Nana's Cat scan

This morning, I arrived at Hebert's around 9a.m. to escort Nana to Fatima Hospital in N. Providence, for a Cat scan of her left eye. She was happy to see me in the morning, as I don't usually see her until after lunch. We sat and chatted, and waited for the van driver. She seemed fine.

Before we left, I whispered to the head nurse that a trip like this could have a big effect on Mom's mood. Even such a small change in her routine, as going out for a while, could upset the apple cart!

She was fine at the hospital, and seemed to be enjoying her outing. Quiet a few times, while we waited for the tests, she whispered to me, "If they ask, what should I tell them is wrong with me?" She seemed content, when I said, "Just tell them your left eye is giving you trouble." After being asked that question a dozen of times, I decided to try a different approach. I said, "Well, you're here for your eye, but you could tell them anything you want. You could even make up stuff!" She laughed, and then told me that wasn't such a good idea! All of a sudden she said, "Well, they'd better get the show on the road, because I'm getting hungry!!!" The Cat scan took about three minutes......waiting time was about 45 minutes.

After the xray, she seemed fine....laughing and joking about different things. I followed her back to Hebert's. Since we got back at 11:55a.m., I took her directly into the dining room where they had just started serving lunch. Well, that's when it all fell apart. She started to cry. She asked where she was, why was she there.....how long had she been there.......told me she felt awful......and lost. So, like the devoted daughter that I am, I started crying also! Hey, when in Rome.......

I tried for ten minutes to calm her down, and then decided nothing was working, so I made sure she was settled at the table.....said I'd be back after lunch with Dad, and then left. On my way out, I stopped at the nurses' desk and told them she was crying. I guess she was doing so well, all along, that it did take me by surprise. They promised to give her extra attention.

It took me 20 minutes to drive back to the house, 30 minutes to have lunch and another 20 minutes to drive back with Dad. When we got there, she was sitting in the activities room, with about 50 other residents, smiling, singing and clapping along with the music from the Providence Civic Orchestra!!! She had forgotten all about her sadness, an hour earlier! Thank God for short term memory loss. See? It does actually work to out advantage, sometimes!

The concert lasted an hour, and was fantastic. We all enjoyed it and it could not have come at a better time!!!