2/26/12 - Update / recap from Steve

This week, Ruth has sent me texts every day so far. Below are her texts:

• Monday: Did u get her results from her ab test yet? She has been in severe pain most of the morning even after 2 meloxicam. She said no med is working for heq back or knees. I try tn distract her away from the pain but before lomh she expresses her pain.
• Tuesday: She is in severe pain again. Screaming to God to take her because she cant take the pain anymore. She said it is her knees too. Sorry to give u this report while u r at work. I gently massaged her back for ten minutes. She said this is horrible horrible horrible en espanol. Any results yet. She definitely has a problem. I feel her pain and wish i could just take it from her.
• Wednesday: If u need me to stay extra time today to watch her. I can stay until 3 pm. Let me know before one pm and let Cameo know k. She is in severe pain with her knees amd wants to die. Can she have another meloxicam. Only had one this morning. Doesnt want to eat lunch. Pizza and salad. I put it on a plate on the counter for alittle later. I can put more cream on her knees. Very aggitated but not mad at me. She expresses alot of pain. !

I believe that Is reported that Gladys was also taken aback last Friday by mom's screaming about her pain and wanting to die. It's notable here that when I call mom, she says simply that it hurts "some." Same thing happens when I get to her house in the evening. However, when I get the texts and watch on camera, mom is definitely screaming out. There's clearly a disconnect between the way she acts when someone is there and how she acts when it's one of us who's there. Isabel also pointed out yesterday that there seems to be a pattern to Mom's flood of repetitious phone calls. The calls seem to start as soon as Mom is alone, when Ruth leaves.

While on the topic of phone calls, we all witnessed the apparently paranoid but definitely angry call she left on my voice mail at our family meeting on 1/15. Isabel also received (if I recal correctly) a screaming voice mail. Is and I have both received numerous messages that are within minutes of each other and are all identical.

We've also had a few concerns now about wandering, or the risk thereof. She "waits" outside now for one of us to show up. Tuesday night, when I went out for my walk at about 8:30 (I think) she was just standing in her driveway, staring down the street. I stopped and asked what she was doing, and she just laughed. Isabel followed up with a phone call and got a similar reaction. I'm buying Mom an ID bracelet with contact info, just in case.

Interestingly, I was very surprised Monday night when Mom showed me two sketches that she said she had made that day. I asked Ruth about the sketches. Unfortunately, it now appears that Mom didn't make those sketches on Monday, but had made them long ago and just recently found them.