Again - apologies for not posting more.
Things are kind of in a tizzy around here. Dan's work has suddenly increased three-fold, new assignments, old assignments and a host of newly acquired responsibilities and he's trying to cope with the new while keeping up with the old. There's not enough time in the week for him to do everything and write about it, too. I've been tied up and preoccupied with my own mother's problems somewhat. She somehow ran over her own foot with her wheelchair and broke a bone in her foot. She's got terribly deformed and painful feet to begin with and so this has turned into a disaster for her and her nurses.
Estelle is doing about the same. She's been mostly sleeping again lately and does not respond to our visits. She's still hitting herself while awake but, because she is mostly sleeping, the outward damage has been minimal. We have not called anyone or blogged anything because there is really nothing to say.
One of the nurses raised the possibility that she has a toothache or some mouth pain which is causing her to strike her face repeatedly. Unfortunately she cannot tell us if that is so. She did agree when asked but that's not always a reliable indicator of pain or pleasure.
The nurse asked if we could find a dentist willing to see her and I've spent the last 10 days trying to do so. Dental visits apparently cannot be done at bedside due to specialized equipment and needs and so it needs to be a dentist who is able and willing to see her in the office. Because she must be transported by ambulance and stretcher it becomes almost impossible to find someone capable of taking her as a patient. The majority of dental offices are just not set up or equipped to deal with the logistics of the transport or the exam of a nearly comatose patient. The fact that she will need to be completely sedated is an added responsibility. Not only do we need a space-specific office, we also need a dentist who either is or has a board-certified anesthesiologist.
I did finally manage to find a doctor which fit all the necessary criteria. He is certified both in general dentistry and is an anesthesiologist and, better and better, he is willing to see her. She has an appointment for Thursday, Jan. 26, but I am getting cold feet about taking her there myself so I think we are going to postpone the appointment until the week after next when Dan can take some time off to accompany us. I am just afraid that something will go wrong and I am too much of a coward to want to handle it alone. I do not have medical power of attorney and if, God forbid, something should happen with the sedation I am not sure what would be required. I am just worried that we will not be able to tell if she is waking up from it properly. There seems to be so much that can go wrong for a person in her condition. She cannot swallow and I worry about excessive saliva or bleeding from dental work. While she's at the office it's no problem, they have suction, and they have suction in the ambulance, too, but still I worry. I know that when my children had their wisdom teeth pulled under a general anesthetic it was important to keep them awake for several hours afterwards - with Estelle I am unsure how we will accomplish that if necessary. If she should need a tooth pulled I worry about how we will control the bleeding. You or I can keep a gauze pad over the extraction and change it as needed - but Estelle cannot - and the one thing which she fights horribly is having anyone try to do anything in her mouth. She has bitten several nurses as well as myself each time we've tried.
It just seems better if both of us can accompany her. Since she does not seem to be in horrible pain and we are not even sure if this is the problem waiting another week or so seems to be the most prudent course of action.
Besides, my theory, based on years of ambulance and ER work and a horribly superstitious Irish grandmother, is that whatever you plan for does not happen. Hence I am trying to cover all bases - thus thwarting the gods of unanticipation.
Hope all is well with everyone - and again. please forgive us our recent silences.
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