Hi to you all. I haven't posted for a while....since my last post things have slowly but surely started to head to the later stages.
After coming out of hospital last April in a bad state & only managing to get out once during the heatwave my lovely OH is now on Palliative Care. He is sleeping for most of the day & only really waking up when the carers come in (4 calls every day). He is eating very little which is very hard to deal with but is drinking around 1litre a day. He will only drink for the carers so this is now on his care plan as 1 of their tasks.
I had to call 111 recently as my OH experienced unexplained tremors in his arms & one of his hands had turned blue. Out of hours Doctor visited & suspected a virus which "may be covid".
We have both had to have a Covid test as it was suspected that he may have contracted it ...luckily we were both Negative. Very stressful trying to do the test on OH as he will not open his mouth so had to do both nostrils when he was asleep.
His care plan is to keep him at home & keep him comfortable. Everything is in place but it is really beginning to affect my mental health. I try to go for a walk when the morning carers are here whenever I manage to motivate myself. Motivation has not been easy since I had a bout of shingles a while back which really dragged me down. I'm just wondering how long our current situation may last . I look at my OH & know that he would hate it if he could see himself now. "How long is a piece of string" i think will be the replies.
I think that I'm just in need of a virtual hug to see me through until the time that we can get out a bit more & see family & friends .
Love to all those going through this horrible disease.
Hugs from me too. Keep going. He’ll be grateful for all you’ve done. It’s a terrible time . My mother broke her hip Nov 2020 , admitted. I thought she’d be back at the home by Xmas but she didn’t get out until end Jan 2021 because I pushed for it. Physically it took her 4 wks to get over the op but then her behaviour due to dementia was getting much worse such that antipsychotics were started which gave side effects, so stopped at my behest. I was horrified end Feb to see how bad her walking is now- wheelchair is kinder than seeing her enormous struggle. Having been separated for 12 months due to covid I have no idea really how she is through the day& night. Having to rely on the home or hospital staff reports is not satisfactory. I don’t know who, if anyone , sent her Xmas cards etc. I offered to go in the hospital/ home to sit and ‘ mind’ her for several hours but offer declined as so much worry about covid transmission. The original home after a few weeks requested she move to a dementia nursing registered home as they couldn’t manage her needs( mobility/ behaviour/ heart failure) so I moved her beginning of March. Still modifications of behaviour altering medication goes on. She is now in the moderate/severe stages of dementia and heart failure and I’ve requested the palliative care team be involved so forward planning of her needs can be done to ensure that she’s comfortable and ends her days in the home and not in hospital . Through this a DOLS assessment was done ( Feb) ( referral 2018!) now another referral for same done as new home. Meanwhile the other DOLS recommendations on the back burner..No physio has been despite referral 6 wks ago tho in all honesty my mother probably can’t comply unless the carers/ nurses encourage and help her with easy exercises and leg muscle strengthening ... sorry Ioona I’ve gone on a bit. But covid has been terrible for me , my sisters being separated from my mother . And a certain “ loss of control “ no matter that we have POA. ??
So it’s nice you have your OH at home. I hope all will pass smoothly and peacefully x
