my goodness!

So--the thing I haven't been sharing is much news about my mom! Yes, she moved in with us on June 21st. Yes, all 3 of us with 2 dogs are living in a 1500 sq. ft. 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment until August 27th! Yes, it's close quarters!

She is adjusting to her new environment. The pluses for her are--that, unlike living in an Assisted Living arrangement, no one comes to visit, vacuum, or inquire about her every couple of minutes, so she can actually rest and feel like she has a regular life. Also--the furniture we have is super comfy (it's temporary too). And the carpet here for some reason is super soft. She says we are very good cooks and the food here is very good. And, the puppies are sweet and fun.

And, of course, I think she definitely prefers to be with family (me :) than having to make new friends all the time--though, that was fun and stimulating at times. At other times, not so much.

Those pluses have their own negatives--which, I was hoping would kind of get resolved organically. They aren't! And now I'm a little worried! My approach was the 'no news unless it's good news'...which, isn't working. So--now here's the news!

My mom has been sleeping sleeping sleeping for a huge amount of time each day. She's got a lot of health issues, so pin-pointing the cause of this has been a bit mysterious. First, we thought it was the new lifestyle--not having to be "on" for mealtimes and people stopping by all the time. Our lifestyle is far more 'boring' and 'quiet' than she is used to. She said she wanted Dave and I to have our own lives, and that dogs are a bit rambunctious, and they make her nervous, as much as she likes them.

Then, we thought perhaps it was a new respiratory medication she's got thrown into the mix of her other meds. I feared it may be that she's very sad (ambivalent?) about all the changes---(and--OK, yes---that we were headed for a major depressive episode).

Pursuing the answers has taken some time. And effort! We've been on the phone with a lot of doctors and talking with pharmacists. I'm in the middle of getting her established with all new doctors. She had been so stable for so many years, that I initially only focused on 2 specialists. Now, I wish I had set them ALL up before we moved. And, setting up some of the new ones is not going as planned--providers don't accept Medicare patients as readily as they once did! And, I messed up some of the papers she needed to see one of the specialists I DID set up before we moved--and so now they postponed her appointment by a month.

One pharmacist thinks it's one drug interaction, another doctor thinks it's something else, I think it's a different one yet--and what do I know? But, my mom is lucid, her coloring is pink and healthy, she's able to breathe and she seems upbeat. She seems completely normal--despite the fact that sleeping excessively is not normal.

So--now we're working with some of her former physicians who are familiar with everything and who treated her for years--and who will talk to us now---despite us being miles away.

Oh--the other part of this is that ADAM STRYKER, my uncle, is a SUPERSTAR. He has graciously agreed to be with my mom during my labor and delivery. I was really worried that I couldn't help my mom at all while I was doing that. And, it's a completely unpredictable amount of time. If she wanted to be at the hospital, if she wanted to go home, if some sort of emergency happened, there would be nothing I could do. And I didn't want Dave to (possibly) miss the birth of his child to tend to her.

So--especially given current circumstances, I didn't want her to be alone. We were looking into Home Health services, temporary stays at Assisted Living facilities, companions from local religious organizations. Mostly, incidentally, prohibitively expensive--like we should send her to the Four Seasons for the weekend instead.

So--thank GOD Adam is willing to set aside his work schedule and life to be here during this important time. I'm not sure he understands what a huge help and relief that is to me.

That's the big news. I had hoped to share the good stuff AFTER this was resolved. This was not to be. I didn't want you all to wonder. And, I feel a bit guilty that news with me, Dave and the baby is all sunshine when this is going on with her. I guess that's inherent in the circumstances.

Waiting for the doctor call-backs...we miss you!
Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.