The Caregiver Calling

We asked for sleep, got sleep.  Then got no sleep.  Almost as soon as I hit the publish button after writing last night’s post, Mary Ann woke up and a restless night ensued.  She had been up all day, she was up most of the night last night, up all day today.  I was worried that my decision to increase the Seroquel had initiated a cycle of too much sleep???  No more worries on that front.

I did work at keeping her up today.  She had Small Group Bible Study in the morning, followed by a trip to the library.  This afternoon when she started to doze in her chair, I made the sacrifice of taking her for ice cream — just to keep her awake you understand.  She went to bed a bit early, slept for an hour, and woke up.  She has now taken her night time meds.  She seems to be moving a bit, but at least at the moment, not getting up out of bed.  We will see how the night goes.

Ev commented on last night’s post, reminding me to enjoy the gift of a good night whenever it comes, since folks with LBD or PDD often have bad nights.  It just comes with the territory.  Well said! Our task is to accept that we can’t control or manage this disease.  Very little of what happens can be predicted or impacted by what we do or don’t do.  We need to learn to take what comes, make the best of it, sometimes whine a little about it, and then move on to deal with whatever comes next!

Tomorrow afternoon we will head off for Kentucky to visit our Daughter, Lisa, Denis and the girls, Abigail and Ashlyn.  The girls have a few days off school.  We are taking two days to drive there.  For us, at best it takes about ten hours when done in one day.  Hopefully, this will make the trip a bit easier.

Since this summer’s decline, even though there has been some improvement, we are not going to try to stay in the downstairs room, requiring a trip up the stairs each morning and down again at night.  We will stay in a motel.  That will impact dramatically the cost of the trip, but will be much easier on both Mary Ann and me.  It will be a treat to see the girls especially.

I should have access to a computer while we are in Kentucky, so there may be a post or two while we are on the trip.  Here is hoping the trip goes well for Mary Ann especially.  We have another trip to the Bed and Breakfast ini Hot Springs, Arkansas scheduled for the last week of the month.  It is a lot to tackle, but we have to do what we can while we can.

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First there was little sleeping, then there was a lot of sleeping.  Not only did she nap for over five and a half hours during the day yesterday, she went to bed earlier than usual, slept through the night, and was slow in getting up this morning.

The question in my mind this morning was, have we increased the Seroquel too much.  Will she now be sleepy all the time and move to a lower quality of life on account of it.  Is my decision to add another 25mg of Seroquel hurting Mary Ann?  When we saw the Neurologist last, he increased the dosage by 25mg and said that if the increase was not enough to deal with the hallucinationa and restlessness at night, I could raise the dosage another 25mg.  That is what I have done.

While I don’t yet know the answer to my question about whether or not the increase is too much, today she has stayed awake.  Tonight when I asked about it, she said she was tired all day.  Her tiredness could be the result of the Seroquel.

It is so very difficult to adjust the medicine to just the right amount, what the doctors call titrating the dosage.  The variables are many and complex.  Sometimes it takes a while for a change in dosage to have effect.  Different people don’t always react the same way.  Seroquel is a potent drug.  There are risks, serious risks.  Probably the most serious problem that can emerge is Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome [NMS].  If I understand correctly, that problem very quickly can cause death.  It is an uncommon side effect of the drug, but nonetheless a risk.  Again, if I understand correctly (disclaimer: I am not a doctor), stopping Seroquel suddenly can also trigger serious problems.

Starting new meds, stopping meds, changing the dosage is like running through a grove of thornapple trees.  Someone might get hurt.  Mary Ann is always involved in the decision-making on the meds, but generally, she trusts my judgment on what she should take and when.  She is pill averse, so she takes as few as possible.  She will on occasion simply refuse to add more.  Most of the time she accepts what the Neurologist prescibes, and what I recommend.  That is not a responsibility that I relish, but, like it or not, it comes with the territory.

Caregivers often have a great deal of responsibility for how their Loved One does.  We are the ones who have a daily awareness of how things are going. Good doctors listen to us and take into consideration what we think is needed.  Again, that is a lot of responsibility to have.

I asked for help with Mary Ann’s (and my) sleepless nights and the disturbing hallucinations.  I asked.  The answer was to increase the Seroquel. I may have gotten more than I asked for.  This morning I was very concerned, actually, I was scared.  At the moment, since she was awake all day, I my concern has been mitigated a bit.  We will see how tonight goes.  The information on Seroquel suggests that the drowsiness that comes when it is first taken often diminishes.

What we both long for is for Mary Ann to be awake during the day, and asleep at night.  Is that too much to ask?  Probably, but we can hope.

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Then why don’t we act on the obvious solution and solve the problem!

She napped for over five and a half hours today.  She napped for over three and a half hours during the day yesterday.  I can’t remember how long she napped the day before that.  Isn’t it obvious?  Just keep her up during the day and she will sleep through the night.

I just read an article in the online newsletter from ScienceNews.  Apparently a recent study using rats associates sleep deprivation with an increased risk of experiencing Alzheimer’s Dementia.  The assumption was that the sleep problems were a result of the disease.  It now seems possible that they are part of the disease process itself. (Yes, I, too, wonder how a technician can determine if a rat has Alzheimer’s Dementia —  actually, I do know the answer to that, but I am not saying here — suffice it to say, once the information is obtained, the rat no longer needs his/her pension.)

Back to the solution.  Why not just keep her up all day?  I am sure that solution seems obvious.  If it is hard to keep a two-year-old awake when those eyes fall shut and that little body goes limp, if it is hard two get a two year old up early from a nap without a major meltdown, imagine trying to get a strong-willed, independent adult who has a right to make her own choices up from a nap when she wants and needs very much to continue sleeping.

I can remember a day some weeks ago when I managed to keep her up all day with trips here and there.  She was restless that night anyway, up and down for most of it.  On the other side of it, while things may change at any time, after having that more than five and a half hour nap today, she was tired and went to bed early this evening.  She has been sleeping soundly for the three and a half hours since then.

Obvious solutions don’t always work.  With that said, I admit that it would make sense to try to get her to sleep less during the day to increase the likelihood of sleeping soundly at night.  One of the struggles with being very assertive in waking her up is that when she is napping, I have time to myself.  I am able to concentrate on tasks and accomplish things that can’t be done when Mary Ann is awake, up and about.

Today was a spectacularly beautiful day, warm and breezy.  With the video monitor on the table next to me, I was able to sit on the deck and read, while enjoying weather, the waterfall, the birds (hummingbirds buzzing over me regularly).  I finished the book on weight control (The Volumetrics Eating Plan) with time left over for a snack of potato chips (just kidding).  I did try to get Mary Ann up a number of times after the first three of the five and a half hours, but she just couldn’t do it.  She had said she felt pretty bad when she laid down this morning — no wonder after two nights of almost no sleep.I knew she needed the rest.

I guess, if I appreciate the time the daytime napping gives me, I shouldn’t whine about the restless nights.  I concede the point.  The glitch is that I am not getting much sleep either.  I could try to nap whenever she naps.  That also makes sense.  Were I to do that, my every waking moment would be centered around her needs.  To survive and remain useful to Mary Ann, I need some time to myself when I am awake.

Sometimes obvious solutions don’t really work as well as logic would suggest they should.  I suspect that those looking in from the outside lose patience when obvious solutions are not used to solve the problem about which the Caregiver is complaining

As I was preparing to write this post, I thought about the legions of Caregivers out there.  First of all, every parent has experienced the challenges of caregiving, unless they have abandoned their responsibility to their child[ren].  Single parents, especially those with more than one child have challenges I can’t even begin to comprehend.  There are many who have responsibilities to their children (they never end, no matter how old the children become) and at the same time responsibilities in caring for their aging parents.  There are those who have severely troubled children, physically and/or mentally.  They struggle to care for them, some have to make tough choices demanding allowing others to do the care at a facility outfitted for that care, having around the clock staff to give that care.

I have the luxury of having only one person who needs my full time attention.  Gratefully, our children do not need our care.  In fact they are members of the sandwich generation, raising their children and concerned for our needs as well.

All in all, I guess I should stop whining.  I won’t, but I should.  I think those who are full time Caregivers need some whining time.  Blogging is great, since it creates the illusion that there are people listening.

Whether anyone is listening or not, it helps to talk about it.

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Last night was pretty tough — up and down all night long, then up this morning at 6:45am.  The same is happening as I write this and has been going on for two or three hours.  There is no point in my trying to head in to bed yet since the activity is constant at the moment.  She has been climbing in and out of bed for no apparent reason with only minutes in between. 

While, again, it is a function of the disease, it is no less frustrating.  The time that I have generally claimed as my own in these late hours after Mary Ann goes to bed is coming to no longer be my time.  Tonight I set upon having some spiritual renewal time.  There is a podcast of  the Saturday worship service at the Taize Community in France.  The music is the sort that draws the participant in with a beautiful simplicity.  The readings are done in at least three, often more, languages.   There is a calm and peace that seems to include in community people like me, listening from thousands of miles away. 

I had first read a weekly poetic devotion by Fr. Ed Hayes, whose writings have had much impact on my personal Spiritual journey.  The reading suggested lighting a candle.  I haven’t done it in a very long time, but I pulled out a votive candle, placed in on the worship center, a cabinet built precisely for that purpose, with stained glass inserts in the doors.  I lighted another candle in a tall walnut candle stand made by my Dad, many decades ago.  Next to that candle stands the Shepherd’s Staff made by a parishioner and given to me at my retirement, a symbol of my forty years of ministry. 

A small iron Celtic Cross stands on the cabinet next to the votive candle.  Joining the Cross and candle on the worship center is a large ceramic bowl with lettering and symbols painted on by the other Staff members and again, given at my retirement.  The words are the summary of the congregation’s sense of purpose, “Grow in Faith.  Share Christ’s Love.”  The bowl is a symbol of Baptism, in our tradition, understood to be that first encounter with the Grace of God, an act of unconditional love by God, initiating relationship. 

One other item on that worship center is a simple memento of a long-standing friendship with a small group of parishioners from the first parish  I served as pastor.  It is a small beveled glass case with found items, pine cones, dried weeds, parts of plants, stones picked up on a trip together to Alaska many years ago.

With the candles and the light from the computer screen only,  I began the Taize worship.  As I settled in enjoying the sensations that come with such an experience, the monitor screen that keeps me aware of what Mary Ann is doing as I sit here, revealed the activity.  Since she is at risk of falling when she gets up, needs help to use the commode, to manage the cup of ice water next to her bed, to turn over in bed, her activity demands my participation. 

I have stopped and started the worship a number of times, getting more frustrated each time, resenting the loss of the freedom to enjoy the experience.  There is a odd sort of irony, that the very thing that helps me maintain a healthy equilibrium in caring for Mary Ann, is doing the opposite tonight. 

As the Neurologist allowed, I have just this evening increased the dosage of Seroquel, which is the medicine that both reduces the hallucinations and helps with sleep.  The last increase was not enough.  It is too soon to assess the effectiveness of this increase.  Certainly, the hallucinations have not decreased yet, they continue to be on the increase.  Just moments ago she told me to be careful of the little girl when I was adjusting her sheet.  This morning when she first got to the table for pills and breakfast, as soon as I turned on the light, she tried to show me the blood on her hands.  I think she believed it to be from the raccoons or whatever biting her.  There was, of course, no blood. 

Last night’s post mentioned my need for better choices in the area of diet and exercise for the sake of this Caregiver staying healthy.  Last night, today and tonight have revealed again the difficulty of following through with such plans.  When there are nights like these that string together, it is just survival mode.   A steady pattern of changed behavior seems completely out of reach.   I am still reading the book offering helps for improving the diet part of the problem.  Maybe some changes can be folded into our days. 

As Scarlett would say, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

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She is cute as ever!  We were dressed to the 9’s (whatever that means) for the church’s new directory pictures.  My contribution was to wash Mary Ann’s hair: the rest is in her genes. That combined with her ability to stop eating when she is full, has kept her slender and very nice looking.  As is apparent in the picture, I married up. 

I, however, have combined genes (Dad) and a seemingly uncontrollable appetite (Mom) to produce enough stored energy to last many weeks were I to end up on a desert island with no food.  It has, of course, gathered in the worst place for increasing the likelihood of numbers of diseases of the aging.  What is in my favor is a family history that for the most part does not include Cancer, Heart Disease or other life threatening diseases.  Most everyone in my immediate family has died of old age, or is still living.

That family history does not impress my Cardiologist.  Nor does it help me tie my shoes, or avoid the endless shrinking of clothing in my closet.  My shoes still fit!

On the spur of the moment, I went to a local Physical Therapy Center for a free consultation introducing a weight control program including both dietary counseling and an exercise program.  I liked everything about it (except the diet and exercise parts).  There was even the possibility of something that might benefit Mary Ann while I was doing the exercise program at the facility.  Then came the “other shoe” as they say.  The numbers took my breath away.

I need to stay healthy since I am not the only one who depends on my health and well being.  My health is more important than having a bunch of money in the bank.  One problem is that the bunch we have is of a size that a great deal of care needs to be taken when spending it.

There is a simile that I find very useful and use often.  Some things are like putting out a match with a fire hose.  I am not sure the amount I need to lose is worth that much money.  I would be right in the middle of normal on the weight chart if I were only six inches taller.

The truth is, the chart I am looking at puts me just past the line between overweight and obese — just barely, but obese.  Charts vary, and in some I am not categorized quite so harshly.  Nonetheless, clearly there is need for better habits and a lowered risk of problems emerging.

One of Mary Ann’s Volunteers has access to lots of health information, and has found a book that offers one approach to developing healthier habits.  She brought the book over early this evening.  The Cardiologist’s nurse had given me a copy of my blood work with the instruction to double the cholesterol lowering medication I am taking, Today, I received another copy in the mail, this time from our GP who got the same blood work report.  Today’s copy included a handwritten note, “LDL is too hight, needs to be around 100; work with exercise and diet.”  Of course in the last couple of weeks more studies have been published suggesting that belly fat increases the likelihood of getting Cancer, Heart Disease, Dementia, and Type II Diabetes.

A contributing factor to all of the above diseases is serving as a Caregiver.  The statistics are not good for those of us in a Caregiving role.  There are some things that cannot be changed.  I suppose common sense suggests working on changing those things that can affected by the choices made.

All of this comes after receiving the cooler from Omaha Steaks yesterday (a great sale), and enjoying the buy one, get one free Blizzard at Dairy Queen this afternoon (it was the annual anniversary gift for signing up online to join the Blizzard Club).

Rest assured, if there is any change in diet resulting from all this, or any exercise added into my daily activities, there will be whining in posts yet to be written.  Consider this fair warning! 

By the way, it feels good to have our Christmas shopping done for our children.  They will receive fresh new pictures of their parents to replace the old ones in the shrine.  We are so thoughtful.

It appears that tonight will be another tough one.  The raccoons are back in the bedroom.  Mary Ann wants me to call Animal Control.  I hope she can settle soon.  We will see what the night brings.

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Could our timing have been worse??  I think not.  We rolled up the sidewalk just in time for the pastor to open the doors for the pallbearers, readying themselves to carry the casket to the coach. The family was lining up behind the casket.

We just scooted in the open door, past the pall bearers and the family to the other side of the lobby as the funeral home staff ushered out of the Nave of the church those who had come to attend the funeral.  It was the epitome of bad manners.  Sometimes it is not better late than never!

Actually, I pretty much expected that we would embarrass ourselves when we left the house.  The funeral was at 10am.  We left the house at 10:20am with about a ten minute drive to church, depending on the stoplights.  Mary Ann had to take some medicine before we headed toward the door.

The decision was either to embarrass ourselves by arriving at the end of the funeral, or not going.  Mary Ann’s bath aide has a schedule of clients to see each day she works.  It is not a simple matter to just ask that she come earlier, throwing all her other clients off their schedules.

When there is a chronic illness like Parkinson’s that has entered the family, there are consequences.  Among them is the loss of the ability to make and keep plans, to accommodate to external demands.  The disease often rules the schedule.

Having served as Pastor of the congregation for over twelve years, I had known the deceased and family for a long time.  There had been some very challenging times in the family’s story during those years.  I was involved in that story.  This was a chance to see some of the family who had come from very far away.  I could have written a note explaining why we couldn’t make the funeral.  That just did not seem okay to me.  Charlotte had served as a Volunteer with Mary Ann, I had confirmed some of the grandchildren.  I had done a couple of weddings for the family.  The connection seemed too strong to accept that we couldn’t get to the funeral.

I decided that in spite of behaving badly by coming in at the end of the funeral, and the embarrassment that would come with it (embarrassment is a most hated enemy to me), I would not give up the chance to have a few minutes with members of the family.

We had had some practice with this sort of embarrassment when we decided some time ago to go to a morning worship service instead of the evening service. That Sunday morning we arrive in plenty of time to attend the 11:30am service.  The service, of course, is and always has been at 11am.  We had to roll past a group of folks standing on the sidewalk by the door to church.  They had gone to an earlier service and were just socializing as they were heading to the parking lot.  Again, I knew we would be late, but I wanted to hear a newly commissioned Deacon preach (he was great!).  We had a commitment that evening that would not allow us to attend the evening service.

Chronic illness has consequences in day to day life.  Sometimes embarrassment is one of them.  As I have mentioned before, eating in a restaurant often provides opportunity for embarrassment as food often ends up where it is not intended to go.  Using public bathrooms always provides opportunity for embarrassment as I have to find someone to watch the door of the women’s restroom while I help Mary Ann, fearing all the while that someone will come charging in, horrified to see a man in the women’s restroom.

One of my personal challenges is to refuse to give my hatred of being embarrassed the power to control our choices.  We need to be out with people.  One thing our circumstances have taught me is to be less judgmental of others.  Who knows what they are going through, when they do things that seem to be in bad taste or thoughtless or inappropriate? Who knows what they are going through?

Embarrassed?  Yes!  But we’ll live.

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Warm gel is a good thing when having an echo-cardiogram and a carotid sonogram.  Yesterday was Mary Ann’s every six month check of the lesion in one of her carotid arteries (the ones in the neck that supply the brain with blood), and her every six month check of her heart, the valves and general condition.

The tests happen so regularly since at some time, should the lesion in her carotid artery grow past a certain point, the question of surgery will come up.  She has already had one stroke, probably caused by bits of plaque sloughed off from that lesion.  The most we can hope for is very little change in how much of that artery is blocked.  I will admit that neither Mary Ann nor I am much interested in a major surgery.  We would certainly discuss the option.  I would not presume to know for sure what Mary Ann might want to do if surgery is suggested.  Her Mom had it when she was in her 80’s, and she did very well.

What the echocardiogram shows could have some impact on medications.  It was interesting to watch the med tech do the test.  She had a student with her.  She described what she was looking at to the student as she pulled up each view of Mary Ann’s heart.  I had a great view of the screen during the entire test.  It was helpful to me to hear her point out and name the parts of the heart on the screen.  Having watched the screen for the last few echo-cardiograms, I am getting fairly familiar with the images on the screen.  It helped this time to have a running commentary on what I was seeing.

What was especially interesting was a little mini-drama, as the med tech was describing what she was seeing to the student.  At one point there is color added to the screen.  The red indicates blood coming toward the probe, the blue indicates blood moving away from the probe.  When the med tech was checking the valves using the color mode, her voice lowered as she spoke to the student.  I inferred that the movement of the colors was indicating leaking valves and she did not want to break protocol by revealing that within Mary Ann’s and my hearing.  I had been quiet (unusual for me) until then.  I decided to relieve her distress by mentioning Mary Ann’s problem with leaking heart valves. The med tech’s response indicated my assessment of her reaction had been correct.  Up to this point, the leaking is not severe enough to warrant raising the surgery option.

Both Mary Ann and I had blood tests a week ago.  Her orders came from our GP (thyroid and cholesterol check), mine came from our Cardiologist (cholesterol).  Mary Ann is the one with problems, right?  Her numbers were great!  Mine produced a message from the Cardiologist to double the dosage on my cholesterol lowering med.  Mary Ann’s annoying ability to stop eating when she is full, as well as her distaste for leftovers and much of what I cook, seems to be serving her well in the blood chemistry department.  My inability to stop eating until everything is gone on my plate and all the containers on the table, does not serve me so well in the blood chemistry department.  I suspect a program of improved diet, exercise and weight reduction is in my future — perhaps I should have a snack and lie down until that thought passes.

We got a copy of the written results of our blood work yesterday after the tests were done.  Mary Ann’s results revealed the continuing reduction in her kidney function.  The surface of her kidneys has hardened due to decades of high blood pressure.  If you have read earlier posts about her struggle with Orthostatic Hypotension (low blood pressure when standing, producing fainting spells) you will catch the irony.  She is now taking medicine to raise her base blood pressure to reduce the problem of her BP lowering too much when she is standing and walking.  If I am reading the lab report correctly, she has just moved into stage three of five in her Chronic Kidney Disease. The good news is that we all have so much kidney capacity that it could lower to 30% of full functioning without becoming dangerous. When I include that sort of information, remember that I am not a doctor.  Don’t take my word for it. A few years ago a very candid Nephrologist told us that Mary Ann would likely die with Chronic Kidney Disease, not of it.  At that time we all agreed not to treat the kidney disease since the treatment would make the fainting worse by lowering her blood pressure.

As the tests were going on, I thought about how scary all the test results can be.  When we first were told about each of the problems, there was that feeling in the pit of the stomach that the end might be nearing.  After years of monitoring the results of the tests, it is just more information confirming what we already know.  Even if there is something new, Mary Ann has faced down so many medical problems for so many years, we just take it in stride.  Mary Ann could die in ten minutes, ten months, ten years, or more.  So could I.  Death lives just on the other side of life.  Coming to terms with that provides a sense of peace, and affirms the sweetness of the life we have at any given moment.  Our spiritual foundation steals from death its ultimate power to destroy.  Neither of us longs for it.  We both recognize the pain that is left to those we leave behind.  At the same time, we recognize our mortality and have learned to live with it.

If you want to write a comment about this or any of the posts on this blog, look to the column on the right side of this page, titled “Recent Posts,”  click on the name of a post and you will find a box at the end of that article in which you can write a comment.  Clicking on the title of the post you are reading will accomplish the same thing.  Comments are appreciated.

It just sounds like complaining, endless whining.  Caregivers are often very boring conversationalists.  Someone says, “Hello, how are you?”  Caregiver responds, “I was up fifteen times last night and eight times the night before.  We slept late in this morning, but I can’t concentrate enough to read anything more than the captions on pictures.  Simple tasks seem overwhelming, and by the way, what is your name, and what is it that you just asked me?”

Last night was a moderately restless night for Mary Ann.  We were up maybe once in each hour during the night for one thing or another.  That pattern is more bearable than the really restless nights when it is multiple times throughout the night.  She got up early this morning, but napped for a couple of hours. It just doesn’t seem to work for me to try to turn on the napping switch and sleep whenever she takes a nap during the day.  Anyway, I relish the time to do the things I can’t do when she is awake and in need of help.

The truth is, there is no way to communicate to anyone who isn’t in the same circumstances just how hard it is to get pretty much of anything done when the sleep patterns are completely erratic, with no ability to plan when there will be sleep and when there won’t be sleep.

While I was on the retreat in Oklahoma, our Daughter Lisa stayed with Mary Ann.  The first of the two nights, Mary Ann was very restless, and Lisa didn’t get much sleep.  Mary Ann was up early as she usually is after a restless night .  The next night, they both slept like a rock and slept late into the morning.  When we talked after I returned, it was apparent that she had a sense of what it is like to have the kind of erratic sleep patterns that are our normal experience.  She, of course has two young children and knows what is it like to have difficult nights and little sleep.

It is just nice to have someone in the circle of support who understands how hard it is to plan and do anything when there is no sleep pattern.  One of the reasons that I enjoy the trip to the Spiritual Renewal Center is that the many hours of uninterrupted sleep seem to return my ability to read and understand what I am reading.  I can’t say that I have read any of the book on Quantum Physics and Theology other than on the Oklahoma Retreats.  I often feel embarrassed at how little I manage to get done each day, and how poor my memory has become.  I am hoping that both are a function of the sleep patterns rather than the disintegration of my brain.

One of the problems the lack of sleep increases in Mary Ann is the intensity of the hallucinations.  I have mentioned that often before.  Today, she got up and headed toward the bedroom.  I asked what she was doing.  She was reluctant to tell me, probably not wanting to hear my opinion on whether or not she should be trying to do what she was planning.  She was going in so that she could sew a button on.  I don’t know what button needed to be sewn on to what.  She had just asked me to help her take off a corduroy shirt of mine that she uses as a warm layer to wear when she is cold.  After I took it off, she hung on to it, rather than letting me put it on the railing post, as usual.  I inferred that she had in her mind that there was a button that needed sewing back on that shirt.  There were no buttons missing.

I did not interfere with her plan.  I decided I would only intervene if she ended up with a needle in her hand and was hurting herself.  I stayed out of the bedroom as much as possible while she got out some balls of thread (probably more for cross stitching or something like that) and handled them for a while. I never saw a needle in her hand.  I just waited it out, helping a little when the thread on a couple of the balls got tangled.

I still don’t know exactly what was in her mind, nor do I know what went through her mind as she finally put the balls of thread back into the drawer and gave up on the plan.  I do know that it is painful to watch her confront the losses she has been suffering for so many years. The losses have been going on for twenty-two years in one way or another, sometimes more slowly than at other times.  Today was one of the times the contrast was especially obvious between the skilled sewing (made our first drapes, has made many quilts) she has done in the past and the inability to so much as get a needle, the thread and sew on a button — as well as the confusion about what was or was not there needing the sewing.

While I am busy complaining about the frustrating sleep patterns, she is busy trying to survive the loss of so much of what brought her joy and satisfaction throughout her life.  I guess I just need to finish this and get to bed so that I will have less to complain about.  So far tonight she has stayed asleep.  We will see how the rest of the night goes.

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Maybe that is a little dramatic — three exclamation points — but we do now have a number of new items of food in the freezer.  While our Daughter, Lisa, stayed with Mary Ann for the three days I retreated to Oklahoma, she made lots of things that are within my cooking comfort zone and put them in the freezer.  She wrote the preparation directions on pieces of paper and put them with each item.  Gratefully, they are mostly the kind of directions that say, thaw, cook in oven for an hour at 350 degrees.  I can handle that!

Pete and Carla stopped by with a meal this noon.  They are very thoughtful folks.  I was sorry to miss seeing them since I was at the lake while Volunteer Jan spent time with Mary Ann. Jan and Mary Ann seem to enjoy each other’s company.  This afternoon Elaine came by, picked up Mary Ann and took her to the Quilt Show.  Mary Ann loved making quilts for a number of years.  She especially liked piecing the tops together.  She spent two years hand stitching the quilting on her first quilt, a queen sized sampler quilt.  After that, she took them to be machine quilted once she got the tops pieced. It has been hard for Mary Ann to accept the loss of the ability to make quilts.  After such a busy day, Mary Ann crashed late this afternoon, so the evening service at church was not an option for us.

This morning’s time at the lake provided a couple of interesting treats in observing wildlife.  The first is a repeat of an encounter I had a few weeks ago.  Again today there were two Ospreys sailing overhead.  One came right over the car, so I got a very good look at him through the binoculars.

I made my usual visit to the Delaware Marsh, which now has very little visible water in it.  The area that I walk has one large puddle left.  As I approached it from a distance, walking a on tall ridge alongside the marsh, the water in the puddle seemed to be almost boiling with activity.  When I focused the binoculars on the mud sided puddle, it was boiling, not from heat but from the movement of snakes, maybe a dozen of them. They were twisting and turning rapidly, in constant motion.

After watching a while, it became apparent what was going on.  The water had dried up in most of the area, leaving that large puddle as the last, very confined, place where the frogs and fish were trapped.  While I am not absolutely sure about the fish, I could see the frogs jumping out of the water, flying into the air, with snakes in speedy pursuit.

Some of the snakes were pretty large, at least two or three feet long — some probably longer.  The snakes began slithering off in the mud and marsh grass as I approached.  One large snake and one medium sized snake remained in the mud at the edge of the water even though I was not far away.  As far as I can tell, looking online, they were white bellied or yellow bellied water snakes.  They did not have the telltale triangular head of a venomous snake.  While I am not particularly fearful of snakes, I kept my distance.  The binoculars provided as good a look as I would get even if I tried moving closer.  I am sure they would have moved away quickly if I had climbed down the ridge into the marsh.  My visit to that puddle probably provided a stay of execution for some frogs and fish.  I doubt that the stay will be for long.

Uh-oh.  There seem to be signs of restlessness being revealed by the video monitor.  I hope Mary Ann sleeps well tonight since tomorrow includes two different Sonograms, heart and carotid artery.  We always hope for no change in the condition of both.  Blocked heart arteries, some weakened heart muscle and a dented and rough surface on a large lesion on one side of her carotid artery keep us aware of the harsh realities of her condition.

Each day is a gift!

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Remind me how much I loved weeds and bugs as a child.  I seem to remember writing something about that in an earlier post.  I just about had my fill of weeds and bugs on this trip to St. Francis of the Woods.

I have always loved the outdoors, but I have also always loved being comfortable.  Trudging through waste high, sometimes head high, weeds for a couple of hours, bugs surrounding me, checking me out at close range, stretched my idyllic view of the outdoors to the limit.

I remember walking the woods at my parents’ place in Northern Illinois, loving everything but the deer flies.  They kept me from idealizing the outdoors beyond reality.  Then there was the Poison Ivy.  The world of nature can be a hostile place.

This trip to St. Francis of the Woods was different from the last few times I have gone.  When possible, I usually go after the first frost and before the bugs have come out in the spring.  Cool and crisp air, dried weeds and clear skies have welcomed me the last few years.  This time it was warm, muggy and cloudy.

With that introduction, you might suspect that this trip was not a good experience.  It was.  First of all, while I am concerned for the environment and the well-being of all creatures, insects included, it seems to me that the person who invented the insect repellent Deet should be awarded the Medal of Honor.  I was not bitten by one mosquito, nor did I find one tick on my body, and while the bugs were everywhere, when they landed on me, they didn’t stay for long.

One benefit of coming at this time of the year was that there were flowers everywhere.  The sights were beautiful.  The flowers drew butterflies.  There were all sorts of butterflies of different sizes and colors.  Every once in a while one or two would land on me as I walked through the weeds.  There was one particular species that caught my eye.  It was probably a Fritillary, but I am way outside of my comfort zone in naming a butterfly other than a very few.  It was fairly large, and the brightest, almost, iridescent orange.  There might be as many as three flying around one another in a cluster.

There are now a couple of bee hives at the corner of one of the fields that I walk through.  I gave them a fairly wide berth.  Through the binoculars, I could see hundreds of bees flying in and out and all around the hives.  I am not particularly fearful of bees, but I didn’t want to have any unnecessary encounters by moving into their home territory.  I noticed as I walked through a nearby field, that the flowers were covered with bees.  St. Francis should have a great harvest of honey when the time comes.

The first evening’s trip through the woods provided no bird sightings at all.  The next day, there was more activity.  I was snorted at by some deer hiding in the woods as I walked by.  At one point a couple of does ran through the weeds in front of me from the woods on one side to the woods on the other.  There were a couple of groups of White Pelicans flying overhead, appearing to be headed the wrong direction for a fall migration.

It was hard to find a spot to put my three legged stool so that I could read a bit.  I didn’t want to be completely buried among the weeds.  I managed to find a spot with short enough weeds that I could sit, eat an apple and then read a very few pages.  The muggy, warm air and flying bugs around my sweaty brow made it uncomfortable enough to discourage me from staying long. I did catch sight of a flock of Common Nighthawks going by.  They are not often seen in the daytime except when passing through in the spring and fall.  Nighthawks are in a family of birds called Goatsuckers.  I just get a kick out of knowing that and saying the word “Goatsuckers.”  I need to check online some time to find out how that name was chosen for them.  I wonder if it had anything at all to do with goats?

I walked down to a newly discovered pond very close to the cottage I was staying in.  The pond was sort of ugly and messy looking, very small.  I saw a large turtle sunning itself when I came closer to the pond.  It slid into the water since I was too close for comfort.  I looked at the water through the binoculars to see if I could locate more turtles under the water.  Then I saw him.  I can’ t really know for sure how big he was, since he was just under the water at the edge of the pond nearest me.  The light refracting through the water can make something look bigger than it is.  It was a Snapping Turtle that appeared to be close to two feet long and a foot and a half wide.  He looked far too big to be living in such a small pond.  I watched him for a long time, and when he moved, I was glad he turned away and moved down farther into the pond.  I would not have been interested in him coming my way.

The most meaningful and valuable time on this retreat was the four and a half hours of catching up with a friend from the Oklahoma City area that I hadn’t seen in over thirteen years.  I have to say that John is as close a friend as I have ever had in my six and a half decades.  During the nine years in Oklahoma City, John and I spent many hours early in the morning at Ingrid’s German Deli talking about our faith and journey we were on living it out, John caring for Sherrie, dying of Cancer, and me dealing with the impact of Mary Ann’s Parkinson’s on our household.

When I went on ahead of the family to start serving the congregation in Bethany, Oklahoma, I lived for five months with John and Sherrie, and their children, Hope and Joel.  I cannot imagine more gracious hosts.  Their spirituality was a marvel to behold.  I have been around lots of folks who are committed to their faith, and sharing it with others.  John and Sherrie did it with such genuineness and humility that those around them never were made to feel inferior.

I had the privilege of ministering to and being ministered to by Sherrie as the Cancer entered her life and became the means through which she touched the lives of so many on her way to her death — and life with the Lord on the other side of death.  I had the additional privilege of conducting her funeral, attended by so many that the Sanctuary couldn’t hold them.

If that was not enough, I had the joy of performing the marriage of John and Peggy, as each was led to the other at precisely the right time to begin building a new life together.  It was refreshing to hear how their spirituality has grown and how their life together has unfolded in the years between then and now.

Not only did the retreat provide the refreshment that comes from engaging the natural world at close range, being fed by a meaningful friendship, but I probably accumulated almost twenty-four hours of uninterrupted sleep in those two nights.  This morning there was a gentle rain with soft rumbles of thunder on occasion in the background, providing the perfect setting for lying in bed, sort of semi-conscious, just savoring the moment.

All went well with Mary Ann while I was gone.  Daughter Lisa had some good quality time with her Mom, and Son Micah, Becky and Chloe were able to come over so that we could eat Pizza together tonight.

The time away provided the opportunity to think through how things are going for Mary Ann and me.  As always, there has come a renewed resolve to be more effective as a Caregiver.  Whether that resolve will result in any changes in what I do and how I do it remains to be seen.

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