Aug. 29: 2 pm. Mom’s room is full of beautiful flowers. Daisies, sunflowers, glads…they brighten each table and bring such spirit into this lovely room. Dad brought some CDs and Mom’s Williamsburg blanket from home. Feels more homey with the sounds and sights of Dennis Drive filling the room.
Becky (Joe’s girlfriend) came over around noon today for a visit. Bryan had brought lunch, and Terry arrived a few minutes earlier.
Becky told my mom about the wash cloths she had knit in the last week since Mom and Maretta re-taught her how to knit. Soon after she and Terry arrived, Mom sat up and had several moments of intense anxiety.
This seems to happen every so often (every 4-6 hours), and it’s really hard to witness. She sat up and moved like she wanted something or wanted to go somewhere, and then she would cry out in long, wailing keens. The staff here have told us that this can be due to physical pain or discomfort, but it can also be because she is grieving heavily for herself and for all of us. It really feels to me like it’s grief.
It’s really hard to witness her going through these intense moments. I held her in my arms and we all touched her and talked to her. After a while, we got some anti-anxiety meds and some pain meds. A while later, she had a second episode, and Bryan held her for a long time. Since then, she’s been sleeping peacefully again. A reiki masseuse came by to offer Mom a treatment.
She gave me one too. It felt wonderful.
That’s the update for now.
~Althea