Jan/primary bus: shunted?/dharma

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In a message dated 10/11/99 12:49:22 AM, fisher1 writes:

>Hi Aleks,

>

>>i'm interested in the subject of

>>alzheimers and sleep from observing my mom in late stages of dementia.

> she

>>*did* forget to sleep.

>>sometimes she would stay awake (and runnin' up and down the stairs) for

>up to

>>36 hours. at this point, she would sleep, sometimes for four days-- waking

>>only to be fed and washed up. point being, her body did eventually dictate

>>rest (for me too!, even when she didn't "know" it.

>

>That's very interesting... it explains to me some thing from my mom's

>last

>years. She didn't have Alzheimer's, but she had strokes... big ones,

>tiny

>ones... she had a remarkable immune system and recovery time, but they

>kept on... so I saw all sorts of different symptoms.

 

aleks: thanks for your post, dharma! yes, mom had little strokes quite

often, and was also otherwise healthy and strong. (she began to show

symptoms of ms/dementia like illness at age 50.) actually had an emergency

room doctor tell me that she was "healthier than she should be," that maybe

i should be "less vigilent." implying, i confirmed by asking him, that i was

taking too good care of her! ha! no such thing!

>

>> forgetting to eat was

>>a different story. i fed her until she forgot how to swallow-- and as

>you

>>mentioned before, that is not something the body remembers to do when

>it is

>>food deprived. at that point, as you mentioned, in holland, and also

>the

>>united states the option of a feeding tube or allowing a person to die

>>presents itself.

>>

>>(side note: a living will/medical directive is a wonderful gift to those

>who

>>may care for you, and have to make decisions such as this. my folks had

>>specified pallitive care only and no feeding tube-- for which i'm grateful.

>>that's a decision that i would have had trouble with )

>

>Yes, that's very important. Mom had a living will and she made sure a

>number of people had copies. When the last stroke left her unable to eat

>or swallow liquids, my brother and I were able to tell the doctor that

>she

>always said she didn't want to be kept alive with tubes and needles. He

>knew her too, and he agreed. He did say to give her oxygen, but she didn't

>want it... she pushed it away repeatedly. She had been saying for some

>time that she was ready to go... she was 92 when she went.

 

yes-- still difficult to let go, but a big burden lifted when you know what

your loved one wants. sounds like a peaceful letting go. thanks for sharing

this.

>

>>just read a study on sleep apnea patients. they have periods of cessation

>of

>>breathing, and are therefore sleep deprived. interesting study, as it

>likens

>>lack of sleep to being intoxicated by measuring reaction time. i'll include

>>the text of the study in this post.

>

>Very interesting. In college I once stayed awake for two nights by taking

>NoDoze (caffeine pills)... I thought I had to do it to be ready for exams

>all that week. On the third day I was sitting at a table reading a book,

>and the book (which was resting on the table) started to slowly spin to

>the

>right. I turned my head to follow the print and almost fell off the chair.

>) That happened a few times, and then I felt I was about to burst into

>tears. So then I knew I couldn't take an exam that day... and I had to

>go

>to the hospital for a medical excuse from the exam. On the way there,

>I

>tried to walk a straight line along the brick paving, and I couldn't do

>it!

>I was staggering along Chapel Walk. )) I got to the hospital and a

>nurse asked, "What's the matter with you?" I announced, "I'm drunk! On

>NoDoze..." and I started to laugh... and couldn't stop! She put me to

>bed, and I was still laughing. I went into the bathroom and sat down...

>fell forward and banged my head into the wall... and that was the funniest

>thing yet! )))) Finally they gave me sleeping pills so the girl in the

>other bed could sleep.

>

great story! can you imagine what fortitude it takes to work in university

hospital!

i had a roommate that did the coffee/nodoz or coffee/sudafed routine.

watching her pace back and forth used to put me to sleep!

 

love and blessings,

aleks