December, 2006

The holidays are approaching and it is going to be more difficult this year without Grandma. You are doing well and have been very calm and alert.

Thanksgiving we will come and spend with you and then go to Aun’t Trudy’s which is tradition every year.

This year for Christmas we will be bringing you to Aun’t Ginny’s. We want a very quiet holiday this year because it is going to be difficult for everyone. PopPop is very sad and does not want to be around a lot of people. We are bringing you to Aun’t Ginny’s for the day and I am looking forward to it.

December 18th, 2006... I had to work late for closing and today is your Christmas party at the center. I am disappointed I cannot be there but Melissa is coming down to be with you. Melissa said the party was a great success and you were great. I also found out Andrea came and spent the time with you and Melissa. How great was that. I am sorry I missed her.

December 22nd, 2006... It is my birthday and you are having a rough time. You are having episodes of brain storming that are excessive and very difficult to calm you down. I was at dinner with Dad and Melissa when I got a call from the hospital that you were not doing well.

You continued to have a very rough night and I was not sure if we would be able to take you for Christmas. Unfortunately, you are not doing well and continue with the brain storming. Christmas Eve, I asked Cheryl who is an aide to stay with you from 3-7 so I could be with the family for Christmas Eve. It was difficult leaving you knowing you were so tense but Cheryl reassured me she would take good care of you.

December 25th, 2006... I received a call at 7 a.m. from the nurse informing me you were brain storming during the night and it was not slowing down. I had no choice but to cancel the transport and not take you to Aun’t Ginny’s. I was very disappointed and sad for you. Dad and I came to visit you and you were very agitated. Nadia was staying with you so we could go to dinner. When we left you were restless and warm but Nadia was going to keep an eye on you and call me later.

You continued to brain storm during the night until the day after Christmas. Finally, December 26th in the evening you calmed down, you were comfortable and had no temp. The episodes lasted 5 days and you had to be on morphine and ativan.

Dr. McCagg has decided to leave you on morphine as a preventive and hopefully control the brainstorming. She is also adding Ridlin to help stimulate you and hopefully make you more alert.

For the remainder of the year you were very calm, slept for the next two days and was unresponsive. You would open your eyes but you were very lethargic. As each day went by you became more alert and more responsive. It takes a long time for the medication to get out of your system.

As each day went by you became stronger and more alert. The Ridlin with the morphine seems to be a good combination.

Andrea, your teacher for the summer asked me to write a history telling all about you. I was not sure why but I decided it would be good therapy for me to do so.