5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Jan were in the sitting area enjoying the view while Dr. Vesper napped in his bedroom.  It was the first time Jan and I had met, and I enjoyed getting to know her and going over the day’s events.  She seems to be an eager, capable caregiver who did well on her first day.  After she left, I began setting the table for dinner, when Dr. Vesper awakened from his nap.  As he, Rose, and I discussed dinner options, he decided he had a taste for Frisch’s and asked that I call in the order.  After I did that, the three of us enjoyed a rare few minutes chatting in the living room together watching the news.  Rose was awake, alert, and more animated than I had seen the last few days.  She laughed when we laughed and seemed to enjoy herself.  When Dr. Vesper left to pick up the food, I took a moment to set out breakfast items and morning medications, as well as to touch up the bathroom.  When he returned, he asked that dinner be served in the living room.

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both enjoyed hearty appetites with Rose eating nearly her entire sandwich (minus a few bites of bread).  Unfortunately, Frisch’s did not include the salad I ordered for her, so I quickly made one before I served her.  Her demeanor remained upbeat and focused.  She seemed to really enjoy the “casual dining atmosphere!”  After dinner, I cleared and washed the few dishes they used, gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  We followed our usual routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing (very few) her teeth.  Though still alert, she was fairly rigid and tight lipped.  Once on the lift I changed her damp Depends and she produced only one hard small stool while seated.  Per Mossy’s direction, I gave her a full dose (4T) of Milk of Magnesia.  After clean up, I took her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was still alert enough to offer a kiss as I said good night to her!  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room watching TV.  I reminded him to use his glucose monitor when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Rose had a “Buddy Boy” sandwich, tossed green salad, kefir milk, and ice cream for dessert.  Dr. Vesper had a “Brawny Lad” sandwich, onion rings, and a McDonald’s’ chocolate shake (Lactaid).

Visitors:     none

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room and Crystal in the dining room finishing her blog.  As always, she brought me up to speed on the day’s events before leaving.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry, so I set the table and began cooking.  Rose was very quiet the first part of my shift, napping lightly until dinner time.  They were seated and eating shortly after 6:00.

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both ate well, with Rose becoming somewhat chatty toward the end of the meal.  Afterward, they returned to the living room to watch TV while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Rose stayed awake and her chatter turned to soft moans.  She slid down in her chair requiring me to reposition her.  I could not find an obvious cause to her discomfort, though constipation was a consideration.  I gave Rose and Doctor their evening medications, then took Rose for her night time toilette.  We followed our usual routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing (half) her teeth.  She was rigid while changing her clothing.  I changed her wet Depends and got her on the commode where she urinated slightly, but no bowel movement.  She did relax, however, and leaned severely to her left.  She passed no gas and I noted no discharge tonight.  I did give her a small dose (2T) of milk of magnesia before taking her to bed.  Once there, I applied her eye drops easily before saying good night.  Stephanie arrived around this time to fill the pill machine and I enjoyed a brief moment visiting with her before saying good night to her and Dr. Vesper.

Dinner:     Salad, tilapia with lemon pepper and rosemary, peas, baked beans, and cornbread toaster rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     Stephanie

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were in the living room watching TV.  Crystal spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed before leaving for the day.  I chatted with Rose and Doctor for a few minutes, took his dinner order, set the table, and began cooking. It was a quiet, ordinary late afternoon.  Rose stayed awake, but generally unfocused until dinner time.  They were seated and eating by 6:15 and we enjoyed the Kentucky Derby from the dinner table.  Though no one had “a horse in the race”, the excitement was contagious and even Rose smiled when the bugler signaled the call to post.

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both enjoyed hearty appetites, with Rose finishing all of her meal.  She and Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Kemper was outside in the back yard and began barking furiously.  He suddenly began chasing something and I realized it was his coyote friend.  A moment later they seemed to be running side by side and around to the front of the house.  My impression was that Kemper was playing, but the coyote aggressively pursuing him!  I called Kemper in the house and “play time” was over for the evening.  After he settled down, I gave Rose and Dr. Vesper their evening medications, then took Rose for her night time toilette.  Things ran in routine fashion beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing (about 80%) her teeth.  While on the lift I removed her damp Depends and she urinated very little while seated.  She produced no bowel movement.  Though she wasn’t leaning, she faded very fast and appeared to be nearly asleep during cleanup and while I put her to bed.  I applied her eye drops easily and she seemed to be sleeping the moment I tucked her in.  Dr. Vesper was still watching TV when I came back to the living room.  I reminded him to use his glucose monitor and handed him the unit before saying good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breast, peas, baked beans, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Only Rose had ice cream for dessert.  Dr. Vesper declined.

Visitors:     Mossy came by to drop off some items from Kroger.

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Mossy were in the kitchen and Dr. Vesper in the living room watching TV.  Rose was relaxed, comfortable, and quite alert during the first half of my shift.  Mossy and I discussed the day’s events and exchanged a few ideas before she left for the day.  The table was already set and all I had to do was prep the salad and begin cooking.  Just as I brought Rose to the table and before her first bite, she began vomiting somewhat profusely.  I grabbed a bowl, but it was too late, as the vomitus covered her shirt and the blanket on her lap.  Because there was no warning and she did not seem uncomfortable, I am unsure what precipitated this.  Her neck turned red and her skin warm and clammy, but only briefly.  I took her temperature using the ear thermometer several times, and it never got above 97.6.  I took her to the bathroom where I changed her shirt, washed her face and upper body, then returned her to the dining room.  Her skin was cool to the touch and she seemed to be back to her normal self.

7:00-9:00     We returned to the dining room where Dr. Vesper was patiently waiting to eat his now cold dinner.  When I asked Rose if she would like to eat, she said, “Oh yes!”  After reheating the food, I served Rose very small portions to see how well she could tolerate it.  She did quite well, eating about 75% of the food on her plate.  She drank less than half her milk, however, so I offered sips of water.  She ultimately drank about 4 ounces with no untoward effects.  The remainder of the shift ran in routine fashion.  Rose and Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications (including Hillary), then took Rose back for her night time toilette.   I brushed and flossed (about 75%) of her teeth, then got her on the lift.  Once on the commode she had a large BM which started in her Depends.  She was fading fast, leaning heavily to her left, but she seemed very comfortable and her skin still cool.  As always, she was a trooper during clean up.  I took her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  I also took a few minutes to wash and disinfect Rose’s Geri chair as the side of seat was soiled due to the earlier incident.   Dr. Vesper was on his way to bed, but I reminded him he still needed to use his glucose monitor.  He promised he would as I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, baked lemon pepper cod fillet,  peas and carrots, and rice.  Rose had kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

Note:     I did notify Mossy of Rose’s GI upset.  She offered to be on “stand-by” should Rose become ill again.  Fortunately, Rose was fine when I left and exhibited no further evidence of having been sick.

5:00-7:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper were in the living room relaxing when I arrived.  As always, Crystal brought me up to speed on the day’s events before leaving.  I took Doctor’s dinner order, set the table, and began cooking.  Though she was awake when I first arrived, Rose napped lightly until dinner was ready.  They both ate well, but Rose required a bit of coaxing near the end of her meal.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift was quiet and ran in routine fashion.  Rose and Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen and microwave, washed the dishes, took out trash, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications (including Hillary, who seems to be improving), then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then thoroughly brushed her teeth.  She pursed her lips tightly afterward and would not allow any flossing.  I got her on the lift, removed her saturated Depends, and lowered her to the commode where she produced a medium bowel movement.  She was alert, but leaned significantly to her left.  After cleaning up, I took her to bed, applied her eye drops easily, and said good night.  She seemed very comfortable while puckering up for a good night kiss!  Dr. Vesper had just finished a late dessert and was still watching TV when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken cordon bleu, glazed carrots, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was in the living room napping and Dr. Vesper at church.  Crystal spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on the day’s events before leaving.  Rose continued to sleep soundly while I set the table and began dinner prep.  Dr. Vesper’s timing was perfect as he arrived home just as dinner was finished cooking.  However, he stated he was chilly and just wanted to hold Rose’s hand and watch TV for a few minutes before coming to the table.  They were ultimately seated and eating around 6:40.  Rose and Dr. Vesper both had good appetites and we enjoyed lively conversation.  Rose was quiet, but fairly alert throughout the meal.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Rose and Doctor returned to the living room to watch TV.   I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Rose was again sleeping soundly and snoring heavily.   I woke her, then gave them their evening medications (including Hilary).  I then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (most) of her teeth.  Her Depends were wet and she had a moderately large bowel movement while seated on the commode.  I took her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She appeared to be more awake and alert than she had the entire evening as I said good night to her.  Dr. Vesper was checking his blood glucose levels and eagerly anticipating being rewarded with a bowl of black cherry chocolate chip ice cream that he deferred following dinner.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cakes, peas, wild rice, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Rhonda were in the living room while Dr. Vesper napped in his bedroom.  Rhonda and I chatted briefly about the day’s events before she left.  I brought Rose into the kitchen with me while I set the table and began prepping for dinner.  She helped me with the salad spinner and seemed to enjoy herself.  We were putting together a meal of leftovers, and Dr. Vesper appeared just in time to provide his input on the main course.  Once they were seated and eating, they both enjoyed hearty appetites.

7:00-9:00     Rose ate slowly, but remained fairly focused and ate all of her meal.  Dr. Vesper finished before her and went outside to check on the bird feeders before they both returned to the living room to relax and watch TV.  I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications before taking Rose for her night time toilette.  This ran in routine fashion beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  I seem to have greater success when I finish her brushing in a manual fashion.  It is slightly more time consuming, but she allows me greater access to those hard to reach areas.  I managed to floss about 75% of her teeth tonight.  Once on the lift I changed her saturated Depends and she produced a moderate bowel movement while seated.  She became quite chatty as we finished, thanking me several times.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was her usual, loving self and puckered up for a second good night kiss in a row.  Lucky me!!  Dr. Vesper was in the living room watching TV when I left.  He had dessert late and was unable to use his glucose monitor while I was there.  He intended to stay up for a while and promised he would do it at the designated time.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken cordon bleu (Rose) and chicken with broccoli and cheese (Dr. Vesper), peas, and toaster corn cake rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  For dessert, Rose had an iced sugar cookie and Dr. Vesper had ice cream (Lactaid).

Visitors:     None