Chapter 153 - Just a Chore
Xmas has passed again. A few hours at Xmas lunch to see a little of some of the grandchildren, midst the bunch of outlaws. I always feel like the Anglo-Saxon parents in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" although the outlaws are no less Ocker than we are. Just that we intrude perhaps. She enjoyed the day, a stress-free trip.
She processed millions (it seemed) of Xmas cards by preparing address labels while I was called on to scribble the "to" and "from" inside cards displaying the usual junky graphics, quite meaningless really.
At her last leg dressing on Xmas eve they discussed whether to reduce the frequency to once each week; perhaps beginning tomorrow, Monday. We continue to have a shower ritual every second day or so when I place her leg in the elephant condom, roll it at the top, twist the slack and clamp with a clothes peg, then seat her on the commode chair to shower. She always begins lathering under her arms before the hot water comes through the shower head (which I try to point the other way so as not to make her cold). I asked this morning why she does that and she replied "I got used to cold showers being a Girls' Brigade captain at camp where the showers were always cold". I had thought only young blokes required cold showers. When the warm water arrives I spray all the lathered areas, including beneath the seat of the chair. Doing this adds meaning to that female expression "top and tail" when on camping holidays, definitely not what the average bloke does. One learns things so late in life. On these shower mornings she also washes her hair. This requires the use of her "hat", a towelling contraption placed on the head, then twisted and latched into position with a button.
In the past, she would never venture anywhere in the house without her old sloppy slipper-like shoes which gave her a sense of stability. On the last few shower mornings she scampered from the bathroom quite starkers, except for the "hat", and without shoes. When I queried this behaviour she said "Yes, I feel more stable now". And some weeks ago when I commented about leaving the bathroom without being attired in a minimal amount of underclothes she said that after awhile a sense of modesty disappears. And to think we have only been married for 45 years.
When we are shopping she often chooses food stuffs intent on later preparing something special. Usually these specials remain forgotten in the cupboard. Not the last, which was a tin of tuna and a few other things to make a tuna casserole, because last evening she decided to actually make it. She even chopped up the onions. When she became bent and her back ached, she asked me to wrap an elastic girdle thing around her waist. It does up with Velcro. As I was fighting with this very wide rubber band a neighbour looked in at our kitchen window , which faces the street. Perhaps his face naturally displays a surprised expression.
Since she coped with the first embroidery lesson she seems willing to attempt more stitch-outs. This is to be encouraged. She was rather protective of her large machine while I needed to use it to complete an assignment after mine lost control of its top tension. Sort of incontinence in an embroidery machine I suppose.
We were able to make an appointment to see the GP who gave her a prescription for 1mg Sifrol which she breaks in half so she now takes 500ug of Sifrol at 6am, noon & 6pm, each with a Sinemet CR from Tuesday 16th December. There have been no sudden remarkable side effects. Most of her nights are broken by repeated cycles of tremor, attempts to roll over then a need for the 'loo. Saturday morning yesterday is a bad example; to the 'loo at midnight, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and 6am. Yet last night only at 12:30am & 3:30am.
She is beginning an embroidery stitch-out, so I must go to check.
She processed millions (it seemed) of Xmas cards by preparing address labels while I was called on to scribble the "to" and "from" inside cards displaying the usual junky graphics, quite meaningless really.
At her last leg dressing on Xmas eve they discussed whether to reduce the frequency to once each week; perhaps beginning tomorrow, Monday. We continue to have a shower ritual every second day or so when I place her leg in the elephant condom, roll it at the top, twist the slack and clamp with a clothes peg, then seat her on the commode chair to shower. She always begins lathering under her arms before the hot water comes through the shower head (which I try to point the other way so as not to make her cold). I asked this morning why she does that and she replied "I got used to cold showers being a Girls' Brigade captain at camp where the showers were always cold". I had thought only young blokes required cold showers. When the warm water arrives I spray all the lathered areas, including beneath the seat of the chair. Doing this adds meaning to that female expression "top and tail" when on camping holidays, definitely not what the average bloke does. One learns things so late in life. On these shower mornings she also washes her hair. This requires the use of her "hat", a towelling contraption placed on the head, then twisted and latched into position with a button.
In the past, she would never venture anywhere in the house without her old sloppy slipper-like shoes which gave her a sense of stability. On the last few shower mornings she scampered from the bathroom quite starkers, except for the "hat", and without shoes. When I queried this behaviour she said "Yes, I feel more stable now". And some weeks ago when I commented about leaving the bathroom without being attired in a minimal amount of underclothes she said that after awhile a sense of modesty disappears. And to think we have only been married for 45 years.
When we are shopping she often chooses food stuffs intent on later preparing something special. Usually these specials remain forgotten in the cupboard. Not the last, which was a tin of tuna and a few other things to make a tuna casserole, because last evening she decided to actually make it. She even chopped up the onions. When she became bent and her back ached, she asked me to wrap an elastic girdle thing around her waist. It does up with Velcro. As I was fighting with this very wide rubber band a neighbour looked in at our kitchen window , which faces the street. Perhaps his face naturally displays a surprised expression.
Since she coped with the first embroidery lesson she seems willing to attempt more stitch-outs. This is to be encouraged. She was rather protective of her large machine while I needed to use it to complete an assignment after mine lost control of its top tension. Sort of incontinence in an embroidery machine I suppose.
We were able to make an appointment to see the GP who gave her a prescription for 1mg Sifrol which she breaks in half so she now takes 500ug of Sifrol at 6am, noon & 6pm, each with a Sinemet CR from Tuesday 16th December. There have been no sudden remarkable side effects. Most of her nights are broken by repeated cycles of tremor, attempts to roll over then a need for the 'loo. Saturday morning yesterday is a bad example; to the 'loo at midnight, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and 6am. Yet last night only at 12:30am & 3:30am.
She is beginning an embroidery stitch-out, so I must go to check.
posted by Kilpike | 8:26 am
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