Chapter 54 - Just the Little Things

I was tinkling in the other bathroom (the one called “mine”) when I heard the 6am alarm. It stopped; she must be awake to take her meds. I found her with a handful of tablets, still reclining on her right elbow unable to rise further or reach for her water bottle. I swung her legs over the side of the bed, raised her to a sitting position. Task completed, she toppled back into bed. After dozing for awhile I had almost convinced myself to get up for a walk when she called. She was sitting on the side of her bed unable to stand. “Can you give me a hand?” she asked, “I can’t get up.” She shuffled off to the bathroom. After returning, she raised each foot a little until each shoe fell off (she needs shoes for the journey to the bathroom & those she uses for this are so loose fitting they are easing to slip into & out of). Then, shuffling in reverse, each shuffle only a cm. or two, she positions herself “Going backwards is not good” she mutters. I notice her attempt to lift her right leg high enough for her knee to gain the level of the bed; it fails. I reach out, lift her leg high enough, her right knee supports her weight on the bed, she topples forwards, slewing her right shoulder downwards. I push her knees away from the edge of the bed, bending her legs slightly. I pull her right arm slightly so that her shoulder is comfortable and her hand is within grasping distance of the bed pole. I cover her. After a shower I take a short walk; avoiding the only little old lady on her way down the path to the river, then returning so that I don’t see a bloke who is usually at his front door at this time of the day. Even then a friendly face at another house called out “Miss Daisy heard you walking by” referring to her dog. I have no wish to speak to anyone this morning.

A few days ago she revealed that she has a personal hygiene problem that began about a year ago. Knowing this now explains a lot. PLEASE don’t ask her about it; she is too embarrassed. I will only say that I have seen the matter mentioned in forums as one of those unfortunate side effects of PD. She may soon feel restricted to stay in the local area. I thought she was looking forward to our trip with friends next weekend. And I thought our experimental trip a short while ago had been successful.

Yesterday we visited some of our grandchildren up north. They were intending to visit us partway between father’s day and my birthday (which falls on that modern replacement for Guy Fawkes Day, 11^th September) until she decided that we should travel north for 2 hours instead. A rather pleasant trip through a few rain showers, to and from. We both travelled well, myself not needing a rest stop either direction so we only stopped when she needed 6pm meds & again to fill up the tanks before we returned to our town of high priced fuel.

On Friday a trip to the hot air town to sign our new wills, all set up to be tax friendly for our beneficiaries, so our high priced finial advisors say. Hopefully, we can minimise any future tax burdens by spending most of our estate while we are still capable. We park in a high-rise car park whenever we are down there. Having arrived just at midday meds time she became quite agitated waiting with strangers outside lifts that seem to take forever. Standing still is a problem. Her tremors begin, she stoops. “I don’t want to look like an imbecile” she moans “People look at me.” No hope of taking the stairs; too difficult for her. If we move away from the doors, others crowd in. It’s these small social behavioural issues that make life uncomfortable for her.

Lately we have found our small, low-powered hand held CB radios are sometimes un-reliable when we are some distance apart. I admitted defeat with my defective mobile phone. Apart from an inability for it to transmit my voice I have been unable to have it connect the laptop online. So on Friday I invested in a $129 “basic” phone. Basic I was told, even though it contains a camera, and has all the Internet and messaging capabilities I will never use. And I suppose nasty people will even attempt to ring me on the damn thing! If you can’t call me on the home phone or send email then don’t bother. As always with these little bits of technological horror, the USB cable & software drivers to use the thing as a GPRS modem will cost me $99. Doubtful I will have a cable before we take our trip next weekend so there may be no updates to this blog for awhile (or email contact). Anyway, I attempted to fit the SIM card from the old phone into the new. Failed – too tight, piece of metal in the way, fear of damage, etc etc. Yesterday, on our way north, into the major telco’s store where I admitted I was technically challenged, only to be shown by a sweet young thing, nails extending a good cm. beyond her finger tips, that the SIM card only needed slight pressure to slip into position. When she asked whether she could fit the battery for me I said I would be able to do that and I do hope I didn’t sound grumpy.

She has not been sleeping well. The night cap of Horlix recommended by the Caring Physician may have worked for awhile. She says even though she often lays awake until 3am, she is not uncomfortable on the new mattress. Although last night we both went to bed before 11pm and slept soundly.

Chapter 53 - Quiet Times

There seems little to write about. I made the observation to her a few mornings ago that I have not been called in ages to assist with showering & drying, and only dressing when she needs to wear a coat. I look back through my little note book (the fifth in the collection) to find references to stiffness & being uncomfortable around 7am during the last fortnight or so. Take this morning for instance - the alarm woke us at 6am for first meds then at 7am she called to me that her feet were "sticking out of bed". Hardly, they were in the centre of the bed, her knees slightly bent, although when I pushed her legs a little further over she said "That's better." By 7:30am she was restless, stiff & her toes were curling, so she needed help to rise to sit on the side of the bed. Unable to return to sleep I rose for a shower. She was beneath the bed clothes when I returned, asleep soon after. Only one dark incident - last Monday morning she woke to see a tarantula on the ceiling. I suggested that this may have been her waking mind mistaking the shape of the grab bar above her bed as something else. I really hope so. On Sunday last she had her hair trimmed; although she asked to have it cut short, she was advised to keep it pulled back into a pony tail as there was little to be done with such fine hair. In the recent past washing & coming her hair had been a major effort, often ruining the remainder of a day. Seems not so lately.

She has had negligible pain, and then only in her left arm, probably from pulling herself around in bed. What has produced the improvements? The new mattress for better sleeping, the bedtime Horlix suggested by the Caring Physician rather than sleeping pills (although these were only taken for a couple of weeks), ongoing Bowen Therapy, the two magnesium & calcium tablets she has taken daily since the 22nd August? Nothing else has changed physically as far as I can tell; certainly not her specific PD meds. This is a puzzle. How can we measure the effects of changing parameters? What does good?

Time to check on her.