard a funny noise. I turned to see him trying to eat the china plate.

This did not happen every meal.

He had taken to calling for his Mama at night sometimes. Other times it was a friend of his work.

On the night of the 20th of July he was restless and I had a feeling something was wrong.

He told me he did not have any pain and could not express what it was he wanted.

I got him tucked into bed and Robbie went to bed also.

I camped out on the sofa so I could hear better.

Around midnight I heard the two of them talking and went to see what was up. Robbie would get up in the night and mess with Bob--thinking she was helping him, she only caused him to get agitated. She was smoothing his bed covers.

After getting her back to her bed and settled back in, I once camped out on the sofa.

Sometime after that, I think around two in the morning, I heard her scolding him. I went in to check and he had had diarrhea. After directing her back to her bed, I got him cleaned up and his bed changed. Again, he said he was not in pain after being asked.

Later in the wee hours of the morning of the 21st, I heard them talking softly. I went to the bedroom door. She was standing by his bed, offering him another blanket, which he declined. They said their "I love you" to each other and she walked back to her bed.

At 8:00 a.m. I went in to get him cleaned up and sitting up for breakfast.

He had already crossed over, his last words a softly spoken "I love You" to his wife of nearly sixty years.

Days of Caring--Alzheimer's

As some of you that know me and/or follow me on other places on the web, already know, my fiance's sister has Alzheimer's as does her husband and we are caring for them.

This is not an easy task as it is only us. Let me introduce each of us to you, the blog reader:

Me--I am 41 with a birthday coming up soon. You can actually read my profile to learn more about me. I do want to note some medical conditions here as they have a bearing on this particular blog entry-hypertension, spondylosis, and rheumatism.

Dave-He is 65½. He has had open heart by-pass surgery and four heart attacks afterwards. He is now showing signs of congestive heart failure. He has also had four arteriograms.

Robbie-Dave's 79½ year old sister. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 2½ years ago. She also has a low thyroid, and is B vitamin defienct, and suffers with hypertension. She has a dominant personality.

Bob- Robbie's 83 year old husband who will be 84 in a few weeks. He also has Alzheimer's and was diagnosed at the same time she was. He lost a kidney about six years ago to cancer. He has also been diagnosed with renal failure, hypertension, brain aneurysm, and two femoral aneurysms. The left femoral aneurysm was repaired in July 2008 when he underwent an above the knee leg amputation due to PAD. Bob is a docile person.

Some of Bob and Robbie's medical conditions, if not all of them, worsened as her Alzheimer's progressed. See she had it for many years before anyone noticed. They all just assumed it was her eccentric personality getting worse with age. As has been discovered, she was not allowing Bob to take his medications nor was she taking hers, this only made each condition worse.

About two and a half years ago, several family members had tried to call and for several days not gotten an answer. A sister sent her husband and niece down to check on them.

Robbie was in the floor half naked and Bob was just ignoring that fact and the phone and door.

Dave was called and he came down. The niece had dressed Robbie and placed her in a wheelchair she still had from breaking her leg several years previous due to osteoporosis.

At this time Robbie had ataxia and just could not remember how to walk. She went to a nursing home for what was supposed to be a twenty day stay for rehab--to teach her how to walk again.
At eighteen days they called us and told us to come get her immediately or they would be placing her in a mental health facility as she had obtained a nail file and tried to stab a member of the staff.

A few of Robbie's escapades at the nursing home:

1. Going in other people's rooms and taking their clothes.
2. Going in other people's rooms and putting her clothes in their closets.
3. Locked herself in a gentleman's closet with a trash can. She was peeing in it.
4. Trying to run away.
5. Jerking the covers off of sleeping patients at night and yelling at them to get out of her house.

We have had to put double key deadbolts on all the outside doors. There are cam locks on all the cabinets in the house. We had to add a door to the utility room. The fridge and freezer have padlocks. All the clothes have been removed from her room and put behind lock and key. The bathroom has been emptied for her safety. The stove is not functional as she "cleaned" it to the point it will no longer work--she was taking the eyes out in the dark. (Yes, the electricity is off to the stove.)

There are no typical days. Robbie slide off into yesteryear a long time ago. She maybe in 1975, 1982 or 1946 and not on different days, sometimes all in the same hour.

Bob forgets he only has one leg now and will try to stand and walk.

They both have hallucinations and delusions and sometimes she has paranoia.

Sometimes Robbie is aggressive but not as much now with medications in her system for sometime at this point.

They both have sundowners at times.

Robbie also exhibits repetitious behaviors.

Please, learn the warning signs of Alzheimer's. Getting an early diagnosis can add productive years to your loved one's life.

Please, go here to sign a petition asking President elect Obama to make Alzheimer's a priority.

Life Gets Busy!

I haven't said much about this before, but my boyfriend and I take care of his sister, Robbie and her husband, Bob. They both have Alzheimer's.

Bob had his left leg amputated above the knee on July 30th of this year. He went to a nursing home for twenty days. He came back home on this past Monday.

He is doing pretty well. He is, understandably, afraid to stand on his one leg. At six foot tall, that would be a long fall.

He has lost the ability to know when he must urinate and wears diapers now. That sensation may return. He knows when he needs to sit on the bedside commode to defecate, but does not know when he actually does.

Robbie, bless her heart, tries to care for him, but she just isn't able to. When he wants an extra blanket, she will take the he one has and put another one on him.

He has learned that he can raise his hips and pull his own pants up.

When the staples come out of the stump, September 4th, they will start shrinking it so that he can be fitted for an artificial leg.

Please, learn the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's so that if a loved one of yours develops it, it can be caught early and treatment begun.