I'm an only child and my 94 year old mom lives with me. She's a sweetheart, but obsesses about things, especially her own health. She is currently being treated for bronchitis. Left to herself, she eat and drink very little. I am doing everything I can for her, despite her spunky resistance. Her worry today is, that despite drinking the extra tea, water, and sparkling juice I've given her, she isn't urinating enough. I don't measure her urine and she isn't having any strange symptoms. But, I am a teacher with no medical background. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks!
I think our elders have too much time on their hands to think about their symptoms. I imagine that if I thought about one of my fingers long enough, I would start having a symptom in it. It may be that they are just trying to communicate with us when they talk about symptoms, so we can listen without reacting unless we think something is really wrong.
My mom worries about everything re: her health. Always has, so anytime she comes up with some new worry, we all tend to brush it aside. The idea of checking the color of her urine is a GREAT indicator that she's hydrated enough. My mom hates the hassle of taking off all her clothes to have to go use the bathroom, but complained of pain upon urinating. One day, while I was there, she did use the toilet, so I could help her "dress" again. (Usually she wears adult diapers) I was APPALLED to see her urine was a very very dark orange--almost bloody looking. I took her to the ER immediately. Serious bladder infection! She said "I TOLD you guys I wasn't feeling well--" and (deep sigh) between my brother & me we had just written it off to one more "thing".
You sound like you have a handle on her health. Bless you for the loving care you obviously give her!
If so, it may be easier than you think. I have learned from the alz. staff to "say whatever it takes to handle the instant." It felt like lying at first but now I am used to it. so, I say, for example, "would you like me to look into that?" My mom say "yes" and life goes happily on. She forgets the whole thing.
She probably is urinating enough, the water has to go somewhere :) If she is being treated for bronchitis, the meds could be making her dehydrated, thus she would need more water.