slumber

Mom has been asleep since around 6PM tonight. Can't say I blame her. What worries me, though, is that she's had only one meal today, plus half a protein bar. She had her pills and vitamins this morning, and did a bit of spirometer work with Dad (she's getting weaker), but that was about it. Most of her waking time was spent staring blankly at the TV, and offering only the most wan of smiles to me whenever I tried talking to her while feeding her. While asleep, Mom has snored a bit. It's cute, but in her case, it's also an indication of mucus buildup. That, along with the possible jaundice/liver problem, will have to be checked while we're at NY Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell (I hope you won't mind if I abbreviate the center's name as NYP/WC from now on).

We'll probably have to force Mom awake tomorrow morning to pack her into the van. David came over this evening, and is helping Dad by copying all of our MRI CD-ROMs to give to the docs at NYP/WC. Dad's done as much prep as he can, for himself and for Mom, and I have to do some laundry, take out the house garbage, and make some other small preparations so we can be ready to shove off by 11AM tomorrow.

The next time I write something on this blog, it'll likely be while we're on the road, or after we've settled into our hospital campus accommodations.

UPDATE: Well, I spoke too soon. Around 9:55, only a few minutes after writing the above, Mom's arm moved to a spot above her head, indicating that she had awakened from her nap on the living room couch, where Dad had placed her earlier in the day. She still wasn't talking, but as happened the other night when I cradled her, Mom seemed more alert than she had been before her nap.

I knew she was probably hungry and thirsty, but I also knew she'd be going to sleep in her own bed around 11PM. With that in mind, I fed her a small container of yogurt, then helped her wash it down with some ice water from her nifty new travel cup. Because Mom was lying down, the cup's angle made it awkward for her to suck more water out through her straw, so once again, I tiled her up and ended up cradling her. From Dad's remarks when she saw her, Mom was delighted with her situation. Dad fed Mom her pills, and we eventually got her off the couch and over to the bathroom, after which Dad took over the rest of the bedtime routine.

After spending a lot of today on the verge of tears, I thought this was a good way to end the day.


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