Chapter 87 - Freedom
Last Friday we attended the fish & chip dinner at our local hall; she drove her scooter, I walked beside. Her face showed concern, perhaps fear, when she realised that she needed to navigate between tables & chairs to reach the table where she wanted to sit. Once in position she was able to relax, enjoying the evening while remaining seated in the scooter. Just as she had often described her use of a scooter before we bought one, several months ago.
Yesterday we drove to her favourite rag shop in the border town near the hot air city. We walked inside the shop; she would not take the scooter, perhaps it is a little congested. After a light lunch I proposed scootering around a big department store, as she had dreamed of doing in pre-scooter days. "Let's go home" she said. I decided that the new "factory outlet" shoe & clothing complex near the airport was an ideal place for her to practice scootering. She said nothing, but circumnavigated the place, chatted to a security guard while I rummaged in a book shop - yes, one has opened here but only contains remaindered stuff on special, nothing of which interested me.
Last night, too close to medication time, we consumed scraps of cheese & dips lurking in the fridge. After falling asleep several times in front of the TV I went to bed early. In the dark of early morning she called me "I need help, my legs won't move, they are stuck together." I pulled a stiff pair of legs over the edge of her bed, she tilted upwards to a seated position. Found her shoes (she needs footwear to be able to walk to the bathroom) and once upright she was able to shuffle away after asking for her torch, the little LED model I bought for her when she was at that clinic down south. We don't turn on the lights for these short walks in the dark. The torch light, wobbling from her slight tremor across the floor in front of her, seems to aid in synchronising her steps. She arrives back at her bedside before me (we have our own little problems), fists pressing down on the bed as she attempts to raise her right knee in slow motion. When I am up I bend the leg slightly until she overbalances forward onto the bed then pull up the doona for her; if I am asleep (often she does not wake me) she must take much longer to get back into bed. In the dark of this morning I lay wake solving the world's problems for what seemed to be hours then to be woken by the alarm for her first med at 6am. She woke me "Are you having a shower?" around 8am when I really needed to remain asleep, but we were already running an hour late. Her day is much better when we kick off the day around 7am. After showering she emerged from the bathroom saying that her back was "going". The TENS machine to the rescue once again.
The freedom offered by her scooter is yet to eventuate. Her fear of hitting someone or something causes stop-start motion unless the way ahead is clear for 20 metres or more. I suspect her right thumb used on the forward control gives her pain, so I may need to modify the controls for left handed use.
Yesterday we drove to her favourite rag shop in the border town near the hot air city. We walked inside the shop; she would not take the scooter, perhaps it is a little congested. After a light lunch I proposed scootering around a big department store, as she had dreamed of doing in pre-scooter days. "Let's go home" she said. I decided that the new "factory outlet" shoe & clothing complex near the airport was an ideal place for her to practice scootering. She said nothing, but circumnavigated the place, chatted to a security guard while I rummaged in a book shop - yes, one has opened here but only contains remaindered stuff on special, nothing of which interested me.
Last night, too close to medication time, we consumed scraps of cheese & dips lurking in the fridge. After falling asleep several times in front of the TV I went to bed early. In the dark of early morning she called me "I need help, my legs won't move, they are stuck together." I pulled a stiff pair of legs over the edge of her bed, she tilted upwards to a seated position. Found her shoes (she needs footwear to be able to walk to the bathroom) and once upright she was able to shuffle away after asking for her torch, the little LED model I bought for her when she was at that clinic down south. We don't turn on the lights for these short walks in the dark. The torch light, wobbling from her slight tremor across the floor in front of her, seems to aid in synchronising her steps. She arrives back at her bedside before me (we have our own little problems), fists pressing down on the bed as she attempts to raise her right knee in slow motion. When I am up I bend the leg slightly until she overbalances forward onto the bed then pull up the doona for her; if I am asleep (often she does not wake me) she must take much longer to get back into bed. In the dark of this morning I lay wake solving the world's problems for what seemed to be hours then to be woken by the alarm for her first med at 6am. She woke me "Are you having a shower?" around 8am when I really needed to remain asleep, but we were already running an hour late. Her day is much better when we kick off the day around 7am. After showering she emerged from the bathroom saying that her back was "going". The TENS machine to the rescue once again.
The freedom offered by her scooter is yet to eventuate. Her fear of hitting someone or something causes stop-start motion unless the way ahead is clear for 20 metres or more. I suspect her right thumb used on the forward control gives her pain, so I may need to modify the controls for left handed use.
posted by Kilpike | 9:02 am
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