|
These last couple of weeks have been hard even though it has been quieter here. If you don't like blow-by-blow don't bother reading this. It's just my own silly journal anyway. My husband's health seemed to be deteriorating a couple of weeks ago and he was needing to go on oxygen more and more during the day, not only at night. His time out of bed and on oxygen became shorter and shorter, with him finally going back to bed only an hour after getting up. His hearing became worse and worse until finally, he lost all hearing in his left ear. It took him a week to get an appointment with his Audiologist who finally said it was a profound sudden acute hearing loss and he may have had an ear stroke, and to get an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist immediately and it was a slight possibility a Prednisone shot might help. He also said there was no wax in the ear causing this.
I looked up ear strokes on Google plus wanting to know how to spell the medication he is taking for the burning in his stomach and found out it is so harsh with terrible side effects that we both wondered if it could be causing the things he was experiencing going downhill, including and/or the possibility that maybe he has had another small stroke. Maybe he was even allergic to that medication. He came to the point of saying he was miserable physically. He stopped taking that medication and started getting better within a few days but his stomach burns without it. His health is very complicated. He also stopped half of his diuretic and that is what landed him in the hospital 3 months ago. Since he will not let me monitor his medication, he lives on a “physical health” roller-coaster. We messaged his Gastroenterologist for advice and a new medication for his burning stomach but he still hasn't gotten a reply. I helped him send a new message today.
His ENT doctor insisted on speaking to the Audiologist so it took several days to get in on an emergency basis. Come to find out the ear was impacted with wax so it was not a nerve problem as the Audiologist thought. I have become a taxi driver taking him to appointment after appointment, picking up other prescriptions, and taking him shopping. Thank you, Lord I can do it. The ENT ordered an MRI of his brain and a referral to a Neurologist. He doesn't realize how much he needs a caretaker and there is no other home in the world that would give him the personalized attention he needs. His kidney doctor last week said Radiology would only target his hearing centers on an MRI from an ENT, not his whole brain so I am going to have to contact his Primary doctor to revise the order for the MRI. Or maybe I will wait for an appointment with a Neurologist hoping I can learn more about what's happening to his brain. He is not exhibiting much in the way of symptoms of a stroke however he didn't even know about his last one. He was very erratic a month ago locking me out, pouring water on me, and saying it will get much worse, and to leave our home. After he took my name off of all our savings, both our daughter and I were wrong, thinking at least he was going to cover our household expenses. He paid our house and car insurance for 6 months then demanded I pay this month's household expenses. I have 2 small accounts and have just about exhausted one of them with August bills, and one more cycle will nearly wipe out the 2nd one after I get my only source of income, $470. a month from Social Security. He did compliment me twice. The first time he thanked me for helping him so much on the computer and telephone for appointments and saying I had always been there for him. Then driving to one of his doctor appointments he said he was so very fortunate to have me take him all over town to his many doctors. I can quickly count 7 different locations around this large city where I take him for his many doctor appointments with UCLA. They all say his health is “very” complicated.
I'm not ready to start a fight about our savings since I don't think it is safe. He is too erratic at this time. Adult Protective Services was here because we were reported, and said don't move out of the house unless he does something physical to me. I am still sleeping on the couch since he locked me out of our bedroom so obviously doesn't want me there. It's better than what I thought I would be doing since he was so adamant that he wants me out: living in my car. Of course, he is wrong when he says the house is his, after 61 years of marriage. But his health and mind are slipping, and I am still trying to take care of my 86-year-old disabled but still strong husband. It is quiet and sad here mostly as long as I do everything he asks. I have a key for the new bottom lock but not for the top deadbolt. He says he may lock me out. Plus he says if I do anything wrong he can pour water over me. I live day by day, sometimes hour by hour. Sometimes I can walk with less pain, but it's been 6 weeks that sciatica in my leg from my back problems has been screaming at me. Because of it, I cannot sleep on my side at all for that 6 weeks which was always the way I slept because of my back pain. Sleeping is a problem, but I am averaging more, maybe 5 to 6 hours whereas the tumultuous 2 weeks before that was about 3 to 4 hours. My husband calls to me “are you awake?” This week I am dehydrating mushrooms, broccoli, and figs. Last week I dehydrated 9 trays of figs. I am working on eliminating the clothing on the clothing rack in my hallway that has sewing projects on it. I sew some, have about 4 or more places to give some, and I even put 5 in the trash, although that was the toughest. Sewing has always been my hobby. I made all our drapes and did upholstery. My dining room drapes are terrible now but it just kills my back to work on them. This is day 130 with only 1 dessert and wine; and day 38 for no regular bread at home. I am finally losing weight but I think the depression I fight may have something to do with it. After 6 months I tried to give him a little hug, but he just pushed me away.
|
57.2 kg
Lost so far: 0 kg.
Still to go: 3.8 kg.
Diet followed: Reasonably Well.
|
Losing 0.5 kg a Week
|