We had a lovely night at church with the annual Christmas service. Some friends came back with us for tea and cake and then to bed.... or so I thought!!
My mother is obsessed with her bowels and I do mean obsessed. Those of you familiar with my story will know a few weeks back she overdosed on Laxido and covered the place in poo. She made herself so ill she needed 2 weeks convalescing in a care home to get back on her feet. She was then put on a combination of ducolax and lactulose BUT it appears the care assistants were not that good at giving it to her when they should. Add in to the mix that mum's fluid intake is not great and her diet is high fat, low fibre rubbish.
Mum rang me at 1.30 am insisting she is not well and needs to go into the hospital for treatment. I asked her what was wrong. She had on her Larry the lamb voice. She said she had cramps in her stomach and wasn't feeling well. That's hardly a reason to take her to A&E. She was having none of it. I was accused of all sorts... I'm selfish, uncaring etc... Now where have I heard that before!!!
I rang the out of hours GP. It was more to cover myself in that if anything awful happened and I did nothing I'd never forgive myself. I gave them mum's number and my number. The Nurse Practitioner rang me to say she'd spoken to mum who had told her she hadn't had a bowel movement in over a week. Of course the Nurse was very concerned about this. I told her that this was not the case and that mum was obsessed with her bowels and had 'been' on Friday albeit she reported being constipated. This of course put a very different slant to the story. She said perhaps it was best to get her checked out by a GP anyway. She said the GP would call me.
Mum was back on the phone to me insisting the nurse had told her that a doctor was coming to see her to give her an enema. "I told you I was sick and needed this all along " was mum refrain. I told her that was not what the nurse said. She actually said if she hadn't 'been' in a week this might be called for. The GP called and I filled him on the bowel happenings of the past few weeks and mum's obsession with bowels. He said he'd ring her. Good to his word he did and rang me back. He's happy enough that there is nothing seriously amiss and no need for mum to be taken to the out of hours to be seen. He didn't realise she was already on bowel meds. He suggests she should stop the 30/500 cocodomol as they are hefty meds for someone so old. I agree, especially as she is still complaining of being in pain anyway. The dilemma is what to give her in their place. She was really settled when she was discharged post sectioning and all this present instability only kicked off once she went onto the cocodomol.
Mum was back on the phone quite annoyed that the GP wouldn't see her. "You have no idea what its like being alone and unwell. Its alright for you, you have John. I'm here all alone". I asked what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to get dressed and drive over and just sit there while she did what exactly. Did she want me to do this every night. I told her she needed to go back to bed and try to sleep. I told her she was fortunate that she was only 10 mins from me compared to 90 mins this time last year. She is now insisting I take her to her own GP in the morning so that he can do something. What the something is I really don't know.
On saturday John was castigating me for running around getting the dining room table laid and doing as much prep for Christmas day as I could. He kept telling me I was mad. I told him no it was good planning as the time bomb that is mother was very likely to blow. How right I was. We have a number of people from the church coming for Christmas dinner. If they were not coming here they would be totally on their own. I refuse to let them down but I am afraid mum will play up and insist she is not well enough to come over here for dinner. The care package is suspended for Christmas day so I have to see to it she is fed and meds given. I can't be in 2 places at once so it could be a very interesting Christmas day!!
Isabella
My mother is obsessed with her bowels and I do mean obsessed. Those of you familiar with my story will know a few weeks back she overdosed on Laxido and covered the place in poo. She made herself so ill she needed 2 weeks convalescing in a care home to get back on her feet. She was then put on a combination of ducolax and lactulose BUT it appears the care assistants were not that good at giving it to her when they should. Add in to the mix that mum's fluid intake is not great and her diet is high fat, low fibre rubbish.
Mum rang me at 1.30 am insisting she is not well and needs to go into the hospital for treatment. I asked her what was wrong. She had on her Larry the lamb voice. She said she had cramps in her stomach and wasn't feeling well. That's hardly a reason to take her to A&E. She was having none of it. I was accused of all sorts... I'm selfish, uncaring etc... Now where have I heard that before!!!
I rang the out of hours GP. It was more to cover myself in that if anything awful happened and I did nothing I'd never forgive myself. I gave them mum's number and my number. The Nurse Practitioner rang me to say she'd spoken to mum who had told her she hadn't had a bowel movement in over a week. Of course the Nurse was very concerned about this. I told her that this was not the case and that mum was obsessed with her bowels and had 'been' on Friday albeit she reported being constipated. This of course put a very different slant to the story. She said perhaps it was best to get her checked out by a GP anyway. She said the GP would call me.
Mum was back on the phone to me insisting the nurse had told her that a doctor was coming to see her to give her an enema. "I told you I was sick and needed this all along " was mum refrain. I told her that was not what the nurse said. She actually said if she hadn't 'been' in a week this might be called for. The GP called and I filled him on the bowel happenings of the past few weeks and mum's obsession with bowels. He said he'd ring her. Good to his word he did and rang me back. He's happy enough that there is nothing seriously amiss and no need for mum to be taken to the out of hours to be seen. He didn't realise she was already on bowel meds. He suggests she should stop the 30/500 cocodomol as they are hefty meds for someone so old. I agree, especially as she is still complaining of being in pain anyway. The dilemma is what to give her in their place. She was really settled when she was discharged post sectioning and all this present instability only kicked off once she went onto the cocodomol.
Mum was back on the phone quite annoyed that the GP wouldn't see her. "You have no idea what its like being alone and unwell. Its alright for you, you have John. I'm here all alone". I asked what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to get dressed and drive over and just sit there while she did what exactly. Did she want me to do this every night. I told her she needed to go back to bed and try to sleep. I told her she was fortunate that she was only 10 mins from me compared to 90 mins this time last year. She is now insisting I take her to her own GP in the morning so that he can do something. What the something is I really don't know.
On saturday John was castigating me for running around getting the dining room table laid and doing as much prep for Christmas day as I could. He kept telling me I was mad. I told him no it was good planning as the time bomb that is mother was very likely to blow. How right I was. We have a number of people from the church coming for Christmas dinner. If they were not coming here they would be totally on their own. I refuse to let them down but I am afraid mum will play up and insist she is not well enough to come over here for dinner. The care package is suspended for Christmas day so I have to see to it she is fed and meds given. I can't be in 2 places at once so it could be a very interesting Christmas day!!
Isabella
