Chapter 179 - Reversal

She attempted to modify her meds regime and failed. I did not intrude into her planning; dropping a 1mg Sifrol at 6am then attempting to cram 4 Sifrols into the rest of the day. The results caused her to feel bad; the weird feelings up the back of her head; ill at ease, so she returned to the old regime within 3 days. She is feeling much better now, having forgotten about the longer off times and more tremors late mornings and afternoons. I have threatened to help plan meds changes in future.

On Saturday our village had an arts & crafts fair.She really enjoyed herself, talking to ladies about her embroidery efforts and was quite chuffed when a little old lady bought a framed kookaburra (a purchased design) for $5, the price of the frame. In a way, that doesn't abuse copyright since the stitchout was a free gift. I observed her across the hall looking very happy.

Our son & company, on learning about her rear end damage, decided to visit us on Saturday, deciding to come down late afternoon. We met them near the club in which we spent the next 4 hours, eating and swapping birthday presents. In all, Saturday was a most enjoyable day for her.

Yesterday was her appointment with the Caring Physician. He agreed that in light of the tingling and burning in her fingertips and arms that her decision to curtail Lipitor was most advisable. He said that statins cause muscle "meltdown" in some people - rather a graphic way to describe it. After giving her a good checkover, although she refused to get on his couch because of her rear end, he decided she should have a CT scan of her kidneys & lungs now that almost 5 years have passed since she had the right kidney carcinoma removed. I think privately to myself that such a test will remove my concern about her breathlessness when we walk quickly.

Chapter 178 - A Sorry Tail To Tell

She saw the doctor yesterday. He examined her rear and concluded that she had damaged her coccyx (tail bone to me) when she fell on her bum off her ergonomic stool. Nothing much can be done about the pain other than take pain killers until healing takes place, usually up to 2 months. I was surprised to learn that she has been taking two Panadol or Panamax 4 times each day ever since the fall. She had not told me because she didn't want our trip south to be cancelled because she thought my school re-union was important to me and she really wanted to see the grandchildren after such a long time. She explained to the doctor that she used the grab handles in the truck a lot to relieve the pain, even though she sat on her special flat pillow with a slot in it, and here was I thinking she was just tense because of driving conditions when she usually seems to grab the handles for support when negotiating bends & corners; so it wasn't just my lousy driving.

I had thought her meds had her PD under control but she queried the doctor about increasing the Sinemet to fill in off periods in late morning and afternoon. He suggested she should instead increase the Sifrol to four times a day from the current three. She was jotting times and amounts on paper last night to change her meds today so I will report her new figures on my next post. Here was I thinking PD-wise she was on an even keel yet unknown to me the bow is sinking (no, as you can tell, I'm no sailor), although I had noticed a more pronounced stoop of late.

I failed to mention that the grandchildren gave her a birthday party on one of our visits on the Saturday that was her birthday, a rather tasty cheese cake with two candles in the shape of "67". They sang "happy birthday" as I took some happy snaps.

Since our return she has begun a production line of embroidered "towel toppers" for an order from her sister. I have not noticed her using her ergonomic stool while doing so. This coming Saturday afternoon we have an arts & craft show where she will probably show some of her work.

Someone told me recently that my posts are depressing; I did not ask whether my writing or the content. Either way, I write as I see our progression, neither seeming depressing from my viewpoint.

Chapter 177 - A Strange Day

A puzzle. As I said, we went to the club at Highlands Town on Wednesday to have an enjoyable day. Then Thursday we saw "Charlie & Boots" before some super market shopping to re-stock our cupboards and buying Wii Fit Plus, afterwards we had our favourite salt & pepper squid with salad at home. She was unable to perform her Wii Fit exercises, although she began them about 10pm , much later than usual, as she was going "off" prior to her midnight meds.

Mid morning Friday she mentioned that her shakes were bad, after she began some sewing projects. She hoped her mid day meds would set things right, but not so. No kick-in at all. Her eye-sight is poor when she is "off" so she did not attempt further sewing. A friend who visited late afternoon probably did not notice her condition which continued into the evening. I queried whether she had missed any of her meds, or had taken the wrong ones, but no, nothing meds wise had changed. After a good night's sleep Saturday was a reasonable day, some sewing, watched a DVD movie at midday & another in the evening (lousy TV schedules) and another friend visited late afternoon. Over all, a pleasant day for her.

Now on Sunday she happily potters away with embroidery, although I had to clean her track ball mouse again. Perhaps my imagination suggests that she is stooping more than usual.

Chapter 176 - Returned from the South

We were in My Old Home Town for my high school re-union during the October long weekend. Although we took her walker, she remained in the motel room during the Saturday, relying on room service, rather than venturing forth as I suspect she intended. However, on Friday afternoon and Sunday we walked about town impulse shopping. She was very pleased with the service from a sewing shop that was able to sell her a foot that had been "on order" at another place back home, a place she will avoid in future. Although she insisted any pain in her lower back was decreasing, she continued to use a special pillow while in the truck and sometimes a small decorative one behind her back.

The following Monday we continued to Batman City where we stayed four nights in a flea pit motel in the suburb where the old company office once was 20 years ago. We remained at the motel because it was within walking distance of the shopping centre, tram terminus & not far from several friends that we visited on two evenings. Also the motel beds were unusually comfortable. On the first day there we took a tram into the City. She coped very well with the modern trams with their entrance ways level with the roadway - there were no gaps as with trains between platform and train and no steps. Neither of us enjoyed the visit into the City with its congestion - we found toilets, something to eat and that the movie theatres had moved and were showing nothing she wished to see, so we caught a crowded tram back to the suburbs.

At the end of that week we relocated down to Pivot City so that we could visit family over the weekend. Three visits to see grandchildren not seen for several years. She celebrated her birthday with them on the Saturday evening. At the motel she found the single bed to be a painful experience so shared the double bed with me sleeping on portion of her special satin sheet and she feeling the air from my CPAP machine. On the Sunday we had time for surprise visits to two sets of old friends. On the way I detoured to take photos of a creek which I wished to embroider but she did not wish to walk along the pathway on the beautiful sunny morning.

On the return trip home she did not wish to have an overnight stay in the Old Home Town, so we continued on to German Town where we enjoyed an expensive dinner & a comfortable room for the night. A fitting end to our holiday. In total we travelled 1700 kms and spent a month's income on a 10 day holiday. As always, most motel rooms are unsuitable for disabled persons even if advertised as such. Grab rails, should they be available, tend to be designed and positioned by the inexperienced, rooms have entry steps or floor discontinuities between wet & dry areas and management seem to think the disabled are only those people in wheel chairs.

And the following day after arriving home we had a birthday lunch with the Ugly Sisters at the club at Highlands Town. Yesterday we re-stocked the kitchen cupboards after seeing the movie "Charlie & Boots" which she found very entertaining even though she sat crookedly in the theatre seat. Even though she kept insisting that the pain in her lower back was diminishing as our holiday progressed, I believe she was suffering quietly. She says that the pain is really only there when seated in the truck. An appointment with our local GP has been made for Tuesday next week at the earliest - she could see someone else but prefers not to.

In a fortnight we plan to head north to Cane Toad country but this will be cancelled if the doctor finds anything serious with her lower back. The day before we went south I had made an appointment for both of us to have the Swine Flu injections; neither of us had any reactions although she still has a bruise on her arm at the injection site. We have been surprised that every one we have spoken to since has stated that they will not be having the injections. I fail to understand their fears.