'They could make something up'

Just come back from hospital visiting. She wasn't as perky as usual and although she was sitting on the chair when I came in she lay on the bed for most of the visit.

She is convinced the lady in the next bed is a) filthy rich and b) lives in Billesly Lane. Since she said she hasn't really got to know anyone on the ward I wonder how she knows. But the lady in the next bed also remarked (as I was putting away Edna's clean clothes) that Edna ewas lucky to have somone to do thigns for her, that all her relatives lived too far away to help. So when some visitors turned up for her, Edna tried to imply that her neighbour had been lying. Ednba did concede that the visitors didn't HAVE to be relatives.

The conversation then turned to visitor behaviour. Edna said sometimes people turned up, said 'How are you then just sat there for an hour. ' They could make something up to say' was her ccomment. Is it possible that she is talking just becasue I am there? I dont think she is deleiberately making things up to fill silence - but maybe that is a clue to what is going on in her mind.

She told me she had noticed an extra tablet in among her regular medication the other day, and hadn't taken it until she was sure it was correct. This was soemthing I was able to check on, and it turns out that apart from the Oxybutinin (whihc is still being given BD ) the only chnage has been to reduce stop her lucntime Furosemide dose. This was part of their stratgey to prevent her askig to go to the loo every 15 minutes. They are monitoring her legs and although they are a bit worse, they are still manageable- but the dose WILL have to go back up eventually - and probably sooner rather than later. I am convinced the reason she stayed out of hospital so long this time was becasue she was taking her water tablets regularly- probably for the frst time in years (barring hospital admissions)

She liked the pictures of Steve's proposed new cat, and our holiday hotel in Cornwall. She will probably remember about both those bits of news. I can understand why Alma found it hard to beleive she really had a problem because she is very selective about what she can and can't remember.

If it is really important in her world paradigm I beleive she will remember it. If it isn't then she won't.

I must test that theory over the next few weeks. If I am right I am not sure how helpful it will be but anything that helps me understand her has got to be a help