September - Mom's Infusion Therapy Month

 

Of course, before the medical stuff...she has to enjoy a Sonic Hot Fudge Sundae!  Actually this was after a visit to her dermatologist.  She had a small skin cancer removed in latge August, and in mid-September I took her back to get her stitches taken out.  

It just happened to be very close to the only Sonic Drive-in in our area, which is weird since Jefferson County Arkansas, population 65,000 has three, and use to have four Sonics!   This Sonic serves a population of nearly 400,000 people!  The Hot Fudge Sundae was a good treat for mom, and I had a large Diet Coke, of course, my normal daily drink for 23 years while living in Arkansas.  

So over the past six to eight months, mom has had UTI after UTI.  It put her into the hospital a few months ago.  So they recommended that she see a specialist dealing with body infections.  This specialist decided that an Infusion (Infusion therapy — also known as IV therapy — involves administering medications intravenously) of an Antibiotic, twice a day over 20 days might rid her body of the underlying infection that constantly attacks her urinary tract.  This treatment needed to be done in a medical facility -OR- the family could be taught how to administer it.  With younger people, the person needing the infusion could be taught how to do it.  So on Saturday, September 8th, Patti, Sandy and I, along with Mom, went to be taught (while mom had the needle inserted and got her first, initial treatment.)  That evening they (Infusion's Pharmacy) dropped off all we needed to get started the next day.  Sandy pretty much did the mornings, I did the evenings, and Patti, who still has a job, filled in as needed (Sandy and Arny went up to Reno for the Air Races one weekend.)  They provided a link to a online training video which I used the first few nights just to be sure I was doing it all correctly.  After the third time I no longer used the video and left my Kindle Fire at home.

Since I had my Kindle Fire with me, I showed mom the latest video of Addie walking.  In mid-July she wasn't taking any steps.  Michael said that during August she would take a step or two, then sit or grab onto to something.  In late August they put her into a daycare, and by Labor Day she was walking all over the place.  In the video I showed mom she took over 30 steps before she purposely sat down to play with a toy.  LOOK at that smile on Mom's face...it really perked up her mood.

Marcia and I got back to Citrus Heights from Cromberg on the 7th.  On the 21st we went down to Michael and Anna's for a visit.  Above you can see Addie waving at Marcia (who is just out of the picture.)  She was not only walking, but climbing up on the some furniture, bouncing a basketball (a REAL basketball!), and saying a few words.  She is so precious.  Hoping to get back for a visit this weekend!

Tomorrow is the 20th day of the Infusion, and mom can't wait to get the needle and stuff out of and off her arm.  Although her mild dementia is still there, the UTI's are gone and the delirium that is associated with the UTI's have diminished.  Unfortunately, some of the things she saw in a delirious state remain with her.  For instance, a tree fell on the house across the street (no, it did not, but she still believes it did).  Sandy was her sister Mary...I was Dad.  (Mom, I am David...look at my beard...dad never had a beard...realization hit, but she still called me Al from time to time, but not anymore...for now.)  Only time will tell if this process truly rids her of the constant, recurring UTI situations.