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Update: Am I going crazy?

Dogsaremylife
Dogsaremylife Member Posts: 46
25 Likes 25 Care Reactions 10 Comments 5 Insightfuls Reactions
Member
in Caring For a Spouse or Partner

I want to thank everyone here for all the kindness and concern. It restores my feeling of being part of this strange thing called the human race. I have learned so much from you. Things have taken a turn that I think might be informative for all of us. I have pasted it as an answer to some of you but thought it better to just start a new discussion. Here it is and thank you all so much again.

There has been a change in the course of events that has given me an emotional reprieve for now. The Hospice nurse who told me my husband had "taken the turn" was an on-call nurse, not my husband's regular nurse. She made this summation on the phone without seeing him. Yesterday his regular nurse came and I explained to him what the other nurse said. He was highly annoyed by it, saying "no", my husband was not in that condition. The nurse spent an hour here talking to my husband, getting him to drink an Ensure and went over and over with him that he "needed to accept the mission", meaning he would eat what he told him to eat for the rest of the day. They were both career military men, so this "order" had special meaning to my husband. The nurse backed off some of my husband's meds which were making him loopy and today the difference is so noticeable. This nurse feels my husband is not in immediate range of dying, and has offered me all kinds of help, which I will take. Thank you again.

Comments

  • Ed1937
    Ed1937 Member Posts: 5,091
    Sixth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Likes 250 Care Reactions
    Member

    That's wonderful!

  • Rocky2
    Rocky2 Member Posts: 135
    100 Comments 25 Care Reactions 25 Likes First Anniversary
    Member

    Excellent news!

  • SSHarkey
    SSHarkey Member Posts: 298
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Care Reactions 100 Likes 100 Comments
    Member

    What a fabulous nurse he has! Such a blessing!

  • White Crane
    White Crane Member Posts: 917
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Care Reactions 500 Comments 100 Likes
    Member

    That's great news!

  • WIGO23
    WIGO23 Member Posts: 130
    100 Comments 100 Care Reactions 100 Likes 25 Insightfuls Reactions
    Member

    My take away from your experience is that while the nurse might have been well meaning (trying to prepare you), it is often best to remember medical staff do not know nearly as much as they think they do! This very much includes doctors.

    Unfortunately, just because they have seen something similar happen before, does not mean it applies to you or your LO at any given time.

    The only thing I know is that the course of any health issue is unknowable to EVERYONE. One hour at a time—One day at a time gets you through it.

  • housefinch
    housefinch Member Posts: 434
    100 Care Reactions 100 Insightfuls Reactions 100 Likes 100 Comments
    Member

    What a great match that nurse is for your husband. I’m so glad things are going better and you’ve got the A Team back helping you and him.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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