Hello realitykraft and welcome! As far as your MIL being tired: this is not abnormal in the elderly, especially for those who have heart issues as yours does. Their bodies are wearing out, basically. And constant pain is very tiring, also. You don't indicate what kind of meds she is on. Certain medications cause drowsiness. If this is something you're concerned about, you should bring this up to her physician. As far as taking a shower once a week, that's a tough call. Does she smell? If she is incontinent, it is imperative that she bathe that area particularly on a daily basis, to prevent the skin from breaking down. There are some diseases, such as Alzheimers, in which the elderly do not want to wash or don't recognize the need for it, etc. Have you investigated getting services in your home for her, such as a home health aide? This person could come in to bathe her a couple of times a week. If she is not exerting herself and not moving around much, she isn't getting dirty so a daily shower might not be necessary. But again, if there are any incontinence issues, it's really important to keep that skin clean. I take it she is mostly housebound. Do you both work all day? If so, does she have any kind of stimulation (besides TV) at home, such as phone calls or visitors? Not having any outside contact can result in depression, of which a symptom can be excess sleepiness. Also, you mention she has diabetes. Is that under control with meds and diet? If not, that can make her sleepy also -- kind of like if you eat a big plate of pasta and then are ready to fall asleep an hour later. It's an overload of carbs -- your blood sugar spikes and then drops. There are a lot of variables that could produce the results you're seeing, but I would definitely encourage you to contact her doctor and your local Council on Aging (if you haven't already) to investigate getting some in-home services for her.

You need to make sure you are eating something every few hours. The metformin is keeping your glucose level down -- if you forget to eat, you're going to lower it even further, and if it gets too low, you'll get sluggish, confused, and even pass out if it gets too bad. We've seen diabetics with low blood sugar hallucinating like crazy people, and others get so combative that the police need to be called to subdue them so we can administer glucose. It's truly amazing actually....one minute they're babbling about the giant purple spiders on the wall and the next minute (after a tube or a shot of glucose) they're perfectly lucid and wondering why all these ambulance people are standing around them. Don't let that be you! Always pay attention to that feeling that you "need to eat now" and make sure you are always carring something sugary/starchy with you that can be quickly absorbed if you start to feel funny.

My mom LOVES babies. I mean LOVES babies. At family gatherings we tell young mothers "Don't let Aunt Scarlet get the baby or you won't see it for the rest of the night" LOL. She also SNEAKS them things. Her favourites are chocolate icing and whipped cream. Or giving them a rib bone (cleaned, and not chokeable size) to gum. Once I found DD happily sucking on the outside of a crab leg. I was about to get upset, then my mom looks at me in wide eyed innocence and says "Well, it's not a PICKY one!" - like that explains it all LOL. My mother was a nurse, so we often had dinner conversation that was not for the faint hearted or weak stomached. One of the first times DH ate with my family, he almost spit out his food when she told a story about a friend at work that does those parties, with the "novelty" items. She was driving a jeep with no top and got into an accident, flipping several times. At the same time, these "novelty" items were flinging all over the road. After the accident the police were trying to gather up her things, and they kept walking up to her and saying "Ma'am? Is this your (expletive)?" and the girl didn't know whether to say yes or no ROFLMAO! Of course, my mom used the actual words. MIL won't even say the word "ovary" in mixed company. Poor DH nearly had a heart attack LOL.

Can you get in touch with a nice restaurant in Branson and make reservations for a nice meal and tell them that you will pay for it? That would be nice along with the travel package. Although some people are fans of gift cards, I am not. Frankly I don't think they show much imagination and maybe I don't shop at that store. It puts more of a burden on me when I get a gift card to a specific store, As I have to keep track of the card, have to find something there I like, and just remember that I have it to use. I am not suggesting that it's not generous and that it's not a good gift for some people. I just choose not to use them and don't really like getting them. Of course, I am appreciative of any gift that anyone get me and I am grateful for their gift, but gift cards just don't do it for me. To me, it just seems as though the giver didn't care to put any more thought into it and took an easy way out. Call me crazy. Put a little more thought into it for some creativity, and I would expect that would be much more appreciated. Can you set it up with your father ahead of time, so that you have some idea of your plans in Branson and when they would be available for an extra special dinner at an extra special restaurant? Of course, by the time you read this, it will be too late. I was hoping that you could at least tell her that you would be giving her that special dinner and then make specific arrangements later. Sorry that I am reading this too late.