About 3:45am Maria woke in the same agitated state with the need to urinate but unable to. The nurses removed part of the catheter that was blocked and fixed the issue. By the time this had been done and we had re-positioned her it was 4:30am. Unfortunately Gabi woke and was ready for breakfast and a play. She eventually settled.
In the morning my parents came and took Gabi out for breakfast. During our discussion about the location of nice cafes, Maria said she'd like to come along and would get herself ready. I explained that we were waiting on the nurses and doctor and were unable to go.
Maria's parents arrived around the same time to allow me to shower and go to buy some breakfast. I used Maria's ensuite and when I came out about 10mins later, Maria saw me and was excited that (in her mind) I had just arrived to visit her.
Because of the number of 'breakthroughs' (i.e. pain relief between her normal doses) needed, they decided to administer her pain relief and a number of her medications in liquid form through a pump driver. The ongoing administration of morphine will hopefully minimise/eliminate her pain and agitation.
A dear friend came through to spend some time chatting with me (thanks Mel - especially for the coffee lunch). During her visit a guy came around with an Alpaca named Andronicus. Maria was asleep at the time. The owner said that the Alpaca is quite timid and won't come close to people's faces. The next thing we know, Andronicus comes up close to Maria and kisses her, which woke her. The guy could not believe it! He said that he has never seen the Alpaca do this in its life (4 y/o). Maria woke suddenly and scared, but as we talked it through she was happy to have something so cute visit. Poor Maria – she is already confused so can you imagine how she felt to wake in a Hospice bed face-to-face with what would have looked like a creature?!
I came home to the kids and both sets of parents. We had dinner together, during which time Ben went off to his room very tired. I told him to put on his pyjamas and read a book. When I came into his room a short time later, he had his Star Wars book open on the bed and he had flaked out. Even moving him around did not arouse him. His sleepover and swim today did the trick.
I plan to take Gabi swimming first thing in the morning, after which I'll head into the Hospice to take over Brian as Maria's GP will visit (social call) and a friend she grew up with in Sydney. Janelle will take over in the evening.
