Desperate Response Pays Off

I finally gave Mom a sleeping pill last night. Actually they're more anti-anxiety pills than anything else. We've had the prescription for a couple of months now but I haven't wanted to use them because the doc said they would negatively affect her memory and cognitive abilities, which is the last thing she needs. I'd rather put up with some level of insomnia.

Last night, however, was out of control. Mom went to bed at 9:00, her usual time. She was up again at 10:30, then 11:30, then 12:15, 12:45, 1:30 and finally 2:00 A.M. So I broke down and offered her a sleeping pill which she accepted. I figured she wouldn't suffer any damage from just one.

I don't know when she got up this morning but it was early. When I woke up she was already out on the couch having just written a two-page letter to a friend of hers. I stole a look at it when she went to the bathroom.

Normally her "letters" are rambling, stream-of-consciousness, barely legible scrawls only one or two sentences long. This, however, was mostly coherent, with paragraphs and everything and, except for a couple of passages in the middle and one at the end, readable. She starts off with greetings to her friend, well-wishes and a brief explanation of how she, herself, is faring. She writes about our "acquiring" a cat, my brother's relationships, and Other Brother's holiday visit here with his kids (which was almost a month ago). There may be something in there about the orchids and roses.

We're considering making a "translation" as best we can since even her good handwriting requires study and some interpretation and her friend is almost as old as she is. Then we'll send both the original and the cleaned up copy.

I'm thinking the solid sleep she finally got last night may have helped her brain functions a bit. I'm still only going to give her the pills as sparingly as possible.