Pneumonia? Surgery?

Please don't mistake blog silence for calm waters. Mom has been needing more care since coming home from the hospital...so much that I don't have time for anything. Between doctor's appointments, tests, and family stuff (birthday parties, graduation, etc), I barely have time to shower. Mom can't even get her own water lately. I've even had to empty the cath bag because she couldn't get out of bed.

Her mood is swinging. She loves me, she hates me, she's weepy, she's silly. I'm living with a freaking lifetime movie. Her memory sucks the same as it always does, so at least I think she's coming out of the episode (high ammonia levels/HE). She's still having problems breathing - shortness of breath, gurgling, coughing, choking at night. Saw her doctor yesterday, and he said that it takes months to get over pneumonia. He ordered a ct scan to check, since mom has magic pneumonia that can only be found with one, but we don't know that the insurance will approve it. He said the choking is more about her sphincter in her throat isn't working the way it should. It doesn't open all the way all the time, which is why she chokes on food and it gets stuck. We see the GI next friday to figure out what to do about that. As soon as we confirm the pneumonia, we'll schedule her hernia repair.

Finally done with her bladder treatments, for now. Mom keeps having moments...she said she thought I'd get mad at her for dirtying dishes, so she hoarded them in her room. She thought she was hiding them. She cleaned up, and handed me a trash can bag filled with dirty dishes, vitamin water bottles, and 7 up cans. Not everything was empty. It's a disaster. She also can't quite figure out how to use the plug and cath bag. Lysol is my friend. I carry alcohol wipes, paper tape, and gloves.

She calls every ten minutes, literally. I have no time for anything. She hasn't needed this kind of intensive care in a long time. She went from needing me to cook, clean, and drive, and whatever else to needing me to bring her every little thing and tell her which meds to take when, even with alarms. I'm exhausted. I have three applications to fill out that need things like her taxes, utility bills, and birth cert. I've been carrying them with me, but haven't had time in the waiting rooms to fill them out yet. My hair it's so long that it's very heavy and causing migraines daily. Mom says she has money for me to get a haircut, but she keeps spending without thinking and I'm worried about praying bills.

I'm trying to organize the one night stand fundraiser, but...ya know...time...sigh. I'm trying.