Sunday, December 03, 2006

Sleepless nights

Excuse me while I go beat my head against the wall for a little while.

................

Okay, much better.

I went to bed early lasy night, actually made it to bed by midnight, and was woke around 2 a.m. by mom saying that dad wanted me to make him coffee and get him something for his headache. I informed her that I couldn't do that because Sunday is Fosomax day and he can't have anything before he takes his Fosomax in the morning. Okay, off she went to tell him that and I fell back asleep - for about an hour and a half I think. Then the doorbell went off. Up I got and in to see what dad needed. The headache is a small sore on his gums that hurts and he wants some coffee to make it stop hurting.

I explained the Fosomax situation and asked if he wanted to mess that up and have to go through it tomorrow because the pill was set off by a day or ignore the irritant level pain and wait to take his pill in a few more hours? He elected to wait on coffee and take the pill on schedule. Good, I went back to bed. Just almost made it to sleep too, I could see the little dreams waving hello to my tired brain when - doorbell.

Back to dad to see what was wrong. He wanted coffee. I asked if he was sure he wanted the pain medicine and coffee since it would mean he could not take the Fosomax today and would have to take it Monday morning. He pondered that a moment, apparently weighing how long he had already waited, and said he'd wait.

The dreams sure looked nice, wish I had seen what they were before that doorbell went off again and I was traipsing back in to see what dad needed again - this was around I think 6 a.m. ? He had called it quits, the irritation was too much he wanted coffee. By then my fogged brain had caught up with things and I asked if maybe just warm water might have the same effect as coffee? Was it just the warmth that did it? He decided to try that so, not seeing the harm in a little plain water before he took the Fosomax I got the water and gave it to him and went back off to try and catch a little sleep - I knew I wouldn't be able to so I just laid and waited for the bell.

I was back in there a little before 7 and decided to heck with it, I would get him up and sitting upright and give him his pill early and hope that enough time had passed since he had last had munchies and coffee at midnight. After he was settled in his recliner watching the morning news on FOX We decided to try cold water instead. I went and got him cold water and he tried to sip it and I went back to my bedroom to fold up my bed and turn on the computer.

At 8 a.m. I gave him the pill that he has always taken at 10 a.m. and... he was sleeping, in a sitting up posistion, by the time I went back through to start the coffee maker so he could have coffee at 8:30. ::pounds head on wall:: He's been sleeping soundly since with no complaints about the sore on his gums.

And there you have a average morning of a sleep deprived Family caregiver. Any more questions on why the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005 (H.R. 175) should be passed and us Family Caregivers be allowed to be paid as nurses?

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