Thursday, August 5, 2010

What is time to a hog?

WB & KB getting some couch time

Another one of WB's famous sayings is coming back to slap us right in the face. Am skipping around my intended post schedule to report a new condition ~ as of today, WB can no longer tell the time on his watch.

Well, there you go. You can see by the picture above, taken today. Looks normal, smells normal, looks healthy, physically strong ~ cognition is spun out, kaput.

After breakfast, he normally putters around for a couple of hours before his shower, watching the news channels and he ALWAYS makes our bed. Lately, less of the decorative accouterments are ending up there and I am surely not complaining about that.

He visits me in the office in 15-30 minute increments. The door is always open and I can hear him all the way into the back of the house, can hear all doors opening and closing, can hear him rattling around in the kitchen. I keep a chair beside me for him to sit in when he visits. He'll ask me what I'm working on or who I'm working on, ask about his medicines, comment about the weather, question me about dates or events, comment about a news article, give me a list of things to do, ask for clarification, etc.

This morning, he sat and waited patiently for me to finish a segment of design. When I turned to him it was obvious he had been crying. He asked me to look at his watch and tell him what time it was. I have to admit, it took me by surprise. Even though he typically asks me numerous times per day the time, after reminding him to look at the clock, he normally reads it. Today, he could not read his watch.

"It is 9:45" I say. 

"9:45 in the morning?"

"Yes, honey. Its 9:45 in the morning."

The look on his face absolutely broke my heart. I read his tangled mind. 

He rose, told me he was tired and was going for nap. 

I gave it a few minutes and went in to check on him. He was laying across the bed on top of the duvet quietly. Kissing him on top of the head I told him that by the weekend, we would have him a watch with numbers. 

"Anyway", I say, "what's time to a hog?" 

We try and find humor in EVERYTHING and today that same humor let him off the hook. It was over, he took his nap and by lunchtime, all was forgotten. One glitch, the watch is still on his wrist. I will be making a run to the Walmart late tonight to find a replacement.

We really have taken a big dip in the past couple of weeks. Our appointment with Dr. Counce, his neurologist, is tomorrow and I have a list of questions for her. I suspect we will be raising the depression meds post haste. His last mini mental exam was 15 out of 30. She may not perform one tomorrow, as next Wednesday we are picking up on the clinical trial at UAB and he is scheduled for another MRI and mini mental exam then.

We are looking for Susie, Maddie and Dalt this afternoon and will be cooking out and spending time with them before they take a flight out tomorrow. 

WB is pretty pumped about our road trip on Saturday up the 127 Corridor Yard Sale and is very content this very moment sitting on sofa with Katie Bug. We move her into the dorm next Friday and am hoping those new meds have kicked in by then. The entire family has fingers and toes crossed as we find ourselves hoping for the best and  expecting the worst. 

 KB's new home....temporarily.

More on the cook-out later....





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