Friday (aka Barf Day)

So sorry everyone.  I was distracted all day with work things.  Yes, I used the “W” word.  Don’t get excited though, it’s not like I get a paycheck or anything.  Just some forward movement.  I’ll post about it separately.

Satomi had a decent day although I had some real reminders about how things are. 

The hospice RN visited like normal.  The RN was happy that Satomi was semi-lucid and smiling but cautioned me.  Key neurological indicators still show progression (slurred and muffled speech, difficulty reading and understanding short messages, arm tremors, etc.) so we need to enjoy this time with her.

The aid came a bit later in the day.  We worked together and Satomi got through it but there were a couple of issues.  Satomi has her first bedsore on her right shoulder-blade.  Its dime-sized and looks like an open blister or skinned-knee without the scab.  The bed liner had a little ripple in it from Satomi moving around; We could see the impression in her skin.  The high point created more pressure on that spot.  I didn’t realize how sensitive a body could be to these things.  Now we have to take extra caution with her clothes and linens.  It looks painful but luckily we got no indication that she even felt it.

Treating the bedsore was typical first aid and was not difficult however, the extra time on her side triggered a small seizure.  We rolled her back immediately and she regained consciousness in a few seconds.  Unfortunately, we didn’t finish bandaging the bedsore.  We cleaned and prepped it but there was no bandage.  It would have to wait until later.  Her shirt was clean so we weren’t overly concerned.

Her breakfast went smoothly but lunch triggered a barf-fest.  I don’t usually give her a real lunch.  History has shown that we have to be careful not to overload her fragile body.  The multiple small meals is the only way she can eat now.  Maybe just a few bites here and there and a bit of water.  I try to increase it at dinner time but it’s a function of stomach noises.

I am usually prepared for barf .  I have two hospital trays strategically placed next to Satomi’s bed.  If there are barf noises, I grab one and jam it under her chin.  There is no doubt that it is as lightning fast as I can muster but I take extra care no to make it “violent”; I don’t want to upset Satomi.  There is usually a towel still there from the meal to catch the drips.  With the tray, I can eyeball the volume and know if she kept anything down.

This time I wasn’t in the room so there was no bucket.  When I got there I just saw spewed purple juice stains everywhere.  I considered calling this post “barf monster” but it still smelled like juice so it was far more pleasant than my other conflicts with bodily fluids.  And I didn’t want to diminish the nastiness of the Poo Monster.

The cleanup and linen changes went smoothly but it was still painful for her.  I had to roll her back and forth several times.  In between, I put a bandage over her bedsore.  Her linens were changed only a few hours before so this was the second time today that she suffered this pain.

As the evening progressed, she sat in bed mostly awake; It surprised me.  Instead of sleeping, she stared at her twitching left hand.  It looked like she was waving at herself.  She wasn’t in pain so I didn’t do much to stop it.  It was just a bit freaky to see.

Her bedtime meds went fine.  She was quite alert so I did still include a half-tablet of Ambien.  I gave her more juice, a few bites of apple sauce, and more water.  It seemed to give her time to calm down and let the Ambien work.  I could see her getting tired so I stopped feed her and she went off to beddy-by land.