Chapter 56 - Unexpected
Every afternoon except Tuesday's this week has found her so tired after about 2pm that she has gone to bed for a couple of hours sleep. Yet she sleeps well at night. We are even going to bed by 11pm. Going to bed early was initiated by my needing some early nights after returning from our trip. Early in the week she became quite distressed when I said "Time for bed for me" at 10pm. "I'm afraid to stumble about the house on my own" she cried. Her fear decided her to come to bed, tremors and restlessness awaking her for her midnight meds. So we have continued since. The alarm wakes her for 6am meds of Modopar Rapid then she returns to sleep while I breakfast & take a short walk. Around 7am I wake her. And all this past week I have not needed to provide any assistance to dry and dress her after showering (we shower each morning), not even the couple of times when she washed her hair, which usually knocks the stuffing out of her for a bad day.
Today was different. Here I was thinking life was changing for the better. She was dressed for church before I was and seemed about to have a good day. Shortly into the service I noticed her tremors. Nothing new there since by 9:30am her 9am meds (CR Sinemet & Inderal) have not kicked in. No kick in at all so by 10:15 she was shaking enough to rock the pew and make noises with her shoes on the floor, all of which causes self-conscious stress that makes the matter worse. She leaned toward me to whisper "I need to get out of here and walk". Of course, being at the wall end of the pew we had to wait for an opportune moment that came when the congregation stood to pass the peace. Some must have thought we had changed our usually reserved, stay put, behavior when we squeezed passed friends to make our escape. Once outside she wished not to return. "I think it was the pew." she puzzled "The seat was too narrow and too low." I'm quite sure every pew in that church has the same dimensions.
So off to the supermarket where she drove the sticky handled trolley around. She became stressed whenever we paused to long to select articles from the shelves. At the check-out she had to squeeze through to sit on an inconveniently positioned bench seat in the mall. A sharp-eyed but young shop assistant watched her go. After having dented the credit card & enjoyed the exercise of re-packing the trolley, I had to trundle it to where she was seated to help her to her feet.
On Tuesday we celebrated her birthday with friends at the club. No stress, no problems, a pleasant day.
A speech therapist spoke at the PD group at the club on Thursday. Her birthday present arrived that same afternoon, just as she went to bed to sleep. While she quietly slept, I quietly installed it, only having a little difficulty fitting one of the hoses that insisted on cross-threading to dribble water everywhere. The tiles were cold yet pleasant on a hot day. When testing the contraption I squirted myself in the eye.
Return to the present at 1:30pm. I just checked on her; she is sitting watching a TV gardening programme; she tremors. She supports her head in her hand. I ask whether she has pain. "No, I'm just trying to stay awake until 2 o'clock." At 2pm she will take her meds. Then she will go to bed to sleep.
I suspect we have reached a point of change. I hope it's for the better. Perhaps taking the anti-oxidants for many months has had an effect. I hope.
Today was different. Here I was thinking life was changing for the better. She was dressed for church before I was and seemed about to have a good day. Shortly into the service I noticed her tremors. Nothing new there since by 9:30am her 9am meds (CR Sinemet & Inderal) have not kicked in. No kick in at all so by 10:15 she was shaking enough to rock the pew and make noises with her shoes on the floor, all of which causes self-conscious stress that makes the matter worse. She leaned toward me to whisper "I need to get out of here and walk". Of course, being at the wall end of the pew we had to wait for an opportune moment that came when the congregation stood to pass the peace. Some must have thought we had changed our usually reserved, stay put, behavior when we squeezed passed friends to make our escape. Once outside she wished not to return. "I think it was the pew." she puzzled "The seat was too narrow and too low." I'm quite sure every pew in that church has the same dimensions.
So off to the supermarket where she drove the sticky handled trolley around. She became stressed whenever we paused to long to select articles from the shelves. At the check-out she had to squeeze through to sit on an inconveniently positioned bench seat in the mall. A sharp-eyed but young shop assistant watched her go. After having dented the credit card & enjoyed the exercise of re-packing the trolley, I had to trundle it to where she was seated to help her to her feet.
On Tuesday we celebrated her birthday with friends at the club. No stress, no problems, a pleasant day.
A speech therapist spoke at the PD group at the club on Thursday. Her birthday present arrived that same afternoon, just as she went to bed to sleep. While she quietly slept, I quietly installed it, only having a little difficulty fitting one of the hoses that insisted on cross-threading to dribble water everywhere. The tiles were cold yet pleasant on a hot day. When testing the contraption I squirted myself in the eye.
Return to the present at 1:30pm. I just checked on her; she is sitting watching a TV gardening programme; she tremors. She supports her head in her hand. I ask whether she has pain. "No, I'm just trying to stay awake until 2 o'clock." At 2pm she will take her meds. Then she will go to bed to sleep.
I suspect we have reached a point of change. I hope it's for the better. Perhaps taking the anti-oxidants for many months has had an effect. I hope.
posted by Kilpike | 12:39 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home