Getting ready for Thanksgiving

One week until Thanksgiving, I have pretty much purchased all my ingredients needed for my Turkey Dinner. I will only have about 5 people at my house. My middle daughter is cooking and invited everyone, but since I am only off that one day, I decided not to make the drive to Arkansas. I also have a tradition with my youngest grand daughter-every Thanksgiving she puts up my Christmas tree and decorates it for me. She always does a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l job of it. I am so happy that she wants to do it, now I need to devise a way of bribing her to take it down for me...... Any way, due to time restraints, I will be cooking, and Georgie, lilest Bean, my ex-mother-in-law, and my hubby will get to pig out to our hearts content. We will also indulge in some really good wine.

Normally I am soooooo happy when the holiday season starts, and I was for a short time this year. I have taken care of this lady, who is 94 years old, for almost 6 years, and she is really going downhill fast. She was officially diagnosed with Alzheimers about a year ago, and was doing fine up until her son decided to get some eye surgery done to lower the pressure in her eye. That surgery put her into a downward tailspin. Now she is combative, doesn't know any of us, won't take her meds, forgot how to walk, and refuses to eat much of anything. WARNING!!! Never let anyone do surgery on an Alzheimer patient, or a person with advanced Dementia. The anesthetic does weird and crazy things to their already mixed up brain. The surgeons will not always tell you about these risks. Her Eye Surgeon never brought it up. The doctor(her Internist) says he doubts she will bounce back from this considering her age. I stay with her 5 days a week, so the last two weeks have been really hard for me, both mentally and physically. You would not believe how strong a 94 year old woman can be when she wants something or does not want something. I have pulled a muscle in my bicep and yesterday I sprained my wrist. None of this happened because I was forcing anything-I don't believe in forcing someone to do something, it is all a result of trying to help her in and out of bed, chairs, and her wheel chair.

So-needless to say, I have been very pre-occupied with her, and have forgotten all about my holiday spirit. I am so afraid something is going to happen to her, I don't even relax when I go home at night. That and the fact that my brother is just hanging on by a thread, makes it hard to be real happy.

I really do need to get with the program-I know that,so-Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope your table is full of good things to eat, and all the chairs are full around the table, too.