Chapter 139 - A False Dawn Perhaps

The experiment to halve her Sinemet CR has come to nothing. Well, maybe not, the experience was worth it. Not that anything became horrible; far from it. During the first couple of days she was released from her "writhing" bondage; what she felt inside, not so much what I could see. She noticed some increase in tremor of course which she found tolerable but is was the stiffness, the rigidity, that seemed to bother her. That was a threat to her limited independence to shower, dry and dress herself. So for the present she has returned to taking a whole CR at each medication time. Prepared to halve a CR when the need will arise.

Last Thursday was dentist visit day down in Hot Air City. There were no obvious signs of stress on the way there except while we were seated in the waiting room, when she became agitated, obvious in her voice. The paediatric dentist needed to use velcro straps to secure her legs which were in danger of kicking the dickens out of his equipment. He escorted her back into the waiting room where he explained to me the success of the visit. I suspect he enters auto-mode to tell parents how their children fared in his chair. Anyway, a successful visit for the sum of $450 before claiming MediBank Private's measly refund. She has confidence to return.

The day before, Wednesday, she attended a birthday afternoon tea for the friend around the corner. That experience stressed her; cooped up with too many ladies in their finery in a congested space. Likewise, no KYB either for similar reasons - when unable to sit any longer and needed to walk about the room "they were watching me". She is pleased that she cancelled attendance at the friend's "surprise" party in Steel City in a week's time.

We are now waiting for other friends from Steel City to arrive for a visit. She looks forward to their arrival.

Chapter 138 - Quiet Progress

Yesterday she drew my attention to her right leg which was rotating, "writhing", in a manner similar to those horror days when she was way over dosed. Should we call it dyskinesia? "When & how long has this been happening?" I asked. "A couple of weeks" she said "About half an hour after taking meds." I recalled that when we were cramped side by side on a bus trip to Hot Air City a few days ago with our PD group that I had been conscious of a rolling occurring in her left hip. We decided she should try half a Sinemet CR, rather than a whole, beginning today at each of her med times at 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm & 10pm. Maybe we should reconsider only a couple of reduced doses to begin with otherwise the change may be too sudden. I will suggest this to her when she wakes.

Last weekend our old friends from Humid City rang while I was out attending to a neighbour's computer woes. After speaking to her at length they were quite surprised at her lucidity, her brightness, ability to engage them in chit-chat. When he rang last night for a chat with me he mentioned how changed she was; they were surprised.

On Friday last I decided that I should vacuum the carpets then wash the wooden floor. To my surprise she decided to mop the wooden floor with a small detergent filled mop that was hidden away in a cupboard. I tried to disuade her but relented when she seemed intent on doing it. She completed the task without difficulty, although needed to sit down once the task was completed.

Shut in my dungeon this cold weather I often don't hear her taking dirty clothes to the laundry, washing them and only sometimes asking my assistance hanging things on the line.

Last week she made a batch of muffins. We have been grocery shopping a few weeks now without her new collapsible walker.

She looks for her MP3 player each bedtime. The other night I had not disconnected the player from its battery charging connection to my PC so, since I was asleep, she used the older one that requires AA cells. Last night I found another relaxation/meditation site and downloaded some additional files for her. I don't know yet whether she listened to them last night.

After our past month of disease neither of us are taking enough exercise, although she only missed one physio session with the falls group at the hospital. I can only recall once in many weeks being called to help with a bra strap. She has been wearing socks without needing assistance.

This coming Thursday she has a couple of fillings so I am hoping that stress has little effect on her. She has confidence in the dentist, at the moment.

Chapter 137 - A New Sunrise

Returning to the aftermath of the mental health survey, on the following day when I took her through the questions, her friend from around the corner called in the afternoon to talk about her need to leave our village and move into something cheaper and closer to family, since the friend is 70 and the husband about a decade older. They are cash-strapped, have placed a 14 week holding deposit on a place on the central coast, about two thirds the value of what they may expect from the current place. Of course that means they will have nothing left if the move is successful. They have been told that their present place must be vacant possession before it will be placed on the market. So the time frame, costs of bridging finance, etc. make it an impossible task.

So in our patch thoughts then turned to our own end days, if I go before her, far from family, reducing the quantity (I began to type "down-sizing" - yuk) of our possessions, she (the friend) "cries when she looks at her Royal Dalton collections, young people don't appreciate these things", all that computer stuff I have, all the books I have but don't read and so on. So that night she again slept badly, not calmed by the MP3. And came down with a disease in the head in partnership with mine in the chest.

And I only realised after those two nights of her horror that, due to my 'flu, I had not been down the street during the week prior to buy her puzzle magazines, and that meant she had not experienced her usual furious mental activity while completing the puzzles, which usually requires some web browsing or hounding me for a few answers. I will ensure she does not miss her weekly mental challenges in future.

Yet as the week progressed she came out of this black hole, she decided not to post the mental health questionnaire (I suspect she may have benefited in the long term by following through with it, but the process would be cruel). I'm not sure whether she stuck it in a drawer or shredded it.

While getting breakfast this morning we ticked off the beneficial things we have done to alleviate her PD problems:

1. Followed the advice of a doctor (not a neurologist) who told her to reduce the quantity of her PD medications as much as possible.
2. Installed a bidet & fire pole in "her" bathroom.
3. Bought a hand held TENS machine for pain (unused for many weeks)
4. A very good quality mattress for her bed, bed poles and a quilted satin strip to go across the mattress.
5. Attended a physio for 5 consultations, where she was advised how to overcome panic attacks and minimise incontinence problems, both without using medications.
6. We each carry a hand-held CB radio so that we can be apart without her being in fear of falls and the comfort of being able to call for help with trivial daily matters.
7. A great stack of pleasant music DVDs she can watch.
8. Two puzzle competition magazines each week.
9. An MP3 player and sleep inducing music files.

Maybe we should write a best selling book?

Spring is on the way.