The sparkle in a grandmother’s eyes
the first time she sees and holds
her first and only grandchild.
He is nine years old now and
the sparkle is still there in her eyes
when he visits her in the nursing
home.
The Parkinson’s has her confined her
to a wheelchair now but it cannot take
away the joy she feels every time she sees
the little boy she had once held in her arms,
silently thanking and praising God
for blessing her with a grandchild.
As she stood there, looking around at the countryside, she wondered if Ryan would be happy to see her. It had been ten years since they last saw each other. Ten years was a long time–too long. She gazed wistfully at the hills they used to run up and down when they were children, wallowing in the sludge much to his mother’s chagrin. Once they climbed the oak tree behind his grandmother’s cottage to see a Robin’s nest. In it were three blue eggs lying closely next to each other. How she used to look forward to the holidays when she would see Ryan. They were thick as thieves and got into plenty of mischief.
Then, things changed between them as they got older. They developed feelings for each other but were careful to hide them when other people were around. She remembered the first time they kissed. It was the same day she arrived at Northampton to spend the summer holidays before Ryan started university. She had climbed up the oak tree again to see if there was anything in the bird’s nest. It was empty. Disappointed, she started to climb back down the tree. He reached up and helped her down. They were standing very close to each other, his hands were on her waist and their bodies were inches apart. She looked up at him and found him staring at her with a curious expression on his face.
She watched as his lips drew closer until they were on hers, tentative at first but deepened when he felt her response. She felt him pull her closer against him and she put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as they kissed passionately. This lasted for several minutes, and then he drew back, his face flushed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he ran across the lawn.
“Where are we going?” she asked, breathless from the kisses and trying to keep up with him.
“To the cottage.”
“But, your grandmother–”
“She won’t be back for a while. We’ve got the place all to ourselves.”
He let them into the cottage through the back door. They ran up the stairs to one of the bedrooms and as soon as they were inside, he pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her as he backed her over to the bed, dragging off his shirt as he did so. In no time, their clothes were in a heap on the floor and they were under the covers making love. They made love several times after that whenever his grandmother was away.
The one afternoon when they were in the throes of passion, the door opened. The audible gasp and the slamming of the door jolted them and they broke apart. Ryan’s face went pale when he saw his mother standing there and Tamara pulled the sheets up to her chin, feeling ashamed.
“I came over here to check on your grandmother and this is what I find,” Mrs. Bellamy muttered between clenched teeth, her face beet red. She marched over to the strewn clothes on the floor and threw them at them. “Get dressed now!” She marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
As soon as she was gone, they jumped out of the bed and quickly got dressed. Wordlessly, they straightened the sheets and then left the room. She was waiting for them downstairs in the living-room. “Ryan, go back to the manor and wait for me in the study. Tamara and I need to talk.”
Ryan looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it. He reached out and squeezed Tamara’s hand before leaving the room. Left alone with Mrs. Bellamy, Tamara was petrified. She stared at the floor.
“Tamara, I want you to go back to the house and pack your bags. The car will take you to the train station. You’re not welcome here anymore.”
Tamara raised her head, her eyes wide with shock and distress. “You mean I won’t see Ryan ever again?” The thought was unbearable. “But, we love each other…”
“What do you know about love?” Mrs. Bellamy demanded. “He’s eighteen and you’re just sixteen. You’re too young to know anything about love. I can’t let you remain here—not after what has been going between you. I have to be the responsible one in this and as long as the two of you are under the same roof, I can’t trust you. So, you will leave Twin Oaks Manor now.”
“Will I get to say goodbye to Ryan?” She was crying now, her heart breaking. Mrs. Bellamy watched her, her face devoid of any mercy. Tamara’s tears didn’t move her. In fact, they seemed to have the opposite effect.
“I’m afraid not,” she said coldly. “I don’t want him to make a scene. Now, when we get back to the manor, I will keep him busy in the study while you go and pack. Please be quick about it. The sooner you leave the better.”
Tears came to Tamara’s eyes now as she remembered walking back to the manor, head held down, tears streaming down her face, the ache in her heart at the prospect of not even getting to say goodbye to Ryan. She and Mrs. Bellamy parted in the foyer. She ran upstairs to her room and packed her suitcase as quickly as she could. Before leaving, she wrote a note and hid it in the top drawer of Ryan’s dresser, under some vests. She had thought of leaving it on his pillow but couldn’t risk his mother or anyone else seeing it. Then, she walked out of the doors for the last time and got into the waiting car. As it pulled away, she looked up at the window of the study, hoping for a glimpse of Ryan but none was forthcoming. That was ten years ago.
She had written Ryan over the years but all of her letters were returned unopened. She never received any from him. She went to university and buried herself in her studies but always, she thought about him and longed to see him. Finally, she couldn’t stay away any longer and decided that after she graduated from university, she would come to Northampton at the first opportunity. She and Ryan were adults now and Mrs. Bellamy couldn’t prevent them from resuming their relationship even if she wanted to.
Would Ryan want to pick up where they left off, though? Did he still love her? She had never stopped loving him. He was her first and only love. She had the opportunity to date other guys but she wasn’t interested in any of them.
She turned and walked along the path to the cottage and made her way to that oak tree. Gingerly, she climbed up and looked into the nest. This time there were two baby robins in the nest. She smiled and was tempted to touch them but decided not to. She watched them for a while and then carefully made her way down the tree. As she touched the ground, she heard a dog barking. Curious, she went around the front of the cottage and stopped short when she saw Ryan at the fence, a bag carrying what looked like a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder and holding the leash of the barking dog. Her heart began to pound.
He was standing there, watching her, his expression unreadable. He was ten years older and gone were the boyish features. He was a man now. And he was even more handsome. His thick dark hair looked slightly tousled. Her fingers itched to bury themselves in it like she used to when they made love.
“Hush Rover,” he said to the dog. The animal stopped barking, sat down and simply stared at her. Ryan turned to look at her. “What are you doing here?”
She moved closer. “I came to see you,” she said. She wanted so much to throw her arms around him. Seeing him again brought back memories of the happy times they spent together and the love they shared before they were separated. “It has been a long time.”
“Ten years to be exact. Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
“I wanted to but your mother won’t let me. I wrote you a note.”
“I saw it. I still have it. It was all I had from you.”
She frowned. “But, I wrote to you.”
“I never received any letters from you.”
“They were all returned to me, saying on them ‘return to sender’.”
“Every day I checked the mail to see if you had written but I didn’t see any letters. I wanted to write you but I didn’t have an address.”
“I tried emailing you but my emails came back undelivered.”
“I changed my email address but had no way of letting you know that because yours didn’t work either.”
“That’s because my mother restricted my access to the Internet when she caught me once trying to email you. I was only allowed to use the Internet for school assignments. As soon as I finished university, got a job and found a flat, I moved out. I searched the telephone directory for your number and when I called, your mother answered. She told me never to call again and hung up.”
“Even before she caught us together, she had been complaining about how much time we were spending together. She felt that I should have had more friends and show an interest in girls. She had a particular girl in mind. Emily Rosen. Mother kept trying to throw us together but I wasn’t interested. How could I be when my heart belonged to someone else? Mother eventually gave up. However, she became even more determined to keep us apart. She made sure that while I was at university, I wasn’t allowed any calls or visits from anyone outside of the immediate family.”
Tamara sighed, her expression one of deep regret. “I had hoped that she wasn’t still holding a grudge against me. I haven’t been to the main house because I didn’t want to run into her.”
“Mother’s not here. She’s visiting my grandmother in the nursing home. Grandmother has Parkinson’s.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that. I like your grandmother. She has always been very kind to me.”
“Yes, she was rather fond of you. After you left, I spent most of my time at the cottage with her. I couldn’t stand being at the house. I would go to the guest room, lie on the bed, close my eyes and think about you. Grandmother knew that I was unhappy and although I said nothing to her about it, she knew that it was on account of you. That is why she gave me the cottage. She believed that you would come back. ”
She swallowed hard. “I had to come back,” she said huskily.
His eyes darkened and he made a move toward her but then changed his mind and turned instead towards the cottage. “Let’s go inside.”
She followed and when they were inside, he put the bag with the rifle away and then unleashed the dog. The animal bounded over to his favorite spot on the rug and lay down. “How long have you had him?” she asked as Ryan removed his jacket and took hers when she took it off.
“I’ve had him for about four years. We go for long walks. He loves the countryside as much as you did.” He went to hang the coats in the closet. “Why did you come back, Tamara?” he asked when he rejoined her. His expression was taut.
She walked over to him. “You know why,” she said, her eyes wide as they met his stormy ones.
A muscle began to throb along his jawline. “I want you to tell me,” he muttered thickly.
“I came back because I still love you,” she admitted. “I never stopped loving you.”
He groaned and reaching for her, he pulled her roughly against him. “And I still love you,” he cried. “I couldn’t stop loving you even if I tried. You fill my thoughts, my senses and my heart. The ten years we’ve been apart have been torture for me.”
She reached up and cupped his face between her hands. “For me too,” she murmured. “That’s why I had to come back to Northampton and you.”
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come back.”
“Hush,” she whispered before she began kissing him. His arms tightened around her and he responded hungrily to her kisses.
For several minutes they exchanged passionate kisses as years of pent up desires and long denied feelings swept through them like a tidal wave. Then, he broke off the kiss and picked her up. He carried her up the stairs and to the guest room. He kicked the door shut and strode over to the bed where he laid her down. He was breathing heavily as he watched her lying there on the coverlet. He hastily removed his clothes and then climbed in next to her. His mouth found hers and as he ravaged her lips, he dragged her top over her head. Soon they were making passionate love and her fingers gripped his hair, reveling at the feel of the soft, silky locks.
Sometime later, Ryan got up and went over to the dresser. He took something out of it and closed the drawer. He walked over to the bed and went on the side where she was. She stared up at him. He got down on his knees beside her. Curious, she raised herself up on her elbows. He showed her the box. “I bought this in January,” he said. He opened the box and took out the sparkling ring. “I wanted to believe what Grandmother told me. I wanted to believe that you would come back to me.”
Tamara stared at the ring and then at him, tears glistened in her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
He took her hand and looking up into her face, he asked huskily, “Will you marry me?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak and he slipped it on.
He rose from his knees and went back to his side of the bed. After he climbed in he turned on his side and propping his head on his hand, he gazed at her. “When you find true love, you hold on to it,” he said quietly. “You are my one and true love. I lost you once and I don’t want to lose you again.”
“You never lost me,” she said, settling down again. “I came back because I’m yours forever.” She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. As they kissed, she thought of Mrs. Bellamy and how her plan to sever their attachment had failed. The separation had only proven that in spite of their youth, they had known all along what true love was.
It was a gloomy day with intermittent spurts of rain. It was as if nature itself was mourning the loss of a great woman. Tracy was not surprised at the large turnout. The church was packed as many came to pay their respects and pay homage to Mrs. Gladys Townsend, the dear lady whom she had nursed for over five years. She was a remarkable lady with a magnetic personality. Although her body had succumbed to the Parkinson’s, her mind was still alert. In the end, she had died in her sleep.
Tracy remembered how Mrs. Townsend had loved it when she read to her before she went to bed. She loved Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Tracy enjoyed reading to her and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next in the story. She had Aiden to thank for the position which had been a tremendous blessing for her. Aiden was Mrs. Townsend’s son. It was his idea to have his mother remain in the comforts of her home but be attended by a live-in nurse. He contacted the live-in care agency a friend had recommended.
Tracy was selected for the position because of her experience and qualifications. It also helped that she and Mrs. Townsend hit it off right away. Whatever misgivings Aiden might have had, they were squashed when he saw how his mother received her warmly, remarking, “What kind eyes you have.”
Aiden. Her gaze moved exactly where she knew he was standing. Tall and regal in the black coat, his expression somber as he watched the coffin being lowered into the ground. He seemed oblivious to the rain that was falling. His dark hair glistened in the pale light. She wanted to go over to him and shelter them both with the umbrella but she remained where she was, off to the side like an onlooker.
At the church, they hadn’t spoken to each other. He was flanked by family and friends and Caitlin Brown. Caitlin made no secret of the fact that she wanted to be more than friends with Aiden. Tracy saw her tuck her arm in his and rest her head against his shoulder. She looked away, feeling ashamed of the jealousy that stirred in her when she was supposed to be mourning the lost of a dearly departed one.
It was no use denying that she was in love with Aiden. It might have happened the first time she met him or during those visits to his mother’s home on the weekends. He lived in London close to his office and work kept him busy. So, visiting during the week was not feasible. She found herself looking forward to those weekends. Over the years, feelings developed between them but Tracy had to keep things on a professional level because of her job. She could get fired if she were to become romantically involved with a family member.
Mrs. Townsend was very fond of Tracy and knew that she and Aiden had feelings for each other but she understood Tracy’s reasons for not doing anything about it. So, to be on the safe side, Tracy avoided being alone with him as much as was possible. She had watched him throughout the funeral service and when she saw him and Caitlin get into his car, it stung. She got a ride with a friend.
Now, here she was watching him and Caitlin huddled together. The coffin was being covered with dirt as the priest said the final words. Then it was over. She turned and was walking back to where the cars were parked when she heard Aiden call her name. She stopped and turned. Her fingers gripped the handle of the umbrella tightly as she tried to appear untroubled at the sight of him and the beautiful redhead at his side. She noticed the look of disdain Caitlin gave her and how her long red nails curled into the sleeve of his coat.
Aiden was looking at Tracy who met his gaze, wondering if he could tell how much she wished that the two of them were alone. Her fingers itched to reach out and run themselves through the thick tresses of his hair. For his part, his expression was drawn. “How are you holding up, Tracy?” he asked.
“As well as expected,” she said, touched that he was concerned about her when he must be going through hell. He and his mother were close. Mrs. Townsend adored him and was always singing his praises. “How about you?”
“I’m coping,” he said. He gently disengaged his arm from Caitlin’s, removed his coat and draped it over his arm as he stepped closer to Tracy. “Will you let me take you back to the house?” he asked.
She nodded. It had stopped raining. She closed the umbrella.
He took her arm and was about to walk away when Caitlin, who looked rather put out, exclaimed, “What about me?”
“Jake will give you a ride home,” Aiden told her before he turned walked away, taking Tracy with him.
“I don’t think she likes me,” Tracy commented as they walked to his car. She had to almost run to keep up with him. It seemed like he wanted to get out of there and fast!
Aiden didn’t answer. In fact he said nothing all the way to the car or even when they were leaving the cemetery. It wasn’t until they were a good way from there, that he spoke. “Tracy, what Caitlin thinks is of no importance to me.”
She looked at him in surprise. “But, I thought that you and she—”
“How could you think that there is anything between Caitlin and me when I have waited for five years for you? I haven’t dated her or any woman since I met you. I know that your job prevented you from getting involved with me but now you are not longer employed by me. So, what is stopping us now from being together? I love you, Tracy. And I know that you love me.”
She nodded. “I do. You don’t know how hard it was for me to push my feelings aside all these years.”
“Let’s go away,” he said. They were at a stop light. He turned to look at her, his eyes intense as they met hers. “I want to be alone with you somewhere far away from here.”
“Where would you like to go?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter as long as we are together. Perhaps somewhere tropical. It would be good to get away from this dreary weather and the cold.”
“When would you like to go?”
“As soon as possible. Perhaps as early as Friday.” Friday was four days away. “No one will object, and even if they did, I really don’t care. It’s what Mother would have wanted. She was rather fond of you, you know. She knew how I felt about you and always encouraged me to hang on. I would have waited for you, Tracy, no matter how long it took. My only regret is that I couldn’t be with you while my mother was still alive.”
“I know. I also know that we have her blessing. Jamaica.”
“Jamaica?” he looked puzzled.
She smiled. “You said somewhere tropical.”
He laughed. “Jamaica, it is.” He reached over and kissed her before the light turned green.
It was on the Friday, their first evening in Montego Bay, as they stood on the beach, watching the setting sun as it hovered over the ocean when Aiden proposed to Tracy. As he got down on his knee, Tracy’s hand flew up to her face as the sound of a sob mingled with a gasp rose from her throat. Aiden took out the box and opened it, displaying the exquisite ring he had bought the year after they met and which he had shown his mother the night before she passed away. He had kept it hidden in a drawer just as he had kept hidden in his heart the hope of one day putting it on her finger.
And here they were, on a beautiful beach, bathed with the crimson glow of the sun and the sound of the waves as they rolled on to the sand. It couldn’t have been more romantic. As he looked at Tracy’s face which glistened with tears, he thought he had never seen her look more beautiful and his heart swelled with the love he felt for her.
He took the ring out of the box and reached for her hand. He slowly slipped the ring on, savoring the moment. It was a perfect fit. He stood up, his eyes held hers for a moment before he took her in his arms and kissed her just as the sun disappeared into the sea.
Sources: Christie’s Care; Hilary’s Agency
I found out last week that my mother who suffers from Parkinson’s has Shingles. From what I have seen of Shingles it looks very painful. I wanted to find out more about it so I decided to surf the Internet and get as much information as I could.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or just zoster, occurs when a virus in nerve cells becomes active again later in life and causes a skin rash.
The virus that causes shingles, the varicella-zoster virus, is the same virus that causes chickenpox. It is a member of the herpes virus family. Once you have had chickenpox, varicella-zoster virus remains in your body’s nerve tissues and never really goes away. It is inactive, but it can be reactivated later in life. This causes shingles.
Doctors aren’t sure how or why the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, but they believe your immune system’s response to the virus weakens over the years after childhood chickenpox. When the virus reactivates, it travels through nerves, often causing a burning or tingling sensation in the affected areas. Two or three days later, when the virus reaches the skin, blisters appear grouped along the affected nerve. The skin may be very sensitive, and you may feel a lot of pain.
If you have had chickenpox, you are at risk of developing shingles. However, the virus doesn’t reactivate in everyone who has had chickenpox. Shingles most often appears in people older than 50 and in people with weakened immune systems. If you are having treatment for cancer, for example, you are more likely to get shingles. People with HIV commonly get shingles, which is often one of the first signs that the immune system is in trouble. Your chances of getting shingles increase as you get older, although the disease can occur at any age. When shingles appears in children, which is uncommon, it usually is very mild. Up to 20% of people in the United States develop the disease at some point (Women’s Health).
None of my sisters nor I ever have Chicken Pox as a child but later when we as adults, my sister and I got it from our mother. I still have the marks. I am hoping that I am one of the people in whom the virus does not reactivate.
Recently I have seen a commercial where a person has Shingles and it looks painful. The rash on one side of the man’s body looked red and very painful. When I browsed the Internet, I saw pictures that made me cringe. How those people must have suffered. I think of my mother and I hope and pray that she isn’t in much pain.
Pain
Symptoms of shingles are similar in men and women. The first and most common symptom of shingles is usually pain. This pain typically occurs before any rash is present and is sometimes called the warning stage of shingles. Women often describe a tingling, burning pain or an area of intense sensitivity on their skin. This often happens in a small area that is on one side of the body only. The pain may be mild or intense enough to require treatment with painkillers. The pain may last for a few days, may come and go or may be constant. It may continue once the rash and blisters form and usually lessens when the rash disappears.
Another symptom of shingles is a rash that turns into fluid-filled blisters. This usually appears a few days or a week after skin pain starts. The blisters form a crusty scab in about 7 to 10 days and typically clear up in 2 to 4 weeks. The difference between the rash of chickenpox and that of shingles is that shingles usually appears on one side of the body only. Shingles commonly appears in a belt-like band around the midsection, corresponding to skin along the path of one nerve. Sometimes the rash appears on one side of the face and follows the major facial nerve, or it can involve more than just a single area of skin. Some cases of shingles have only a few or even no blisters. A shingle diagnosis can be missed in this case. Shingles without any rash or blisters is called zoster sine herpete.
Once the rash appears, women sometimes report flu-like symptoms, such as headache, upset stomach, fever and chills. About half of the people who have rash along the facial nerve experience eye complications. These complications are generally seen as inflammation of different parts of the eye and may involve a mucus or pus-like discharge and sensitivity to light. Eye problems from shingles are very serious and should be evaluated by a doctor immediately. Some women experience a condition called postherpetic neuralgia. This condition is pain that continues even after the shingles rash is gone. The pain has been described as a constant burning that hurts to the touch or pressure from clothing. It usually resolves on its own, but resolution can take 6 months to a year or even longer (Live Strong).
Pregnant women can get shingles, but it is rare. While chickenpox can pose a very serious risk to a fetus, there is almost no risk to the fetus if the mother gets shingles. The symptoms of shingles are the same in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Any area of skin that has pain, tingling, itching or burning — even without a rash or blister — should be brought to the attention of a doctor, as this could be the early stages of shingles (Live Strong). Thankfully, I got chickenpox years before I got pregnant.
Does Shingles affect women differently from men? According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Self-care
If you develop the shingles rash, there are a number of things you can do to help relieve your symptoms, such as:
Calamine lotion has a soothing, cooling effect on the skin and can be used to relieve the itching.
If you have any weeping blisters, you can use a cool compress (a cloth or a flannel cooled with tap water) several times a day to help soothe the skin and keep blisters clean.
It’s important to only use the compress for around 20 minutes at a time and stop using them once the blisters stop oozing. Don’t share any cloths, towels or flannels if you have the shingles rash.
Antiviral medication
As well as painkilling medication, some people with shingles may also be prescribed a course of antiviral tablets lasting 7 to 10 days. Commonly prescribed antiviral medicines include aciclovir, valaciclovir and famciclovir.
These medications cannot kill the shingles virus, but can help stop it multiplying. This may:
Antiviral medicines are most effective when taken within 72 hours of your rash appearing, although they may be started up to a week after your rash appears if you are at risk of severe shingles or developing complications.
Side effects of antiviral medication are very uncommon, but can include:
Currently, there is no way to predict an outbreak of shingles. Researchers have shown that giving older people a stronger form of the chicken pox vaccine used for children can boost the type of immunity believed necessary to hold the virus in check. Zostavax, a shingles vaccine developed by Merck, has been approved by the FDA. An initial study in people with HIV showed that Zostavax was safe and effective (The Body).
Shingles is not contagious (able to spread) in the sense that people who are exposed to a patient with shingles will not “catch shingles.” Anyone who has already had chickenpox or has received the chickenpox vaccine, and is otherwise healthy, should be protected and at no risk when around a patient with shingles. However, people who have never had chickenpox and have not received the chickenpox vaccine are susceptible to infection by a patient with shingles. These susceptible people, if exposed to the shingles virus, will not develop shingles, but they could develop chicken pox. However, people who have never had chickenpox and have not received the chickenpox vaccine are susceptible to infection by a patient with shingles. These susceptible people, if exposed to the shingles virus, will not develop shingles, but they could develop chicken pox. Such susceptible individuals include babies, young children, and unvaccinated individuals, so people with shingles are actually contagious for VZV infections in the form of chickenpox. Consequently, these individuals may get shingles at a later time in life, as can anyone who has had chickenpox. Covering the rash that occurs with shingles with a dressing or clothing helps decrease the risk of spreading the infection to others. Pregnant women are not unusually susceptible to shingles but if shingles develops near the end of pregnancy, the fetus may be harmed (eMedicineHealth).
The shingles vaccine (Zostavax) is recommended for adults age 60 and older, whether they’ve already had shingles or not. Although the vaccine is approved for people age 50 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t recommending it until you reach age 60.
The shingles vaccine is a live vaccine given as a single injection, usually in the upper arm. The most common side effects of the shingles vaccine are redness, pain, tenderness, swelling and itching at the injection site, and headaches.
Some people report a chickenpox-like rash after getting the shingles vaccine.
Although some people will develop shingles despite vaccination, the vaccine may reduce the severity and duration of it.
The shingles vaccine isn’t recommended if you:
The cost of the shingles vaccine may not be covered by Medicare, Medicaid or insurance. Check your plan (Mayo Clinic). One of my co-workers got the vaccine this year and recommends that I get one too.
There is no cure for shingles, but treatment can help ease your symptoms until the condition improves. In many cases, shingles gets better within around two to four weeks. However, it’s still important to see your GP as soon as possible if you recognize the symptoms of shingles, as early treatment may help reduce the severity of the condition and the risk of potential complications (NHS Choices).
How to care for a Patient with Shingles
If you are helping to care for someone with shingles and particularly if they are elderly, then here are some ideas to make life more comfortable for them:
My mother is doing well. She is on an anti-viral drug and not in any pain. I was relieved to find out that her blisters are on her arm and not on her face. She is frustrated because she is quarantined but the nursing home has to do what is best for all the residents. I hope she gets better soon. In the meantime, my family and I will do as she requested and stay away.
If you have a loved one who has Shingles, call them often. Hearing from you may bring them some comfort.
Sources: Live Strong; Women’s Health; Mayo Clinic; The Body; CDC; eMedicine Health; Healing Natural Oils
Lately, *Wendy is plagued with the fear of losing her mother. Granted her mother *Marian had lived a long and happy life but Wendy was not ready to lose her. Marian was in her seventies. She celebrated her 75th birthday a couple of months ago. Wendy and her sister *Lauren had taken her out for lunch to celebrate. In the past, Marian celebrated birthdays, Christmases and every Mother’s Day at her home or at one of her daughter’s home. However, everything changed when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She couldn’t remain in her home after she fell. She was a widow and had been living on her own. She had to sell her home and move into a nursing home. It took time for her to adjust to living in a room and having to depend on nurses to change and bathe her and do the things she used to do for herself. It was hard to give up her independence.
She was still able to go and spend time with her children and grandchildren but lately, it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to move around without the wheelchair. She had gone from using a cane to a walker and now to a wheelchair. She had fallen several times. Once Wendy went to visit her and was horrified to see the ugly bruises on her arms. Marian fell because she tried to do things on her own when she should have called for help. The nurse would go into her room and find her on the floor. Thankfully, she hadn’t had any serious falls but Wendy worried about her. She had heard stories of elderly women breaking their hips and suffering other serious injuries from falls.
Just recently, Wendy received distressing news. Her sister Lauren informed her that their mother was not responding well because she hadn’t been given her medication that morning. The last dosage was the night before so she was supposed to get the next one around 7 in the morning but the nurse hadn’t given her. When Marian’s regular nurse found out two hours later, she decided to wait until 11 to give her her medication. Lauren was livid. She demanded to know why the nurse waited instead of giving her mother the medication right away. As Wendy listened to her sister, she felt sick in the stomach. Their mother had been without her medication for 15 hours. She was lying in her bed, with her eyes closed. She was aware that her nurse was in the room and was responsive but she couldn’t do anything except lie there. Her nurse kept checking on her to make sure she was okay. She was relieved when Marian woke up. Marian’s doctor told the nurse to try to get the medication into Marian which she kept trying to do until she succeeded. The doctor said that it could take 24 hours for Marian to recover as a result of not getting her first dosage that morning.
The Administration at the nursing home acknowledged that two gross mistakes had been made. The first nurse should have given Marian her 7:00 a.m. meds and her regular nurse should have immediately given her the meds at 9:00 when she realized that she hadn’t been given her first set of meds instead of simply waiting for the next set. The director assured Lauren that they were taking measures to make sure that this never happened again. They plan to follow up with the first nurse who neglected to give Marian her morning medication.
Wendy was thankful to God for watching over her mother who is okay. Tears came to her eyes as she imagined her mother lying there with her eyes closed, unable to do much else and how it could have been much worse…
How many other Parkinson’s patients like Marian do not receive their medication on time? According to an article written on the National Parkinson Foundation website, hospitals can be danger zones for people with Parkinson’s.
Hospitals are usually a safe haven for people with serious illnesses, but for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) going to the emergency room or being hospitalized can be a nightmare, because their condition is more likely to deteriorate due to inappropriate care and the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar environment.
Parkinson’s patients are often afraid to challenge a hospital’s medical staff, because they assume that they know what they are doing, but many may have little or no knowledge about how to care for someone with Parkinson’s, said Dr. John Morgan, assistant professor at Georgia Health Sciences University.
Three out of four people with Parkinson’s do not get their medication on time when they go to the hospital, which can cause serious complications even death, said NPF’s National Medical Director Dr. Michael Okun. Even more alarming is that research shows that the majority of hospital staff do not know which drugs are unsafe for Parkinson’s patients, and they do not understand Parkinson’s disease.
People with Parkinson’s must take their medication on time, especially those with moderate and advanced Parkinson’s who are taking frequent doses of levodopa, a common Parkinson’s medication, Dr. Morgan said. “If medication is not taken on time, they can become stiff, rigid, tremulous and unable to move and prone to falls, etc. Even one hour off of a scheduled time can make a big difference,” Dr. Morgan explained.
There is no cure for Parkinson’s, but medication helps control symptoms by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain. Dr. Morgan emphasized that medications should be taken 30 minutes to an hour before meals or an hour or more after meals, because the protein in food can inhibit the absorption of the medication into the body. If a person eats too close to their scheduled medication time, Dr. Morgan said it is better to eat a low-protein meal rather than delay taking medication.
The article mentions that one hour off of a scheduled time can make a big difference. Wendy’s mother had been 15 hours off her scheduled time. Another article states, “Medications must be administered on time to promote consistent therapeutic blood levels and prevent disabling symptoms. A delay of even 5 minutes can cause the patient to suddenly lose the ability to move, walk, and speak.” If Wendy and Lauren wanted to, they could sue the nursing home for gross negligence and failing to administer the proper help. Marian should not have gone through what she did. She was in a facility that was supposed to take care of her. Their negligence could have cost Marian her life. For now, Wendy and Lauren are hoping that this doesn’t happen again.
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*These are not their real names.
Source: http://www.parkinson.org/About-Us/Press-Room/NPF-In-The-News/2012/November/Hospitals-can-be-a-danger-zone-for-people-with-Par; http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2011/03000/Administering_medications_for_Parkinson_disease_on.24.aspx
