Friday, January 18, 2013

"I'm Getting Spoiled"


            Before I visited Mom on April 16, Suzy had let us know that during her visit the previous day, Mom had been very anxious and paranoid.
            “Her place is a wreck,” Suzy said, “but when I asked if she'd like me to put away some of the clothes she had all over the place, and started to cheerfully pick up a shirt to fold it, she really didn't want me to. I have no idea why not, but she got very stressed and asked me not to. So I didn't. “
             Suzy said that Mom commented a number of times on how awful it was to have Alzheimer’s.  I was surprised to hear that Mom acknowledged that she had Alzheimer’s because I thought she disbelieved that.

            When Suzy suggested opening the window a little because it was stuffy and “not smelling great” (the toilet was stopped up, among other things), Mom said no because she didn’t think her roommate would want the window open and “it isn’t worth incurring her wrath.” 
            Suzy had brought Peet's pastry, but Mom didn’t want it and didn’t want Suzy to give it to anyone there because “They’ll think I’m the one who poisoned them.”
            She also said that people didn’t like her anymore and that people were turning their backs on her.
            In addition to Mom’s psychic pain, she said she wasn’t getting Advil for her legs, and I remembered when I was staying with her on Poshard and she was collecting Advil.  Mom said she was afraid to ask for Advil because “They’ll just consider me a trouble maker.” 
            Mom’s roommate Kay was by herself at a table in the dining room, looking out the window and seeming at peace, and she never came into their shared room to order mom and her visitors out.  But there weren’t any visitors.  Nobody came into the room while Suzy and Mom were there. 
            “Who’s coming next?”  Mom asked Suzy.
            “Tina’s coming tomorrow.”
            “But she’s not coming today?  No one else is coming today?”
            Suzy said she didn’t think so.
            “I’ve gotten spoiled,” Mom said, sadly.

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