As those who have 'got to know me' here over the last few months will know mum has complained of and been investigated for various unattributed aches and pains over the last 12 months ...
There has always been some element of 'I've had such a bad night' (and yes, I admit, I've always held in the back of my own mind that her alleged problems through the night could be more about being lonely and frightened on her own ..... ) and symptoms mysteriously 'disappear' during daylight hours - especially when company (including me) materialises.....
I'm not saying I have discounted mum's 'complaints' - but having had every part of her body either scanned/probed or both over the last few months ..... I feel I have become somewhat 'complacent' about her gripes. Until today.
I reported to the psycho-geriatrician a while back that mum complained of a 'pressure' in her head - at that point we (professional and medical imbecile) were expecting the CT scan to prove vascular problems - since negated. Psych-ger told me this was a common complaint with many of her patients ... although nothing conclusive medically as to why .....
Mum reported this morning that she had had a 'terrible' night..... the pain in her head and neck were so unbearable she couldn't even cry ..... (at this point she is clutching her stomach in illustration..... ) ... she went on to tell me that when the pain comes she can make dimples in her forehead, her head is so swollen ..... and (her word) 'squishy' - now the pain had gone her forehead was 'back to normal' ......
I'm taking this all in as best I can - thinking what to rearrange tomorrow to get a GP home visit/alert psych-ger... etc etc when she tells me she has written down all that was happening to her in the night..... now given we have just gone through the 'writing Christmas cards' rigmarole - when I have wept buckets seeing that mum can't write her own name properly... I am presented with sheets of paper in her perfect, beautiful handwriting describing her feelings and thoughts through the night..... and worse (or better?) she could tell me .... 'I know I can't always write anymore ... but when the pain comes I can.'
Any ideas?
Sorry to ramble...
Love Karen, x
There has always been some element of 'I've had such a bad night' (and yes, I admit, I've always held in the back of my own mind that her alleged problems through the night could be more about being lonely and frightened on her own ..... ) and symptoms mysteriously 'disappear' during daylight hours - especially when company (including me) materialises.....
I'm not saying I have discounted mum's 'complaints' - but having had every part of her body either scanned/probed or both over the last few months ..... I feel I have become somewhat 'complacent' about her gripes. Until today.
I reported to the psycho-geriatrician a while back that mum complained of a 'pressure' in her head - at that point we (professional and medical imbecile) were expecting the CT scan to prove vascular problems - since negated. Psych-ger told me this was a common complaint with many of her patients ... although nothing conclusive medically as to why .....
Mum reported this morning that she had had a 'terrible' night..... the pain in her head and neck were so unbearable she couldn't even cry ..... (at this point she is clutching her stomach in illustration..... ) ... she went on to tell me that when the pain comes she can make dimples in her forehead, her head is so swollen ..... and (her word) 'squishy' - now the pain had gone her forehead was 'back to normal' ......
I'm taking this all in as best I can - thinking what to rearrange tomorrow to get a GP home visit/alert psych-ger... etc etc when she tells me she has written down all that was happening to her in the night..... now given we have just gone through the 'writing Christmas cards' rigmarole - when I have wept buckets seeing that mum can't write her own name properly... I am presented with sheets of paper in her perfect, beautiful handwriting describing her feelings and thoughts through the night..... and worse (or better?) she could tell me .... 'I know I can't always write anymore ... but when the pain comes I can.'
Any ideas?
Sorry to ramble...
Love Karen, x