An Update on TB The Elder And Mom

 As you are reading this, I am on a plane back to Old Home for what unintentionally turned into a much longer stay.

My father, TB The Elder, as you might recall, has been in and out of the hospital a bit for feeling somewhat confused and out of it.  There was no definitive diagnosis made except for Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuretic Hormone (SIADH - essentially, the body sheds more Sodium Chloride than it should).  He was put on salt tablets and being monitored.

But something has not been quite right since then.  My father has, simply put, lost the ability to do tasks - driving, dialing the phone - that he could perform two months ago.

We do not know why.  He has been to numerous doctor's visits over the last two months.  He has had normal scans.  Nothing - not even brain activity - is out of the ordinary for a man of his age.  But it has all happened in a very short period of time.

My mother, you may recall, has suffered from a form of dementia (not Alzheimer's) for several years now.  My father has been the primary care giver.  And he expressed to my sister late last month that something there needed to change.

So the last two weeks have been a flurry of activity - mostly for my sister - of appointments and documentation and tours and trying to locate a memory care home for my mother.  My sister has also had to balance out my father's health as well, since with his current issues he can no longer drive (per doctor's orders) and, living where they do, this is not sustainable for the long term.

It became apparent from talking with my sister and all that will need to be done - or might need to be done - that me being there was a need, both to assist in general and give her a break as well (she is, of course, working through all of this) - so I am flying out for an extended stay.

I am fortunate, of course - my manager has been more than understanding and The Ravishing Mrs. TB has been very supportive (in an odd twist, this will be the longest we have been apart in 25 plus years).  All of which I am, of course, very thankful - I cannot imagine having to do this and explain to my manager I need to work from halfway across the country for an extended period of time and, oh yes, I will need time off on short notice.

We are not sure about what is wrong with my father - as mentioned above medically, there is nothing significant.  We are hopeful that if we can move my mother to a place that will be better able to care for her, the stress of having to do so will lessen (such as letting him sleep again all through the night) and some of the apparent memory loss and inability to do tasks will lessen - the symptoms displayed could be indicative of a combination of stress and lack of sleep.

But, of course, we do not know for sure.  So we need to be ready with options.

We are taking it one step at a time - first, to place my mother into a memory care center where she can both get care and better and stimulation and hopefully relieve the stress on my father.  And then, to move my father.

I will still be here posting away, of course.  I would beg your indulgence in advance if the postings seem oddly focused on this issue.  As much as anything, this blog is a online journal, a processing unit for me to work through the issues of not only the day, but of my life.

As always, thanks for your support.  Your prayers and good thoughts, both for my parents as well as for my sister and I and the decisions that we may have to make, would be appreciated.

Your Obedient Servant, Toirdhealbheach Beucail