Friday, Oct. 28

Up around 7 a.m., because Mother was stirring in her room. After I helped her with bathroom duties, I helped her to the den and her favorite rocking chair.

Sis came over shortly afterward, bringing Mother's medications and her pill carriers with her. Once Hubbie ran errands that included buying a couple of new pill carriers, I loaded her pills. I've decided that I need to administer medications to Mother, because we learned at the hospital that she had not been taking one of her BP meds.

It seems that she lost one of her pill bottles and forgot about it, so she hadn't been taking the med for the past six months. The nurse learned this when she contacted the pharmacy to get a list of her meds and dosage amounts, and the pharmacist commented that she had quit ordering that particular med. It's unfortunate that pharmacies don't contact elderly patients or their doctors when they see that prescriptions aren't being filled.

Of course, I feel derelict in my duty for not keeping better track of her meds up until now. She has always been so on top of things, that I'm finding it difficult to realize she's not as capable anymore.

Nephew arrived later in the morning, and he and Sis traveled back to their town, because Sis was due to go to work at 3 p.m.

Around 11 a.m., I made chicken noodle soup for our lunch. When Mother visited the bathroom later, we found that she is still having black stools. She was upset, so once I had her comfortably tucked into bed for a nap, I called and left a message for her doctor.

Mother slept all afternoon. Later, a nurse called from the doctor's office to ask more questions about Mother. And after she consulted with the doctor, I was advised to keep monitoring Mother for the weekend. If her stools continue to be black, I'm to take her to the clinic for a blood test Monday. If she becomes dizzy, sees fresh bleeding, is weak, has pain, or vomits, I'm to take her to the ER.

Mother woke up around 5 p.m. After a visit to the bathroom, she said she wasn't hungry and wanted to return to bed. After a while, I asked if she was afraid to eat, for fear it would process through as black stools. She admitted that this was her problem. I told her that if the ulcer is bleeding, it'll process through as black stool anyway. Not eating won't help. It'll just keep her from getting her strength back.

So she admitted she was hungry. I was fixing bagel pizzas for Hubbie's and my supper, but I knew this wasn't the kind of meal that Mother should have right now, so I heated some mashed potatoes and gravy, and English peas for her. She ate all that and asked for an individual cup of cinnamon applesauce, and a cup of coffee.

Then she joined us in the den to watch the movie, "The Last Song," based on a story by Nicholas Sparks, and starring Myley Cyrus. Cyrus plays a rebellious teenager, who stays the summer with her father. They both have a love for music, but it turns out that that the father is seriously ill. Lessons are learned.

After that, we watched an old Alfred Hitchcock 1964 movie, "Marnie," about a woman thief with psychological problems. The movie stars a very young Sean Connery.