Chapter 97 - Talking to Feet
I am tired of writing these notes. Things don't change much and I wonder whether I am repeating myself. You need to understand events that occurred months ago are still happening this hour, day, week & month; the problems don't go away, just the circumstances in which they are noted change. I often lay awake in bed of a morning trying to make a mental note to describe an event that happened to her, yet in the light of day the words/memories evaporate and I puzzle what incident had occurred. I rely on my imperfect note taking in little spiral notebooks to freeze moments to mention to you. My concern increases about her situation should I ever be laid up or worse.
I criticised her some days ago. She had been stiff, unable to dry or dress after a shower, pains in her back & legs. She was miserable. Then the phone rang. Her voice changed immediately she recognised the calling voice, it became light, happy, cheerful, sounded to me as if she had no problems at all. I must be thankful for her ability to rise above her problems.
Take this morning for instance. Her 6am alarm rang itself dry while she attempted to position herself to disable it. She was laying on her back, unable to wriggle into another position. I stretched out my arm to her bed, we grasped fingers, enough tension to enable her to sit for her soluble meds, but needed the loo first. My alarm at 7am we ignored to stay in bed until 9am. Of course, in doing so wastes the effect of the 6am meds, should they have kicked in, for her to have a shower. Bed is nice on cold dark mornings. So she was unable to have a shower by that time so took her 9am meds, sat in her favourite chair while I applied the TENS machine because there was pain down her right leg. The beginnings of a bad day. By 11am she decided to shower, dried & dressed herself except for those sodding little wire clips as always.
And then yesterday, Thursday. She showered & dressed herself without problem. But at 10:15am I was called on the CB to pull her jeans up after a visit to the loo. And the day before, Wednesday, after she showered I was needed to completely dry & dress her. She was in pain stooped like an oriental grandmother in a rice paddy. She had to grasp her toilet fire pole up high to straighten & ease the pain. All that day she was stooped unable to straighten much, poor balance and much shaking. Medication failed to kick in. Tuesday shower help & dressing were needed and by mid-morning a headache began and there were bad tremors in her legs. Yet Monday was a good day, although she mentioned later she almost lost her balance to the right when rising from her chair.
So it goes. All much of the same, yet with an annoying unpredictability. For those of you who know us, please take these variations in her performance into account when in contact with us, because we find planning activities awkward hoping for good days. Quite often mornings begin poorly & slowly.
Last Saturday she enjoyed an evening out at an amateur theatre production in a nearby spud-growing country town. The audience, seated at tables, eat & imbibe their own foodstuffs before, during & after the performance. She was pleased we were able to sit at a table position where she was not crowded.
I will have to begin making cool & hot curries again, rather than middle-of-the-road versions. I think I mentioned her reactions to a recent curry. Further servings of the same brew seemed to disturb her tremors & general well being, although not to the same extent. In mentioning this at our local PD Group, other PWP's are also aware that spicy foods have negative impacts on their PD symptoms.
Last week we ventured to the mattress store in Hot Air City, the place where we bought her favourite mattress last year. For an additional $500 above the cost of a mattress we ordered a non-standard sized one for the van; in anticipation to taking more trips.
An interesting comment from her. Some weeks ago she was sitting on the side of her bed as I put her socks on her feet. I pushed her comfy shoes into position for her to slip them on. "I can't do it," she muttered "because I can't see my feet." My stooped shoulders & head were obscuring her view of her feet. I had not realised that was important to her. She often says she has to talk to legs & feet to connect to them before she can walk.
I criticised her some days ago. She had been stiff, unable to dry or dress after a shower, pains in her back & legs. She was miserable. Then the phone rang. Her voice changed immediately she recognised the calling voice, it became light, happy, cheerful, sounded to me as if she had no problems at all. I must be thankful for her ability to rise above her problems.
Take this morning for instance. Her 6am alarm rang itself dry while she attempted to position herself to disable it. She was laying on her back, unable to wriggle into another position. I stretched out my arm to her bed, we grasped fingers, enough tension to enable her to sit for her soluble meds, but needed the loo first. My alarm at 7am we ignored to stay in bed until 9am. Of course, in doing so wastes the effect of the 6am meds, should they have kicked in, for her to have a shower. Bed is nice on cold dark mornings. So she was unable to have a shower by that time so took her 9am meds, sat in her favourite chair while I applied the TENS machine because there was pain down her right leg. The beginnings of a bad day. By 11am she decided to shower, dried & dressed herself except for those sodding little wire clips as always.
And then yesterday, Thursday. She showered & dressed herself without problem. But at 10:15am I was called on the CB to pull her jeans up after a visit to the loo. And the day before, Wednesday, after she showered I was needed to completely dry & dress her. She was in pain stooped like an oriental grandmother in a rice paddy. She had to grasp her toilet fire pole up high to straighten & ease the pain. All that day she was stooped unable to straighten much, poor balance and much shaking. Medication failed to kick in. Tuesday shower help & dressing were needed and by mid-morning a headache began and there were bad tremors in her legs. Yet Monday was a good day, although she mentioned later she almost lost her balance to the right when rising from her chair.
So it goes. All much of the same, yet with an annoying unpredictability. For those of you who know us, please take these variations in her performance into account when in contact with us, because we find planning activities awkward hoping for good days. Quite often mornings begin poorly & slowly.
Last Saturday she enjoyed an evening out at an amateur theatre production in a nearby spud-growing country town. The audience, seated at tables, eat & imbibe their own foodstuffs before, during & after the performance. She was pleased we were able to sit at a table position where she was not crowded.
I will have to begin making cool & hot curries again, rather than middle-of-the-road versions. I think I mentioned her reactions to a recent curry. Further servings of the same brew seemed to disturb her tremors & general well being, although not to the same extent. In mentioning this at our local PD Group, other PWP's are also aware that spicy foods have negative impacts on their PD symptoms.
Last week we ventured to the mattress store in Hot Air City, the place where we bought her favourite mattress last year. For an additional $500 above the cost of a mattress we ordered a non-standard sized one for the van; in anticipation to taking more trips.
An interesting comment from her. Some weeks ago she was sitting on the side of her bed as I put her socks on her feet. I pushed her comfy shoes into position for her to slip them on. "I can't do it," she muttered "because I can't see my feet." My stooped shoulders & head were obscuring her view of her feet. I had not realised that was important to her. She often says she has to talk to legs & feet to connect to them before she can walk.
posted by Kilpike | 1:09 pm
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