Dementia for 2

There are times when I really long to carry on a meaningful conversation with my grandmother. Sadly, I have not had a moment like that in several years.

Sometimes it takes a great tragedy to bring about a moment of clarity in our lives. My grandmother has recently suffered such a tragedy.

Last week she fell out of her wheelchair and fractured her C1 and C2 vertebra's. She also has a huge bruise over her right eye along with stitches above her right eye and scalp. This type of break is typically know as the "Hangman's fracture"

She spent 3 days in ICU which was very hard on all of us. Because of her age, she is not a candidate for surgery or a halo vest. They did fit her with a collar to keep her neck from moving for the next 6 weeks.

Because this happened in the nursing home with the aid in the room, we made the decision to move her to another facility. My mother also spoke with a lawyer today.

The new facility is 30 miles away so it will be more expensive to go and see her what with the price of fuel these days.

The biggest concerns are with her skin. Because this collar/brace extends down her torso, we are concerned about infection due to moisture getting trapped inside the brace. Granny also has a cold and we are concerned about pneumonia setting in since she is confined to her bed until at least the end of the month.

I have not been able to see Granny since she left the hospital. I am hoping to get to see her this week. My sister has been able to make the drive with mom twice this week. On both occasions, Granny was very coherent. She spoke about her youngest daughter and how much my sister resembled her. This conversation prompted my sister to call our aunt and relay the conversation to her. I truly hope it will help my aunt put some of the past behind her once and for all.

The second conversation was only 2 words. They were turning my grandmother to clean and check her out and she told my sister "I'm scared." These words really break my heart. My grandmother has been through so much in her life and I cannot bear the thought of her being scared. How can you possibly comfort someone with this type of fear? What words can ease their physical pain and emotional distress? Just because she is speaking coherently does not mean she will understand what you are saying to her.

I am very afraid for my grandmother right now. I am helpless in this situation and I am not sure I can mask my own fears from her when I see her. I really want to just go up to this nursing home and go off on everyone I come in contact with. This was senseless and unfortunately we may never know what truly happened.

I know I have to keep all of this in check not only for Granny but, my mom as well. She needs me to be clear headed and strong for both of them right now. Thank God my sister and I have mended our own relationship so we can take turns with all of this.

I will try to keep posting updates about Granny's well being but it is so emotional for me right now that I am not sure I can be right on top of this blog.

I appreciate any insights any of you may have and would ask that you please pray for my grandmother.

Mom and I have been battling health issues that would be contagious to Granny lately so it has been a bit since I have been to visit her. My sister has been trying to pick up the slack.

Mom has HFM,and I have poison ivy. during all of this my sister developed pink eye. I told my brother in law he should take a photo of us posing as the 3 monkeys.



Apparently, Granny also had pink eye. Since mom and I were unaware of the signs of this, it is good that my sister contracted this while she was helping with Granny. She is the one that knew what she was seeing and made sure Granny received the proper medical care.

Sis has been helping keep Granny in clean clothing and the like. She also disinfected her room since I have been unable to get up there. While she is with Granny, her every move is watched. Granny has not spent a lot of time with her so she is not sure just exactly who she is. Sis called during one visit and mom spoke with Granny via phone. I think that Granny knew she was speaking to mom because she said, "That woman is here again." I think that is so funny! I can just see Granny watching my sister's every move and not saying a word. I am sure that when she left Granny took inventory of her stuff.

My poison ivy has cleared up enough that I was able to go and visit yesterday. She really looks good and we had a great visit. We did the mani-pedi thing and she really enjoyed teasing me.

I think I am going to call "That Woman" today and let her know just how much it means to mom and I that she took the time to help during all this. We are not sure just when mom will be able to go and see Granny again maybe another week or so. They miss each other terribly and I know that mom will be glad to be done with this illness so she can get back to being momma.

There have been some changes in my grandmother's care that are causing some concerns for mom and me.

An aide that had been fired over the summer has recently been rehired. This is the same aide that would leave my grandmother sitting in her own feces for long periods of time. I personally approached the Director of Nursing about this issue. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with this issue or other issues, since she was let go. Now that she is back, we have to be ever diligent in certain areas. I hope that she is a better aide now but I am apprehensive nevertheless.

The other issue is bruising. My grandmother has a bruise on her cheek. We are not sure how this has happened but we do not think she is being abused. There are many ways this could have happened and we are trying to rule out the obvious ones. We know she has not fallen, because the nursing home is very prompt in letting us know if Granny has fallen.

What is making me angry about this situation is the way the nurses on duty act about this and other things that have come up. They do not document any thing in her chart. When you go above their heads with an issue they always seem to either A) not be aware of it or B) claim to have noticed it but have not documented it in her chart. I just don't understand this at all. This facility has 4 wings. They have 2 nurses on duty at all times. There are more during the day and also during the week. So I would estimate that you have 1 nurse for every 20-25 patients. Then you have the CNAs. There are a minimum of 2 per wing. So how can you not notice a bruise on someone's face? How can you be so negligent as to not document it? When it is brought to your attention, how can you be so bold in defending your own wrongdoing?

I am getting tired of the "I will check into it" game. This is a stalling technique that just isn't going to work with me anymore. I don't want to get ignorant with these people because my grandmother lives there and I fear what will happen to her after I leave. I don't think anyone will hurt her but, I do think they will not take proper care of her needs.

My mom has been talking with the Director of the home but I don't know what is going to happen. I make short visits to check on Granny when I get off work in the early AM. I have not been making as many as I would like, so I will be doubling my efforts there. I hope this is enough to ensure my Granny is taken care of, but I just can't help but worry.

A lot has happened over the Thanksgiving Holiday. God continues to bless me despite the person that I am.

Hubs got a promotion at Wal Mart which is good for us! It isn't a whole lot of money, but the extra does pay one more bill a month. He has talked with his doctor about disability so we are still looking into that option.

Granny is doing extremely well these days. Mom, my sister and myself are all mending our relationship with each other.

Finances are still very dire here. However, God has put more employment our way so we are still able to tread water. I think I will be able to keep my car from the repo man which is always a plus.

But with good news, there is always some bad. My nephew had a Grand Mal seizure while hunting about a week ago. He is 15 and this is the first time he has had a seizure of this magnitude. He had another in the Emergency Room the same day. What I have learned from talking to my sister, is that this is considered one seizure since they both happened in a 24 hour period.

They have diagnosed him with Absence Epilepsy. I am not sure of the exact diagnosis but they seem to think he will out grow them. Since this has happened, my sister has been recalling different events in his life. Since we are all prone to do this, it has helped her to remember times when he seemed to be having a Petit Mal seizure.

I cannot remember the name of the medication they are starting him on. I only know that he has to get up to a 1000mg a day. As you can see, I have a lot of research ahead of me.

My nephew, "N" is a very positive kid. This has greatly helped my sister to deal with all the changes that have hit their family. One of the side effects of the medication is weight gain. "N" feels that he can just work out more at the gym and turn it into muscle. The other side effect really excited him. Man hair! Since he is a red head, he is very fair and hairy men do not run in his family. He can't wait for the hair to start coming in! Every summer he gets a Mohawk for his summer haircut. Now he is telling him mom he can have a "Grizzly Adams" beard to go along with the Mohawk.

My sister is strong in her faith and I know God will help them to deal with this new twist in their journey. She sees Him working daily and I know that is a great encouragement to her.

I hope that you all had a very good Thanksgiving and that no one ate too much!

Today my mother came for a visit. I thought that this would be one of those sit around the table, drink coffee and chat visits. Needless to say, mom had other ideas.

I have stressed in past postings the importance of correct paperwork concerning your loved one. But this is one piece of paperwork that I have neglected. I think the reason is because I don't want to face the mortality of my grandmother. So today mom and I sat down and wrote a rough draft of Granny's eulogy.

I honestly don't know how we got through it. I still have to rewrite it and get her final okay on it. I am sharing this because mom and I realize that after granny passes we will be in no condition to take care of this. We both felt it best to take care of it now so that when that time comes, we have prepared as much in advance as possible. I know this may sound morbid to some, but, we recognize that grief is going to overcome us. Mom and I do not want anything left undone.

If you have a loved one that is suffering with any illness this is an issue you will eventually have to face. Since mom and I are the closest to Granny we felt we could do this in such a way as to show granny's love and compassion without stirring up any bad emotions.

I would hope that some of you dealing with a similar situation would at least consider taking care of this now. Enough said.

My husband "D"some serious issues with his shoulder, neck and back. I won't bore you with all the details suffice it to say, he is in A LOT of pain ALL the time.

However, he does work his behind off and always has. But, here lately it has become increasingly harder for him to continue. So today he talked with his doctor about applying for disability.

It seems that everyone I know has a horror story about this process. My own mother included. So I have started following a Disability Blog in the hopes that I can decipher some of the legal mumbo jumbo that I am convinced is done on purpose.

Since I started this blog to help others that are dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's, it has morphed into I don't know what.

So as I enter this new chapter of dealing with lawyers, doctors and the red tape that is our government, I hope that my trials and tribulations can help some of you.

Stay tuned film at eleven.

Carla is my grandson's mother. We first met on very bad terms. Since my son was determined to be with her, we developed our own relationship. I had to spend a lot of time on my knees to get to that point.

Since Carla is closer in age to me, we eventually developed our own relationship.
I first noticed the way she talks. she always says "I walked, or we walked,etc." This is unusual because Carla has been in a wheel chair for over 10 years. She was in a car accident when her daughter was still a toddler.

She was blessed to have survived the accident at all. While she doesn't remember the accident, she does remember the events leading up to the accident and her recovery after. Drugs and alcohol were involved and she is fortunate that no one died.

I remember the first time we went anywhere. I cannot remember if it was the supermarket,or some other store. I just remember looking for a place to park. I thought it was cool that we could use her plaque since this entitled us to park rather close. However, once we got there I was amazed and then angered at all the cars with no tags or plaques that entitled them to park there. That was my first real eye opener into my surroundings and the shortfalls that I now see almost everywhere.

The limitations that we place on those that we deem "handicapped" is horrible. Carla is only limited by her chair. She cannot eat in some restaurants, go to any historic sites be they homes or movie houses. She has to have a car big enough for her chair and her son.

While I may not agree with some of Carla's choices regarding her life, I do envy her spirit. She is very easy going and laid back. She is almost always happy and up beat. She reminds me of all the happy hippies I used to see when I was very young. We could all learn from a woman like Carla.

July 24 is a day set aside to think of those in your life with disabilities. As you go about your day, I ask that you look at your surroundings. Ask yourself if you were in a wheel chair could you go there? What about if you were blind or did not have all your limbs. How easy would it be for you to cook a meal sitting down knowing that your stove was too high?

We all talk about changing the government, environment, our cities and towns. What about just making it easier for others to enjoy what we seem to take for granted?

I have watched Carla overcome many things in the time that I have known her. But, the one thing she cannot overcome is the way we as a people treat those in her situation. To still have her free spirit and to love God through it all is a lesson we could all learn from.

My mom has been suffering with back pain for almost a year now. She is unable to anything for any amount of time. I do mean ANYTHING. No walking, sitting, laying, driving, cooking, etc.

She has had 3 epidural shots in as many months. This particular doctor told her that she would need surgery. Anyone that has had or knows anyone that has had back surgery knows that you almost always have to at least one more surgical procedure. You will still have a multitude of problems and pain after wards.

I finally talked her into going to a Spine Clinic and getting a second opinion. She had her first appointment yesterday. Mom left there feeling more encouraged and informed about her condition than she has in the past. I on the other hand, am even more worried.

They took xrays and compared them with some she had taken previously. Since she did not have her MRI images, they have scheduled another so they can compare the new images with the olds that I will be picking up next week. So, keep in mind they found all of this with the xrays only.

The Dr. says mom has Spina Bifida Occulta which I covered in a previous post. She also has Pars Defect,a slipped disc and a slipped bone? I am trying to find out more on that.

From what I have been able to learn so far, the main treatment is Physical Therapy. There is also pain management followed by surgery as a last resort.

I am really hoping that mom will not have to have surgery but, I fear she may. I don't know if she can handle lying on her back for weeks and doing absolutely nothing. The downside is that she may still have this pain along with limited mobility. This will be very discouraging for her and I am not sure she is fully prepared for that.

My grandmother has always had an issue with skin cancer. When she first came to live with us, it seemed as though we were always at the dermatologist's office. She had 14 removed in as many months.

Since my grandmother grew up in an era where sunscreen was an unknown, many people her age have this issue. She has them mainly on her arms and legs. This is from chopping cotton in a sleeveless dress for hours on end in the hot Mississippi sun.

Recently, another cancer came up on her ankle. This is a different type of skin cancer that has a rapid growth rate. It is also painful because granny would wince anytime anyone touched it. That is something she rarely does so I know it hurt. Her Doctor told my mom that stress caused this. I have some concerns over this because my grandmother has difficulty communicating with us and the thought of her having any kind of stress worries me.

Mom went with her today to have it removed. While they were there, all the nurses that knew my grandmother came in the room to see her and visit with her for a while. My grandmother was very excited over all the attention and the fact that they all knew her. Mom said she thought she was at a family reunion because she kept asking about some of her Aunts and Uncles. That just cracks me up!

She also called my mom by name while she was there. This was a special gift to my mom because it has been a long time since granny remembered just exactly who my mother is.

On a sadder note, she did become afraid while she was there. My grandfather was not the nicest person in the world so my grandmother would get a really hard time from him if she went anywhere. She became concerned while they were there because it was getting late and she was not home. She even voiced these concerns to my mom. Finally, to ease my grandmother's mind, mom told her that my grandfather was dead and that he couldn't bother anyone.

However, once they arrived back at the nursing home, she did become quite amused at the thought of them leaving and then coming back without anyone realizing it. So, all in all I would say that granny had a good day even though she spent the day at the doctor's.

I believe in vaccinations. I think every child should be vaccinated. All we need in this country to make it perfect is yet another outbreak of whooping cough, rubella, or some other disease that we should not be having.

I know that there are some risks associated with vaccines. I also know that the media blows things way out of proportion.

Whilst reading some comments on a facebook page, I noticed that someone commented on vaccines being made from the tissue of aborted fetuses. What?! Since when? Why weren't we told this? These are the questions going through my mind as I read this.

So to the web I go. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that aborted fetal tissue is not used today. But, the cell lines from aborted babies in the 1960's are used. Since I am not a scientist,biologist, or a doctor, I am not well versed in all the ins and outs of this.

The best I can make of it is this: The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot is made form the cell lines of an aborted baby from the 60s. The CDC states that no fetal tissue is used. Only the cell lines from the fetus are used. The CDC also states that no DNA or minimal DNA from the fetus is actually in the injections. What does that mean?!

The problem is that even though they can store these cell lines in liquid nitrogen, eventually they are going to run out. Since the alternatives are less reliable in protecting us from these diseases, and have some serious side effects, you can draw your own conclusions as to what the government will do.

There is a plethora of information on the web about this. I am not citing my sources but I have leaving some links for you to peruse yourself.

Chart of vaccines.

Commentary on vaccines and origins.

Vaccines and autism.

Mom and I have often discussed exactly when my grandmother started exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer's. Since she lived so far away, and other family members were in charge of her care, we just don't know.

People can be very good at hiding things. Especially if they are afraid of what will happen if someone finds out. There were things that my grandmother did that we just chalked up to her quirky personality or to stress. But, looking back, mom and I can now see the symptoms were there even when my grandmother was still working.

When mom or I would visit her, she would want us to pay her bills and balance her checkbook for her. Now others would do this in our absence, but she would want us to do it when we were there and to double check the others.

If she and I went shopping, she would want me to write her checks out for her and sign them. I now realize that she was losing her ability to write and this was a way to hide it. At the time, this never occurred to me.

She would get easily sidetracked. She would start out looking for her keys for example and wind up going through things in her closet. This happened on more than one occasion. But it did not happen in close succession of one another so it was difficult to pinpoint. She has always gotten stressed out over things, so we just figured most of this was because of that.

I know this may seem quite obvious to most, but you expect people to forget things as they age. You expect them to lean on you more for the little things that you take for granted like paying your bills.

If you are able to spend a lot of time with your family member, you can probably spot these things rather easily. But, if there is a great distance between you, it can be difficult especially if they have become quite adept at concealing things.

I think my grandmother started showing symptoms as early as her 50's. It is unfortunate that none of us were as aware as we are now. We could have taken her to the proper doctors and maybe helped her cope with this a little better.

While I do feel a certain sense of responsibility for this, I also realize that there were others that lived a lot closer that did not seem to notice these changes either. I feel bad for my Granny because of this. Medicines like Aracept and the like were not available during her early stages. By the time these came on the market, she had already progressed to the point that no one could tell us if they would even make a difference.

I share this so that you can really look at your loved one. Look at the things they are doing, conversations they are having. Notice the subtle changes. If you are able to go back over several months or even years, you may be able to spot some things that are out of line with your loved one. Then, you can make a better informed decision regarding their health and living arrangements.

As most of you know, my husband has started having a few health issues. He talked with his doctor today and the news is stressful at best.

When he went to get his blood work done, they notice his lungs looked "cloudy" on his chest x-ray. They scheduled a CAT scan last week. Today they told him over the phone that he has 2 nodules on his right lung.

Needless to say, I am very worried. I have started doing a little research on the net to find out what all of this means. Apparently, size matters in this case. The smaller the nodule, the more likely it is benign. If this is something that has shown up on previous x-rays, CAT scans, etc. and has not grown in size, that is also encouraging.

"D" says that he has not had a chest x-ray recently. but, I think he has when he was diagnosed with pneumonia a few months ago.

I have to keep telling myself that God knew we would face this and He already knows the outcome. I have prayed that God would do whatever it takes to show my husband that he needs God in his life. I don't know if this is his wake-up call or not. I am praying that this will be the catalyst that opens his eyes.

I would like to say that we have had a wonderful marriage and have always been kind and considerate of one another. I would like to say that he is my best friend and has always been so. But the truth is we have clashed more than I would care to recount. We are like 2 bulls in a china shop. We have hurt one another in many ways over the years.

But, I still love him. I still cannot picture my life without him in it. If given the chance to do things over again, like most of you I would change a lot in my life. But, I would still want him to be a part of it.

We have forgiven each other much. We have learned from some of our mistakes and seemed to be destined to constantly repeat others. But, God has gotten us through much. He has shown me my own shortcomings and given me the humility to go to my husband and confess these same shortcomings to him.

Now God is getting us both through this in a way that we can handle. I just pray that His way with "D" is the way that leads to the cross.

Hubs is having yet more health issues. They seem to stem from one incident. I am hoping that he/we can resolve some of this so he feels better and in turn we are better together.

Several years ago, he had surgery to remove a cyst from his shoulder. Because of the size and location,he suffered permanent nerve damage. This has caused continued chronic pain. Some days it is so bad I have to help him get dressed. To help alleviate the pain, he uses the Duragesic Patch. This is a serious pain medication with many side effects. He decided to go this route after many, many other methods were used to no avail. When "D" has breakthrough pain, it can be bad. I hate those days. Even when he is getting on my last nerve, I hate to see him like that.

He has been having other symptoms that we just thought were part of the side effects of the patch. Fatigue, irritability, loss of sex drive,sweats, clammy skin you get the drift. The problem is that he will not go to the doctor about any of this until I start acting stupid about it.

He sees his pain Dr. every month but, not a regular M.D. Finally, after being unable to rid himself of this crud that has been going around, he goes. Since this is a new DR., he wants to be through. I don't have a problem with this since it has been so long since "D" had a real physical. Among other things that he is being tested for, they are testing his testosterone level. The last time he had this tested it was 80. The normal level for a man his age is 300-1200. Need I say more? I have been living with an 80 year old man in a 40 year old body.

There are some foods that will boost your levels naturally,but since his is so low right now he will have to have injections or possibly pills until his levels are higher. Here are some other foods that help build/boost testosterone.

I encourage the men who read me, to please get your levels tested. It is a simple blood test and could change your outlook. D's doctor told him this was the equivalent of going through menopause. I am hoping that we can resolve this so that I will get my 40 year old back. Since he is acting 80, I could trade him in on four 20 year olds:)

I have been working a lot this past week, so I am behind in my blogging. that only means one thing....I will be posting several today to catch up.

Now on to Granny. Since my last post, her care has improved. I don't know if the aide in question was talked to or what. I just know that granny is clean and dry no matter what time I show up. Since I know the key code, I can get in anytime so I have been making "popcorn" visits in the early hours of the morning and late at night.

I have decided to be less friendly also. I know this sounds harsh. I am not rude or mean. But I am more business like if you will. I feel this is a necessary tactic to ensure that those in charge know that my granny and her care is all I really care about.

My mom has been able to go and visit her more so that is a good thing. Her back is still not 100 percent but at least she can drive and do other things again.

This ensures that granny gets afternoon visits and early evening visits when I am at work.

All in all, granny's care has been good. But, as with anything, there will be slip ups and they will have to be handled accordingly. Thanks to all the sound advice I have received from you guys, I feel that I can handle the next situation more effectively. Thank you all for your concern and words of encouragement and advice.
I value all of you and I am grateful for your concern.

There are at least 2 people in the nursing home with MRSA. This is definitely nothing to play around with.

There was a time when you only had to worry about this in a hospital or long term health facility, such as a nursing home. Now, children in schools, those going through basic training for the military, and many others are at risk.

Since cold and flu season is upon us, germs will be in much larger numbers in our homes, schools, and work places. From what I have been able to read, there are some things we can do to prevent MRSA from infecting us.

Hand Washing - As many of us realize, hand washing with soap is a major preventive for a plethora of germs. Using an alcohol based sanitizer helps, but some articles state that using a cleanser with Chlorhexidine is more effective.

Essential Oil Diffusion - Interestingly enough, certain essential oils seem to be quite effective in combating this infection. I am assuming that since diffusion is the method used, it would be used as a room deodorizer. The most effective oils tested were: Lemongrass, Lemon Myrtle, Mountain Savory, Cinnamon,and Melissa oils. Lemongrass is the most effective, completely inhibiting all colony growth. Tea Tree oil kills all MRSA strains that have been tested.

This is a highly contagious infection. If you have any cuts on your hands make sure you wear gloves when handling a person or their clothing that has MRSA.

My grandmother has contracted this twice since she has been living in the nursing home. I have been very fortunate in that I have not contracted this. My mother however, has and it was very difficult for her to overcome it. I wear 2 pairs of gloves when handling anything in my grandmother's room. She thinks this is very funny and we both enjoy a laugh over me being the "doctor". I am constantly spraying her room with Lysol and cleaning with my own cleaning products.

I hope that everyone has a safe fall/winter. Protection and prevention are key to keeping our health.

When Granny came here to live, we weren't sure just how long she had been living with Alzheimer's. My grandmother was always very good at masking things about herself. My extended family did not administer the type of care that welcomed pointed questions about granny's health.

So she comes up here and mom and I begin a whole series of appointments with various doctors. This takes months. Since I work nights, we would schedule them on my days off. Unfortunately, they would almost always fall on the day I got off at 2 or 3 am. Then we would have to be a the doctor's by 8 or 9 am. So I slept in exam rooms, waiting rooms, etc. At that time granny was still mobile and could tell me things about how she was feeling. So I would put my head in her lap and nap til we were called back.

One of the doctors we went to see, recommended that we start granny on Aricept. Now granny was diagnosed with moderate to severe Alzheimer's when she got here. The problem with Aricept is that it works best when it works, with people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's. You can go to many different sites on this drug and get many different opinions about which stages it actually helps. The problem with this drug are the side affects.

Since my mother is the primary Power of Attorney person, what she says goes. We discussed this at length. I felt that we should give it a try. Then I read some of the side effects. I also read that we have about a 50-50 chance of it even doing anything. My mom and I discussed this at great length. She decided that the side effects were to great to give granny a drug that may or may not make a difference in her quality of life.

Since this drug does not cure Alzheimer's, it only slows down the progression of the disease, I related this decision to her doctor. Do I fell I should have argued with my mother? No. Do I feel it would have made a difference in my grandmother's quality of life? No. The drug only postpones the symptoms for about 6-12 months. I couldn't see putting my grandmother through some of these effects for 1 year.

A lot of people would argue me down on this. But, if granny had mild Alzheimer's when she arrived, then I would have argued that point with my mom. But, granny has lived a long life. Her later years are filled with laughter and joy. She is surrounded by those that truly love her and care for her. Has she been the best mom or grandmother? No. But, have you? Have I? She is the best grandmother to me and the best mom to my mother. That is what matters.

While the choice mom and I made may not be the right choice for you, I would recommend that you do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Do not be swayed by others that are not involved in the care of your loved one. If they are not part of the care now, they won't be when it gets tough. You have to consider all the possibilities with any change to your loved one's medications. Be an informed caregiver. This is the best thing for you and your loved one.

Normally, I try to stay away from really touchy subjects on here. I usually save all that for my face book page. But being a Christian and having friends that are trying to deal with this issue in their lives, I wanted to share this with all of you. I would be remiss in my faith if I did not.

Now that I have put up my disclaimer, we can get on with today's hot topic. There is a movie trailer out that I am endorsing here. The title is Blood Money. As of now, there is not enough money to get it distributed in movie theatres. The group is working on that. The movie is about abortion. I know this is a very touchy subject for women that consider themselves progressive and are trying to move up in the world.

Unless you have had an abortion (which I have not), you cannot possibly know the pain both physical and mental that comes with this decision. I do have friends that have made the decision to abort their babies. This still is with them years after the deed was done. This is a life altering decision. The complications surrounding this "safe" procedure are unbelievable.

The movie exposes Planned Parenthood and the deception they have used to further their agenda. I am not sure how many people know the truth about Margaret Sanger, but it would behoove you to really read up on her so you will know what Planned Parenthood's original agenda was. If you do this, you will see that the agenda really has not changed over the years.

While I do not advocate premarital sex, or teen pregnancy, I think that you have to arm yourself with as much truth as possible. I see no problem with birth control and if you as a parent are unwilling to talk with your children about this issue, you really need to get over it before your daughter makes a decision that will forever change her life.

I urge you to consider visiting the Blood Money site and watching the movie trailer. I would also encourage you to go beyond what the MSM touts about pro lifers and truly educate yourself. I have been to numerous protests at abortion clinics and I have seen these young girls with their mothers coming and going from the clinic. No one looks happy with the decision that was made.

I am getting off my soapbox now.

The company I work for bases the amount I pay for my health insurance on my annual salary. Since I work for a casino, and this has been a mob operation in the past, they automatically add my tips into my paycheck. Which means that as a dealer, I cannot fudge the numbers to benefit me on my taxes. I would not do this but, until recently, the cocktail waitresses, bartenders, and poker dealers were able to. So in essence, they were paying much less for the same insurance as I have.

I am not going to make this post about the health care program our government is trying to get all of us to buy into. I have not read enough of the bill to be able to give a thorough post and an intelligent argument to support my opinion.

The issue I have is this: since they base the amount I pay on how much I work, my insurance rate fluctuates. They cover less each year and I pay more. Now they have changed our prescription drug plan to a mail order drug company. So if I cannot get my medications in 3 month scrips, I have to pay more to get them filled locally. This amount is not applied to my out-or-pocket expenses or my deductible. There are several employees that are going to be paying over one thousand a month for their meds. Something is just wrong about this. The CEO of my company was the highest paid CEO in the gaming industry last year. He made over 90 MILLION dollars. They have cut our benefits, cut our lunches, and made most of the employees part-time so they no longer have any benefits.

I only have one medication that I have to take and this drug company doesn't cover it. My hubs takes 2 meds for chronic pain and since they are narcotics, they cannot legally ship them. He can't even get a 3 month supply for them because of federal government laws concerning the prescribing of narcotics.

So now instead of using my company's insurance, I am looking for private insurance that my hubs and I can afford that will cover our meds. My company offers insurance. I should not be having to make this decision. I am really distraught over this and I know many others are also. If this is the way the future is going to be, it is a dim future for all of us indeed.

I went to the nursing home on Wednesday to speak with the Wound Nurse concerning my grandmother's pressure ulcer. She was not there (no surprise there), so I spoke with a Treatment Nurse. Now I am not sure what the difference is, but at least I was able to speak with someone.

Apparently, they use some sort of derma patch on these type of wounds. I was told that the bandage could stay on there for 3-5 days. This just doesn't sound good to me so I asked that her bandage be changed on Wednesday. I was assured that it would be. Then I asked about a Roho cushion and medical sheepskin for her bed. I have a friend that is well versed in the whole Medicare/Medicaid fiasco and she said I should be able to get these items for Granny since they are now considered a "medical necessity". So I asked that the Treatment Nurse put a note in the Doctor's file for her to prescribe these items for my grandmother. Now we play the "wait and see" game. I don't know how long it will take but my mom and I will be on top of this.

Today was my day to go visit my grandmother. I get there and she is in bed. This is not a problem because I know they get her up early and with this other going on, she doesn't need to be in her wheelchair all day. But, there was no bandage on her wound. This upset me greatly because I know the dangers of her not being bandaged properly. So I have to go and find a nurse, find out why she is not bandaged and get her bandaged. I was really pissed when I left.It's in her file, so there should be no reason for anyone to claim ignorance in this matter. I cannot dwell on this or I will become irate the next time I am there and I do have to remember that any retaliation from what I say or how I act, will be directed towards my grandmother. That's just human nature as sad as it is.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. My mom called me this morning and told me Granny has a pressure sore on her derriere. This is caused by her sitting in a wheelchair for hours on end. She tends to slump down in it. We still have not figured out why she does this. We even ordered her a special cushion to prevent this and she has found a way to do it anyway.

I have found some information on the web, and from what mom has told me, it sounds like it i a stage two pressure sore. The problem is going to be keeping it treated properly. I found some stuff on the web we can use, but the nursing facility will also have to treat this quickly and properly or it will become worse rather quickly.

My daughter has a body pillow that she is going to let us use so Granny cannot maneuver herself back onto her back as she sleeps. Hopefully, this will help. There are many products out there designed to treat and prevent pressure sores all with designer prices. The most prevalent being, medical sheepskin. Since this is not your run of the mill sheepskin, I am finding it quite difficult to find a wheelchair pad or mattress rug/pad that is affordable.

Hopefully, we can treat this with what we and can afford before it becomes too painful for Granny. She is not going to like not being able to get in her chair and roam around though.