Chapter 106 - A Painful Week
As I dawned this morning she was sitting on the side of her bed. "I can't move" she said. Her situation reminded me of an incident earlier in the week. Anyway, I rolled out of bed, positioned her old, easy to slip into, shoes beside her feet and in the gloom helped her fit them to her feet. At one point "The tongue of the right shoe is folded in". You may remember that she finds walking without shoes difficult, her toes want to bend under, even going the twenty or so shuffling steps to the loo. She needed to be up this morning to relax her legs from slight cramping. She had missed her midnight CR, woke at 4:30am to take half a one, then her usual combo at 6:00am. Now at 7:40 she sits in her chair, has had her pulp cereal with sultanas (she rouses on me if I call them raisins) added, waiting to feel good about having a shower.
Tuesday was just plain awful. She begins a bad day by washing her hair. Just the action of raising her hands to her hair to wash out shampoo pre-applied before entering the shower usually causes bent back, stiffness, pain and general stress & discomfort. I suggested she should make use of the shower chair she has had for a number of years, always in the way in her bathroom but hardly ever used. Well, she did so Tuesday morning. All was well until after she raised her legs, one at a time, to wash her feet. On rising from the chair she was crippled with sciatic pain in her right hip & leg. The pain lessened slightly with the application of the TENS machine, three before 9am, and several does of Panamax. Yet not enough for her not to be in tears at 5pm. Unfortunately, our Bowen practitioner around the corner is no longer in business otherwise an emergency visit would have resolved the pain within half an hour.
Wednesday was worse. Even though the TENS was applied twice she was shaking too much to shower at 9am, so she returned to bed. I checked on her after 10am but she wanted to stay in bed. Yet at noon she rose, showered & dressed herself except for jeans. By 1:30pm she was extremely shaky, stressed & so hot that she had her tiny personal fan blowing on her face, which was flushed. A few minutes later she needed to walk the floor, then had to lie down in bed to "quiet the shakes" and a few minutes later called me on the CB for a couple of Panamax. She was too hot to need any covers on. I returned to my dungeon, on the way turning on the radio in the lounge room for some soothing music from Classic FM. Well, so I thought. I had the same playing in the dungeon. And on the way to the dungeon I must have bumped the on-off button of the CB in my pocket. A short time after I left her in bed she became restless, needed to get up. She was able to raise herself to a sitting position on the bed with her feet on the floor yet was unable to stand. She repeatedly called me on the CB; I failed to respond. Being seated at the centre of the bed she was too far from the phone and its emergency button. She yelled; I was at the other end of the house listening to quiet classical music, so non-intrusive I have no memory of what was playing; I did not hear her. She was stuck. About 2:20pm. She became stressed. As an orchestral piece on the radio drew to a crescendo finish she found that her shakes synchronised with the rhythm, then followed the tempo. Her chest tightened, breathing was difficult, dry mouth & sweating. Somehow by 3:15 she managed to coax her legs into motion to appear at the doorway of my dungeon. By 4:20 she needed to return to bed for she was very tired. I made sure my CB was on. At 5:50 I woke her as agreed. To the loo. Very sharp pains in her right hip. Three applications of the TENS on her hip before cheese on crumpets. Another 3 TENS applications before bed at 10:30pm. A short time later 2 Panamax then a little after 11pm she sat on the edge of the bed, shoes on to prevent toe curl. After that I have blurred memory of several loo visits into Thursday. Uncomfortable in bed, unable to shower, she sat in front of the TV for a few hours to her 9am meds after which slight stress made her sweaty. At 10:30am she found bed comfortable. I woke her at lunch time - none wanted. Woke her for 2pm meds. A friend called in about 3:15pm so I woke her for a change of scene. When the friend left an hour later she was hot & shaky. Perhaps that had not been a good idea, although she seemed better for the chat. Later in the evening a dose of TENS to her lower back which felt "thick" rather than painful. After cleaning her teeth before bed she was unable to adjust her clothing after the loo, she became hot & sweaty, unstable on her feet, stiff, needed help to get to the bedroom and the usual assistance with raising her right leg to get into bed when she feels this way. She had spent all of Thursday in her dressing gown.
Yesterday, Friday, we came out of the mire. She showered, "on the verge of pain" she said. Although she didn't really need me to, I dried & dressed her to avoid any stress on her back & leg. "So good to be dressed again" she smiled. So yesterday was one of those forgettable days that are good to remember; no big problems, no pain just a discomfort, watched her favourite DVD "My big fat Greek wedding", was interested in my hassles with our wireless broadband link, a zap with TENS around 5pm for "thick back" and all in all a good day for her.
When I checked on her a short time ago she had returned to bed feeling cold and not up to a shower yet. Maybe after 9am meds, which is about now.
On Wednesday next we meet at the little town halfway to the Big Smoke to meet with her Ugly Sisters for lunch. A special day, Cinderella will be 65.
Tuesday was just plain awful. She begins a bad day by washing her hair. Just the action of raising her hands to her hair to wash out shampoo pre-applied before entering the shower usually causes bent back, stiffness, pain and general stress & discomfort. I suggested she should make use of the shower chair she has had for a number of years, always in the way in her bathroom but hardly ever used. Well, she did so Tuesday morning. All was well until after she raised her legs, one at a time, to wash her feet. On rising from the chair she was crippled with sciatic pain in her right hip & leg. The pain lessened slightly with the application of the TENS machine, three before 9am, and several does of Panamax. Yet not enough for her not to be in tears at 5pm. Unfortunately, our Bowen practitioner around the corner is no longer in business otherwise an emergency visit would have resolved the pain within half an hour.
Wednesday was worse. Even though the TENS was applied twice she was shaking too much to shower at 9am, so she returned to bed. I checked on her after 10am but she wanted to stay in bed. Yet at noon she rose, showered & dressed herself except for jeans. By 1:30pm she was extremely shaky, stressed & so hot that she had her tiny personal fan blowing on her face, which was flushed. A few minutes later she needed to walk the floor, then had to lie down in bed to "quiet the shakes" and a few minutes later called me on the CB for a couple of Panamax. She was too hot to need any covers on. I returned to my dungeon, on the way turning on the radio in the lounge room for some soothing music from Classic FM. Well, so I thought. I had the same playing in the dungeon. And on the way to the dungeon I must have bumped the on-off button of the CB in my pocket. A short time after I left her in bed she became restless, needed to get up. She was able to raise herself to a sitting position on the bed with her feet on the floor yet was unable to stand. She repeatedly called me on the CB; I failed to respond. Being seated at the centre of the bed she was too far from the phone and its emergency button. She yelled; I was at the other end of the house listening to quiet classical music, so non-intrusive I have no memory of what was playing; I did not hear her. She was stuck. About 2:20pm. She became stressed. As an orchestral piece on the radio drew to a crescendo finish she found that her shakes synchronised with the rhythm, then followed the tempo. Her chest tightened, breathing was difficult, dry mouth & sweating. Somehow by 3:15 she managed to coax her legs into motion to appear at the doorway of my dungeon. By 4:20 she needed to return to bed for she was very tired. I made sure my CB was on. At 5:50 I woke her as agreed. To the loo. Very sharp pains in her right hip. Three applications of the TENS on her hip before cheese on crumpets. Another 3 TENS applications before bed at 10:30pm. A short time later 2 Panamax then a little after 11pm she sat on the edge of the bed, shoes on to prevent toe curl. After that I have blurred memory of several loo visits into Thursday. Uncomfortable in bed, unable to shower, she sat in front of the TV for a few hours to her 9am meds after which slight stress made her sweaty. At 10:30am she found bed comfortable. I woke her at lunch time - none wanted. Woke her for 2pm meds. A friend called in about 3:15pm so I woke her for a change of scene. When the friend left an hour later she was hot & shaky. Perhaps that had not been a good idea, although she seemed better for the chat. Later in the evening a dose of TENS to her lower back which felt "thick" rather than painful. After cleaning her teeth before bed she was unable to adjust her clothing after the loo, she became hot & sweaty, unstable on her feet, stiff, needed help to get to the bedroom and the usual assistance with raising her right leg to get into bed when she feels this way. She had spent all of Thursday in her dressing gown.
Yesterday, Friday, we came out of the mire. She showered, "on the verge of pain" she said. Although she didn't really need me to, I dried & dressed her to avoid any stress on her back & leg. "So good to be dressed again" she smiled. So yesterday was one of those forgettable days that are good to remember; no big problems, no pain just a discomfort, watched her favourite DVD "My big fat Greek wedding", was interested in my hassles with our wireless broadband link, a zap with TENS around 5pm for "thick back" and all in all a good day for her.
When I checked on her a short time ago she had returned to bed feeling cold and not up to a shower yet. Maybe after 9am meds, which is about now.
On Wednesday next we meet at the little town halfway to the Big Smoke to meet with her Ugly Sisters for lunch. A special day, Cinderella will be 65.
posted by Kilpike | 7:34 am
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