Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween! Dad and I had a relaxing weekend, not doing much at all. I did get lots of things done around the house. Friday morning I took Dad to Marion to his dermatologist. He asked several times where we were going and I kept telling him. We didn't have to wait long in the waiting area. (Sometime soon I'm going to write about what happened about a year ago in this waiting area!) Once we were in an examining room, Dad read the posters on the wall and continued to ask where we were and why. I got him a magazine to look at and that kept him occupied until the doctor came in. After his appointment, we headed back to Rutherfordton. I took him to Life Care and I went to work. I picked him up about 5:00. The nurse warned me that his blood sugar may be high because they had a Halloween party with treats. We took it easy Friday night and just hung out in front of the TV. Yesterday, Dad just wanted to lay around in his recliner. I tried to get him to do some things at the bar and to go outside for a while, but he kept migrating back to his recliner. The two of us watched some scary movies on TV last night. Dad didn't want to get up when I tried to get him in bed, but I finally convinced him. I've been changing Dad twice during the night. He's usually really wet the first change and not so much the second. This morning I heard Dad get up and when I went in his bedroom, I saw that he had peed on the side of the bed and on the floor. I took him to the bathroom to get him in the shower and realized his depend wasn't even wet. I guess he just got out of bed, turned around and peed right there in the floor! I pulled all the sheets and mattress covers off the bed and got them in the wash. Then I got ready and went to church. Today Dad has been up and around more. He read the paper through a number of times, sat outside for a good while and did some walking around the yard. I just got him in bed and sat down to type. He started saying, "I must a milk, I must a milk...." over and over. Then he said, "Susie, why don't you read that?" I'm heading to bed... don't let the goblins get you! Susie

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Every morning I go in to the kitchen around 6:15 to take my vitamins, make coffee and get my orange juice. I try not to wake Dad up because then I go put on my makeup. This morning, I heard Dad saying something in a whisper. I went to his door and heard him saying "diddle de do da, diddle de do da" over and over. After I get on my makeup, I go back to the kitchen and turn on the light. Often, that will either wake Dad up, or he will say something to me if he's awake. This morning he said, "Hey, Susie!" I said, "Good morning!" He reached his hand out to me and I shook it and then he pulled my hand to him and kissed it. He looked at me and said, "I love you, Susie." I said, "I love you, Dad." When I pulled the covers back, he had pulled off his bottoms and had pulled his t-shirt over his head so that it was around his neck and arms. I got him dressed and ready for the day. This afternoon, when I picked him up at Life Care, he was sleeping in a chair. I woke him and told him it was time to go home. He said, "I'm not ready to go home. I'm going to stay here a while." He was not going to budge. John came over and helped me get him up. Once he was up on his feet, he was happy and ready to do what we needed him to do. Tonight when it was time for bed, I woke him up and told him I was going to get him in bed. He said, "Lordy, Lordy, Lordy me mercy" and got right up. I had his hand and he pulled me to him and gave me a big hug. Bless his heart! Susie

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Weird weather we've had the past couple of days! Because of the storms, I shut my computer down last night and decided to keep it that way! Peter had picked up Dad and brought him home around 9. Thankfully it wasn't raining hard and he had no trouble getting Dad out of the car! Right after Dad got home, we realized he needed changing. I had him sit on the pot and took off his pants and depend. He has to have his shoes on, no matter what. So, I gave him his bedroom shoes to wear. After we got him cleaned up and changed, he watched some TV in his chair. When bedtime came, he did not want to get up. He kept saying, "I want to stay here." and "I'm not ready for bed." I hate to make him get in bed, but I was ready and he was sleeping in his chair. Again, it's that, "Don't make me move or do anything - I'm fine where I am" attitude! It took me, Van and Simon to get him up. Once he started walking he was fine. He went to the bathroom, and then I helped him brush his teeth. I got him comfortable and hit the sack myself. This morning, when I went in the kitchen and turned on the lights, Dad got up. He started walking toward the bathroom. He stopped at the bathroom door and looked around. I said, "What do you need?" He said, "I need some water." I said, "To drink?" He said, "No, to wash with." I said, "Do you want to take a shower? (Yeah, right!) and he said, "No, I want to go diving." I told him it was October and we would have to do that when it got warmer! Pretty wild! Van told me that the other morning when I was in the shower and Dad kept getting up that Van asked him what he needed and he said, "I'm looking for a place to lay down. Van said, "He kept getting up to find a place to lay down!" Funny. Funny. Funny.......... Susie

Scottie, Janice, Patti, and Tammy Wammy with Papaw and Zeb with Papaw at Tammy's 50th birthday party!!!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Our family has had a big weekend! We've been really busy but having a great time. I picked Dad up on Friday and Zeb picked up pizza for supper. My friend, Patti, came over and ate with us and Simon had a friend over. Then the boys left for the football game at Central. Dad and Van and I hung out and relaxed. Saturday was a whirlwind. We had Tammy Wammy's 50th birthday party here. I got up about 9 and Dad was still asleep. About 9:30, he was stirring and I asked if he was ready to get up. He said, "No, not yet." I waited about 15 minutes and went back in his bedroom and asked, "Are you gonna get up today?" He said, "No, I'm gonna lay here until it gets dark!" Then he laughed and laughed. I got him up and made him some bacon and eggs. Then I worked all day getting ready for the party, except to watch him and get his lunch. Once when I was yelling upstairs to Zeb, he kept saying "Okay, okay, okay, okay" as if I was talking to him. The party started at 4 and Simon watched him while we got things set up. I got him ready and took him down to the picnic area around 5:30. We had a covered dish supper. He sat and visited with everyone and really enjoyed himself. He ate and hung out for a while. We had a bonfire and he liked watching it. Zeb drove him back up to the house around 9:30. I went with them and got Dad in bed and Zeb stayed at the house with him, catching up on much needed sleep. It was a late night and Dad got up twice between 2 and 4. I turned off all the lights and he didn't get up again until this morning. Zeb and I had planned to go to church, but I ended up cooking a big breakfast and we have had a great family day relaxing and watching football. After Zeb left to go back to ASU, Van and Simon and I took Dad down to the pond. Dad was saying lots of things over and over. Once he said, "diddle do up 2, diddle do up 2....." Often when he says the same thing over and over he will start with a whisper, sort of under his breath, and then get louder and louder. While we sat at the pond, he did his usual spitting like he does when he's outside. I don't know what makes him what to spit over and over and over. He's sitting at the bar now, reading the paper. I think I'm going to get him in bed early so I can get in bed early too!!! Susie

Thursday, October 21, 2010

I picked Dad up at Life Care yesterday to take him to Dr. Glover. He keeps Dad's feet and toenails in good shape. Dad asked several times where we were going and I would tell him to the doctor. He would say, "What for?" and I would tell him to check his feet. He would raise his eyebrows, like "Is that necessary?" When we got to the doctor's office, we only had to wait a few minutes. When the nurse took us to the examining room, she asked Dad to take off his shoes. Of course he didn't want to. I helped him get his shoes and socks off and she went to get a sheet for him to put under his feet because he said, "Oooh, that's cold." While we waited a few minutes for Dr. Glover, Dad counted his toes several times, 1 -10 or 1-5, 1-5. Then he would look at me and laugh. Once, he said, "Put my shoes on." Another time he said, "Put my socks on." A couple of times he asked where we were. He looked out the window and said, "There's a lot of stuff out there." He did fine when Dr. Glover saw him but said "Ouch" a few times. On the way out to the car, he counted his steps - 45. I took him to David's house for dinner and Van and I left for Simon's soccer game. The game with Shelby went in to double overtime and stayed tied 1-1. We didn't get home until 10:00 and David met us at the house. I got Dad in bed and hit the sack because I was exhausted! This morning when I got Dad up, he fell back on the bed. He stood up again and started walking and almost fell sideways on the chair. I held on to him and he almost fell two more times walking to the bathroom. I was holding on to him as he was going to pee and he looked at me and said, "Okay, you don't have to stay." He came out of the bathroom on his own. I'm a bit worried about his difficulty with walking and balance, particularly when he first gets up. We'll have to watch him carefully. It was a quiet evening at home. Zeb is here for fall break and we had dinner together. Dad sat at the bar for a long time and then in his chair. I just got him in bed and as I turn and look at him he seems to be dreaming moving his hand in the air about something. I wonder what he dreams about........... Susie

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

After Dad had the episode last night with not being able to walk, he got up two times during the night! Both times he went to the bathroom and then I got him back in bed. The second time I changed him. While I was in the shower this morning, he also kept getting up and Van got him to lay back down. Van's mother came at 8:30 and we all left to take Dad to Life Care and then we headed up to Kanuga for a memorial service. My sister- in- law, Magi's, mother passed away. It was a beautiful service at an outdoor chapel. Peter picked up Dad today which was great because I had plans with some girlfriends to celebrate two retirements. Simon was home for Dad when Peter brought him in and I got here about 15 minutes later. Dad was awake and we watched part of a TV show. I got him up to get in bed and realized he needed to be changed. It was almost a shower poop, but we managed to get him clean. Again, I am blessed that Dad can still wipe himself and would prefer it. When I have to finish the job, he says, "Okay, that's enough." If I have to wipe him again, again he will say, "Okay, that's enough." I just got him in bed, got his things ready for tonight's change and for tomorrow morning. His blood sugar was okay. He was laying there saying Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. I asked him if he wanted to say the Lord's Prayer. He said it with passion as he always does and finished with forever and ever and ever and ever and ever....... Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. Susie

Monday, October 18, 2010

I'm back! I had a great long weekend with my friends with plenty of relaxation and much needed sleep! It was great! My sister Betsy picked up Dad at Black Mountain this morning and took him to Life Care. That gave me an extra night last night to unpack and get things ready for the week. Simon had a soccer game, so our sitter picked Dad up at Life Care and brought him home. We were suppose to be gone to the game, but Van got caught up in work and we left late. I got to see Dad before we left for about 40 minutes. He came in the house in a jolly mood, smiling the whole time. He sat at the bar with me, the sitter, and my niece, Leah. We were talking about how he responds differently to people asking "who" they are. If you ask him, "What's my name?" he'll respond, "Tammy Wammy" because my friend Tammy always asked Dad that. If you ask him, "Who am I?" he usually responds, "Leah" because that is one of his caregivers at Life Care and he has learned to respond that way. We asked him what my name was and he wasn't able to tell us. He did say all his children: "David, Katharine, Peter, Susie, Betsy, Marie." When we got home after the game, he was sitting in his recliner, smiling. We watched some TV with him while we waited on Leah's dad to come get her. Dad said, "mini, mini, mini, mini" over and over and then he said, "four eight, fort nine, four eight, fort nine" over and over. I asked if he was ready for bed and he said, "Not now." Later, I told him it was time for bed. I said, "I'll help you up." He stood up and began walking with me then started slumping over slowly. He seemed to want to move his legs, but he couldn't take a step. It was almost as if he was falling asleep mid-step. Van had to help me get him back to his chair. We got him back up and to his bedroom. He had on his shirt, jacket and pajama bottoms. It took some persuasion to get him to take off all his clothes and get changed before getting in the bed, but I accomplished it! As I covered him with his covers, he seemed to melt into the bed and showed his pleasure not only through his actions, but with his words...."thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.... Susie

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I was busy this afternoon getting ready for my trip. Peter picked up dad at Life Care. He brought him home about 9:00. It had started raining and when Peter brought Dad's things in, he said Dad wouldn't get out of the car. I told him I would get him out. I ran out and opened the door and said, "Dad, let's go in the house." He said, "No, I don't want to go in, I want to stay right here." I tried saying several things to get him out with no luck. By this time it was really raining. I said, "Dad, hurry. I'm getting wet. You've got to come in with me!" He said, "No, I'm not going anywhere! Close the door!" I ran back in the house and got the umbrella (duh) and Peter came back out with me. Together, we tried to get Dad to get out. He continued to refuse and it began to lightning and thunder. I thought, "Oh great, here we are with a lightning rod, trying to get Dad out of the car!" Spencer was driving and I got him to move the front passenger seat forward. We literally had to move Dad's legs, against his will, to get him half way out of the car. He finally stood up and I walked him in the house. When we got inside, I said, "Why wouldn't you get out of the car?" He said, "I don't know." I walked him to his room to get him undressed because the leg of his pants was soaked. He said, "Ooh, I'm wet." Then he said, "You're wet!" I wanted to say "NO S**T!" Lord, I need a break!! Van will be taking Dad to Black Mountain tomorrow and I am going to get that break! I am so excited! I was hoping to post some extras, but I only have one in drafts, so I'll post it and see you guys again on Sunday!! Susie

Daddy at the pond - October, 2010

Monday, October 11, 2010

I picked up Dad at Life Care this afternoon. When I said, "Let's go", he said, "Where are we going?" I told him Simon's soccer game and he decided to get right up. Since it was going to be such a beautiful day, I had planned to take him to the game. I figured it would be the last game of the season he would be able to attend. Next week our games are out of town and I'm afraid our last game home might be too cold. I fed him a little supper before we left. He sat in his chair for the whole game and enjoyed looking at all the people. He even seemed to be watching the players quite closely. When the game was over I told him it was time to go. He said, "Go where?" and I said, "Home." He said, "I'm not ready to go." I tried to tell him he was blocking the aisle, but he still didn't want to get up. I left him there for a few minutes and then tried again. This time I told him we were going to get something to eat. He still didn't want to get up, but decided he would. He walked slowly to the car, with me holding his arm and seemed a little unsteady. When we got home, I tried to get him to use the bathroom, but he said he didn't need to. I made him a plate of left over vegetables. He would take a bite and push the plate away, then take a bite and push the plate away. He only ate half of it and didn't want any more. I got him in his recliner after washing and brushing his teeth, which he also didn't want to do. He's been a little ornery this evening! I cleaned the kitchen and am about to relax a little before bed.... Susie

Sunday, October 10, 2010

I got up early this morning because I had to go to early church to do the "children's time." I got Dad up, put on his pajama bottoms and fed him breakfast. Van stayed home with him. I stayed late, because we had a covered dish lunch and my committee helped set up and clean up. When I got home, Dad was out in his swing. I did a few chores and then got Dad inside. We both napped for a while. We went back outside this afternoon and looked at the paper. After dinner, Dad got back in his recliner. I spent about an hour filling out paperwork for his respite care. I am leaving Wednesday for my annual trip with my two college buddies! They are both speech therapists. It is the twelfth year that we have gone to our cabin in the mountains. We have a ball. We talk, talk, talk and play cards and cook and eat and play! Dad will be going to the Black Mountain Neuromedical Center for respite care. The state run facility has a six bed unit for patients with Alzheimer's. It is really nice, with beautiful grounds. The people there are great. The patients have to meet certain criteria and then they can stay for up to 30 days during the course of a year. It's been a great way for our family to be able to take some vacations or just take a break from care-giving and know that Dad is being cared for. I'm planning on trying to post a few blogs before I go, since I won't be blogging for several days. I've wanted to tell a few stories and some things that mom dealt with and I thought it would be a good time for that! I just got Dad in bed. He didn't want to get out of his chair to get in bed tonight. Then he wasn't big on brushing his teeth. When I told him we needed to change his underwear, he said, "I'll just leave these on." I know how he feels sometimes! We have to make an effort to do lots of things!! I finally got him taken care of and he's laying in bed with his arms folded up behind his head, probably wondering what I'm doing on this computer!.............Susie

Better to give

I love my church. Our pastor, Ed, just donated a kidney to his brother-in-law. It has reminded all of us how much better it is, to give, than to receive. That's really how I feel about my dad. I give my time, and my energy (and sometimes my sanity!) to care for him. He cared for people his whole life. There was never a time he didn't care for other people and take care of other people. It didn't matter who you were or what was wrong with you, or if you could pay. He served with kind heart and gladness. He saved lives and made the world a better place. God has truly blessed me. My mom took care of Dad through the most difficult times. This is the easy part. Like I've said before, Alzheimer's is a cruel disease; more so to some than to others. I think about how brilliant Dad was. I have seen a slow, slow progression take away his ability to remember, reason, recognize, and relate. Yet God allows me to care for this man, who in spite of dementia, is still kind and happy. How lucky am I.

October 9, 2010

I picked Dad up at Life Care yesterday afternoon. My friend, Pam, came over and we took Dad down to the pond. We drove in my car and when we got there, Dad didn't want to get out. Pam opened the door and said, "Let's get out!" and Dad said, "I'll just stay here." and he closed the door. I opened it again and said, "Let's sit out by the pond." Dad closed the door again. It wasn't until the third time and I had to almost insist he get out. I think he was glad he did. Sometimes I think he just doesn't want to go to the trouble of doing something extra. It was so pretty!! Pam and I sat on the benches on the dock and I put a chair at the end of the dock for Dad to sit in. Right in front of Dad was the caution that Van has "engraved" in the wood, "6 feet, No Diving." Dad read it over and over and over. Then he would say something like, "Susie, it's 6 feet in there - no diving!" and he would laugh. As the sun started going down, it got cooler so I covered Dad with a blanket. He enjoyed that. Simon and some of his friends came down and hung out with us for a while, before they headed off to the Cleveland County Fair. Dad enjoyed watching them and of course, kept counting everybody. He asked several times where we were. I noticed him moving his chin up and down again and I wonder how long he's been doing that. Maybe I just haven't noticed it! After we had been there for a while, Dad said, "Susie, I'm ready to go." We got our stuff and headed back up to the house. While I grilled burgers, Pam gave Dad a spelling and math test. He correctly spelled: Rutherfordton, orange, North Carolina, medicine, Tylenol, pneumonia, Earth, Raleigh, aspirin, scoliosis, stomach, education, international, and knee. He made the following mistakes: Missippi, equasion, Sacromenta, auwsome, badmitton, botalism, and socker. He added 199 + 25, 9 + 8, 6+5+3+1, 100-29, 9x8, and 25 divided by 5 correctly! We slept in this morning. When I went to get Dad up, I pulled back his covers and he had taken off his depend and the bed was wet. I've spent the day washing sheets and clothes, cleaning and cooking. Dad spent a long time outside in his swing, looking at the paper and just hanging out. We're about to eat supper....... Susie

Thursday, October 7, 2010

I picked up Dad at Life Care today. On the way home he asked where we were going and as usual, I told him "home." He didn't say anything else on the ride home. I noticed he was moving his chin up and down with small movements, almost like chewing, but more like a tremor. He did it the entire trip home. He kept looking over, smiling at me. The weather was so pretty that I tried to get him to sit in his swing, but he wanted to go inside. I was only home long enough to get his medicine ready and write Simon a note about what to fix him for dinner. I had to get back to Spindale Elementary to help with the fall festival. Van got Dad to go out as I was leaving to sit on his swing and read the paper. Simon was on his way home from practice to keep Dad while I was gone. After I got home, we watched a TV show. When I got Dad up from his recliner to get in bed, I said, "Dad it's time to go to bed - let's get up." He immediately said "okay" and got up with no complaints. I led him to the bathroom and waited outside the door while he peed, and peed and peed. Often he will start and stop and start and stop. Then I went in to help him wash his hands and brush his teeth. I noticed that much of his pee didn't hit the toilet, but the floor around the toilet. I wiped it up, but will have to get it better in a minute. Dad seemed to have more trouble unbuttoning his shirt tonight and seemed a little frustrated. I just waited on him and smiled and he smiled back. He really enjoyed getting under the blankets. I checked his blood sugar, as always. When I tell him I need to check his blood sugar, he pulls out his hand and sticks out his finger. He usually sticks out his ring finger, but last night I had a little trouble getting blood out of that one, so tonight I stuck his middle finger. He does seem to be feeling lots better. Still a little cough, but definitely clearing up. He's already asleep......... Susie

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Simon had a soccer game last night and tonight. It's been two, long days. Our sitter kept Dad last night and David picked him up tonight. I'm really enjoying this cooler weather. Dad doesn't like the cold, though. I've been having him sleep in just his t-shirt and depend because it's so much easier to change him at night. I've put extra blankets on the bed and I hope that will do. Last night when I got up to change him, as soon as I pulled off his depend he immediately laid back down and covered up. I had to uncover him and get him to put on the new depend. When David brought Dad home tonight, I got him in his recliner, put on his house shoes, and covered him with a blanket. He looked over at me and said, "Thank you, Susie." He seemed to melt into his chair and the blanket. He fell asleep and talked a lot as he was dreaming. One time he said, "Pass the salt and pepper." He hasn't said that, even at a meal in forever! He also seemed to be carrying on a conversation with David in his sleep. I got him up to get in bed and he didn't resist at all. As I pulled him up, he clinched my hand tightly and held on tightly all the way to the bathroom. I had to make him let go when we got to the toilet. As I was getting him in bed, I said, "Take off your jacket." He said, "I'll just leave it on." I had to tell him he needed to get undressed to go to bed. Every time I told him to take something off, he would repeat me. I would say, "Take off your britches." He would say, "Take off my britches?" and I would say, "Take off your underwear." And he would say, "Take off my underwear?" He's already asleep and talking about something over here behind me. Van told me that this morning when he got Dad in the truck to take him to Life Care, he looked over and Daddy had his pants unzipped, ready to pee. Van had to make him stop and get out and pee. Lordy, Lordy...... Susie

Monday, October 4, 2010

I just got Dad in bed. I stayed home with him today. He has had a pretty good day. He didn't get up until almost 9 this morning. I got his medicine, juice and a bowl of Rice Krispies with bananas. After he ate breakfast, he sat at the bar all morning. He seemed to be more alert and his usual self. He looked through the paper and then I got his math cards for him. He looked at them for a while and then at some books. I made potato soup and he watched me chop garlic, onions, celery and potatoes. He asked what I was doing and I told him I was making potato soup. He didn't ask again. I fed him lunch about 12:45 and then I got him in his recliner. He slept for a couple of hours. While he was sleeping, his breathing was heavy and he seemed to be having dreams. He coughed some, but it did seem better today. He also used the bathroom in the toilet for the first time since Friday. Unfortunately for me, he pooped twice today, once this afternoon and again before I got him in bed. At least they weren't "shower" poops! Tonight, when we were watching TV, he looked over at me and said, "Susie, mannie, mannie, mannie, mannie, mannie, okay?" I said, "Okay." I will feel better about taking him back to Life Care tomorrow. Even though he's a little croupy and has some cough, he's feeling better and has been on his antibiotic for 2 days now. I took advantage of a day off work and got lots done around the house. I'm ready for bed! Susie

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Dad slept pretty good last night. It was later than usual when I got up to change him, almost 4:00. I slept so hard, I only heard him coughing a few times. He slept in until about 8:30. When I went to get him up, I noticed he had spit a lot of mucus into the top of his sheet. I fixed him breakfast and he ate well, but didn't seem to have much energy. He wanted to get in his chair, so I got him to recline and covered him with a fleece blanket. I was feeling better, but still a little weak. Van went to get Dad's antibiotic and we started it right away. I watched the Sunday morning TV shows that I never get to watch, because I'm usually at church. Then I washed sheets and did some housework and paperwork. I fixed Dad's lunch and when I got him up out of his chair, I could tell we needed to head to the bathroom. I realized yesterday that Dad had not used the bathroom in the toilet one time. I changed him several times and he needed it every time. Well today he had the major poop. I knew it was going to be one of those "shower" poops and with Dad not feeling well, I thought he probably was not going to want to get in the shower. I had him sit on the toilet and clean up as much as possible and then I had him follow me to our bathroom. He was already half way undressed, so that helped. When I got him completely undressed, I said, "Now step in the bathtub". He put his hand out to feel the water. I said, "I'll turn it on when you get in. Stand at the back of the tub." He said, "I don't need to get in there." I said, "Yes, you do. We need to wash the poop off your bottom." He didn't say anything after that and I helped him get in and I started the water. I gave him several rags, one at a time, and the soap. Then I had him wet his head and I shampooed it. I think he probably didn't feel well enough to argue with me! He ate lunch and then got back in his chair. He's been there all day, mostly sleeping and coughing on and off. I've decided to keep him home tomorrow. I hate to send him to Life Care with his rattly chest and cough and with him having just started his antibiotic. Hopefully, he'll be feeling better by tomorrow afternoon........ Susie

Saturday, October 2, 2010

My, my it's been quite a weekend already. I really have not been feeling well this week and after I got to work yesterday, I just felt draggy and my throat was killing me. Strep has been going around and the school nurse looked at my throat and told me she would try to get a culture. I called Dr. Kirkpatrick's office and she told me to come in. Well, I was positive for strep. I went back to school and got my things, stopped by the drug store and headed home. Van picked up Dad. I fixed him chicken noodle soup and a turkey sandwich for supper. When he was sitting in his chair last night, he kept saying strange things. Once he asked me if I had taken care of things at the funeral home. He also asked about other things that either didn't make sense or said things in which he couldn't finish his sentence. I got in bed as soon as I put Dad in bed, around 10. All during the night I heard Dad coughing and clearing his throat. I got up with him at 8 and fixed him some oatmeal. He was still coughing and croupy with a hoarse voice. He sat at the bar for about an hour and then sat in his recliner. I put a call in to his doctor. We both sat around all day, me feeling pretty achy and Dad sleeping most of the day. The doc called and decided to call him in an antibiotic. Betsy went to pick it up at CVS, but they said it hadn't been called in. I called the doc back and it had been called in, but by this time CVS was closed. I'll have to start Dad on it tomorrow. We just finished eating. I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that Dad has been pushing his plate or bowl away from him after every bite. Then he will pull it back and take another bite. He'll push it away, then pull it back for a bite and so on. I don't know why he's doing it, but it does make him slow down his eating, even if he makes more of a mess! I left him sitting at the bar but he just came in and squeezed the back of my neck and asked what I was doing. He laid down on his bed and he's repeating "mini, mini, mini, mini...." We both need a good night sleep and I hope he sleeps better tonight. I'll get his medicine tomorrow. Hopefully, my antibiotic will have me feeling better tomorrow too! Susie