5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Mossy, Rose, and Dr. Vesper were in the living room trying to find the television channel on which Easter mass was being broadcast.  Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in their endeavor.  While we unloaded the dishwasher,  Mossy brought me up to speed on the day’s events and gave me some tips for cooking the delicious dinner she had prepared.  After she left, I took out the garbage, set the table, and began cooking.  Rose slept until it was time to eat, but she was fairly alert during the entire meal.  She and Dr. Vesper both ate well and she received Targretin at this time.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper and Rose returned to the living room to watch the rest of “The Ten Commandments”.  Rose appeared to listen for a while as we marveled at the 1956 filmmakers’ ingenuity.  She was quiet, but sat upright and did not nap.  I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications before taking Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth (somewhat more successful than the previous evening).  She continued to sit upright, but was extremely rigid while changing her clothes.  I noticed swelling in her left foot/ankle and notified Mossy.  Her Depends was wet, but not saturated, and she produced a small BM while seated.  When we were finished, I got her in bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She seemed extremely fatigued, but comfortable and was nearly asleep when I said good night.  Dr. Vesper was turning off the living room lights when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Honey baked ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, baked apples, and croissants.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  For dessert, Rose had a very small scoop of ice cream.  Dr. Vesper declined dessert, but ate an apple later.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Sandy were in the kitchen and Dr. Vesper in the living room watching TV.  Sandy spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on the day’s events and helped me get Rose’s feet onto the ottoman before leaving.  She said Rose seemed sleepy most of the day and began leaning toward the left.  The listing became more pronounced through my shift so I used a pillow as a prop.  I readied the bathroom for Rose’s night time routine, set the table, cleaned the microwave,  and began prepping for dinner.   Though awake through the meal, Rose was very quiet and unfocused.  She did eat fairly well and had Targretin at this time.  Dr. Vesper enjoyed his usual hearty appetite.

7:00-9:00     The rest of my 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.  Rose stayed awake, but continued to lean heavily to her left and somewhat forward.  She would occasionally rest her head on her pillow prop with her eyes open, but seemingly unfocused.  I gave Rose and Doctor their evening medications, then took Rose back for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then thoroughly brushed her teeth.  She only allowed minimal flossing.  Changing her clothes was challenging due to her listing, but her arms were no more rigid than usual.  Once on the lift, I changed her wet Depends and she had a medium, normal BM while seated on the commode.  I then took her to bed where I applied her eye drops easily.  She seemed more comfortable, bright, and I was the lucky recipient of a good night kiss.  Dr. Vesper was still watching TV and I reminded him to use his glucose monitor.  He was doing just that when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cakes, peas, and yeast rolls.  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, Dr. Vesper was in the living room watching TV while Sandy and Rose were in the bathroom.  Sandy was on the phone with Mossy concerning a prolapse of Rose’s bowel and how to treat it.  Rose seemed uncomfortable while we awaited Mossy’s arrival, but not in undue pain.  Once Mossy came and took care of the problem, Rose appeared to be relieved, but highly fatigued.  I took her to the living room, put her feet up, and she slept most of my shift.  After Sandy and Mossy left, I prepared the bathroom for Rose’s night time routine, set the table, and began dinner prep.  They were seated and eating by 6:30.  Rose had little appetite tonight and I had to coax her frequently.  She did have Targretin and I supplemented her meal with a protein shake (Glucerna).

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper and Rose 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 before taking a very sleepy Rose back for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed her teeth.  As before, flossing was nearly non existent due to limited access.  While on the commode, I could see the bowel starting to prolapse again.  She leaned very forward and produced a large, soft stool.  Afterward, she sat up straighter than I had seen in three days.  The bowel had prolapsed as much as it had earlier, but thanks to Mossy’s prior instruction, I was able to treat it unaided.  I am not sure it stayed in place through the night as Rose was still passing gas when I took her to bed.  Once in bed, she was obviously relieved and I applied her eye drops easily.  She was her usual loving self when I said good night.  Dr. Vesper was at the table checking his glucose levels and very excited because his number were down.  He was on his way to bed when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, baked fish, broccoli, and wild rice.  Rose had kefir milk  and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Rose ate very little, but did drink an entire protein shake.  Neither one had dessert.

Visitors:     Mossy

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was on the living room couch reading/watching TV and Rose sleeping in her recliner.  Rajeana stated that Rose slept deeply most of the afternoon and that she had difficulty waking her enough to take all of her medication.  Together we were able to rouse her, transfer her to the wheelchair, and give her the remainder of her medicine.  Rajeana also spent a few minutes filling me in before leaving for the day.  I then took Rose for her afternoon toileting.  Her Depends was dry, but she urinated and had a small bowel movement while seated.  Afterward, I took her back to the living room to sit with Dr. Vesper while I set the table and prepared  dinner.  Rose again remained very quiet and unfocused, but awake.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry and I had them seated and eating by 6:45.

7:00-9:00     During dinner, Rose’s focus seemed to improve, and she and Dr. Vesper both ate quite well.  I was pleased to see the improvement in her appetite and even heard her chuckle a couple of times.  She did receive Targretin with her meal.  After dinner, they returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Rose stayed awake, but leaned heavily forward.   I gave them their evening medications (including Cipro for Rose) before taking Rose back for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and attempted to floss her teeth.  She was very tight lipped and I could not even insert the bite block.  I am confident she had a much better brushing than last night, but am disappointed that I could not floss her teeth.  Dressing her was challenging as well as she was very rigid and unfocused.  Once I got her on the lift, I removed her saturated Depends and she passed excessive gas while on the commode.  She produced no more stool.  Once I got her to bed, she brightened considerably and seemed more content.  I applied her eye drops easily and said good night.  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room, but winding down for the evening when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cakes, peas with carrots, and corn bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Rose had a small scoop of ice cream for dessert, but Dr. Vesper declined, saying he might have some later.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Sandy were in the bathroom and Dr. Vesper at church.  Sandy helped me get Rose’s feet up on the ottoman and spent some time bringing me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  I set the table, prepped the dinner salad, cleaned the microwave, and prepared the bathroom for Rose’s night time routine.   When Dr. Vesper got home he stated he was hungry and I had them seated and eating by 6:30.  Though sleeping initially, Rose remained awake during the meal, but she listed forward heavily and was very unfocused.  She ate fairly well with little prodding and received Targretin at this time.

7:00-9:00     Doctor and Rose returned to the living room after dinner to enjoy some television.  I propped Rose’s feet up again as she has some mild swelling in her left foot.  She remained awake until bedtime, but still very unfocused and non-verbal.  In the meantime I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, changed the kitchen clocks (daylight savings),  and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their night time medications (including Cipro for Rose), and then took Rose back for her evening toilette.  I followed our usual routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  Due to her heavy leaning, I had a much more difficult time than usual with her oral hygiene.  While getting her into the lift, she spoke a few words, but I did not understand most of them.  At one point, however, she shouted out, “Oh, my head hurts!”  I wonder if she meant her stomach because once I had her on the commode, she was very gassy and seemed to have cramps.  She produced an extremely large BM which began in her Depends and finished while seated.  As always, she tolerated the clean up like a trooper and seemed very content to get to bed.  Once there, I applied her eye drops easily.  She was slightly more focused and I was the lucky recipient of a good night kiss.  Before leaving, I made sure Dr. Vesper used his glucose monitor and I offered to change the time on his watch for him.  He declined my help, but promised he would do it before going to bed.

Dinner:     Salad and chicken cacciatore with pasta.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.   They both had ice cream (Lactaid for Doctor) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was in the bathroom with Sandy, and Dr. Vesper seated on the living room couch reading.  Sandy spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on the day’s events prior to leaving.  Dr. Vesper went back to the bedroom to relax while we propped Rose’s feet up on the ottoman.  I also applied the ice pack for approximately 20 minutes, which she tolerated well.  Dr. Vesper emerged shortly after, and they were seated and eating by 6:30.  Though Rose ate slowly, they both enjoyed hearty appetites.  Rose received Targretin with her meal.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in routine fashion.  We enjoyed lively conversation at dinner with Rose smiling a lot, but not particularly verbal.  Afterward, they returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I texted Mossy regarding Rose’s foot (less swollen and no longer warm), and Kemper’s ear (lots of scratching and very red deep inside) before beginning the night time wrap up.  I then gave them their evening medications and took Rose for her evening toilette, which also ran in routine fashion.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth.  Her lip is much improved and I was able to be very thorough.  She was rigid while changing her clothes, yet bright and very verbal during the process.  Her Depends were saturated and she had a small bowel movement while seated.  I then took her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was her usual loving and gracious self when I said good night.  I reminded Dr. Vesper to use his glucose monitor and he was at the kitchen table doing that when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Chicken cordon bleu, green beans, wild rice, and orange Jello salad.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both enjoyed ice cream for dessert.

Visitors:     None

7:00-9:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were in the living room.  I introduced myself to Rajeanna, our new caregiver, and we spent a few minutes chatting about the day’s events.  After she left, I checked Rose’s ankle and applied an ice pack I brought from home for approximately 20 minutes.  Rose had no problem tolerating it, and by the end of my shift, the swelling had abated somewhat.  I then took out the garbage, put ointment on Kemper’s wounds (which look better), set the table, and began dinner prep.  Rose was quiet and dozed until it was time to eat.

7:00-9:00     Both Rose and Dr. Vesper ate well, though he wasn’t fond of the particular cut of beef that was on the menu.  Rose ate voraciously and nearly kept up with him bite for bite!  Rose did receive Targretin at this time.  After dinner, they 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, fed the cat, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth.  There was a very small stool in her Depends, and she urinated only while on the commode.  Dr. Vesper was in his pajamas waiting his turn for the bathroom when we were finishing.  I took Rose to bed and applied her eye drops easily before saying good night to them both.

Dinner:     Salad, flank steak “pinwheels”, and green beans.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Note:     Prior to dinner, we did have a bit of an adventure.  I asked Dr. Vesper to help me transfer Rose from her recliner to her wheelchair.  He beat me to the punch, got in front of her, and started the transfer before I had my hands on her gait belt.  I don’t think he is trained to assume that position, and he felt he should be able to complete the transfer solo.  Things didn’t go as he hoped and he was not able to complete the transfer or get her back into the recliner.  By that time, I had my hands on the  back of the belt, but was unable to hoist Rose onto the chair.  She held her legs straight out, and with my recommendation, Dr. Vesper and I allowed her to slide gently to the floor.  She did not appear anxious in any way, but because we were out of options, I called the non-emergency EMS number, and they immediately sent a couple of paramedics who lifted her to her chair.  Rose was more bright and chatty following that episode than earlier in my shift!  Dr. Vesper seemed embarrassed and expressed extreme disappointment at “being unable to lift my 120 lb wife.”