Chapter 191 - Unprofessional Appointment Keeping

At last week's visit an appointment was made with K for a 9am appointment for today for more pain therapy. This meant an early start today, an aborted attempt at some Wii exercising, a few minutes on the treadmill to ease pain & to get her going. She was unable to dress herself, partly due to her damp skin, partly that she was not standing very well. We were at the gym place where K uses a room by 9am. She was perspiring a lot and tense from the drive. We sat down. A bloke queried who we were to see, we told him, about 5 minutes later he rang K who obviously had not planned to be in the building by 9am and said she would be there in half an hour. We left on foot to attend to a Medicare matter and buy some cards. I complained several times that the dystonia in her right arm, which she had looped through my left was causing pain in my arm so we had to swap arms. When we arrived back K was there and dismissed us saying that she will see us next Thursday at 1:30pm before we go away. So she had that muddled as well since it is tomorrow we go away and why an appointment was made so early today. We left, me muttering loudly about "unprofessional" behaviour. K may be good at pain management but she does need to learn a lot about PD. If not for the fact that her pain has reduced and changed (although that may be due to the quantity of pain killers being consumed) I would consider not taking her for the appointment next week. No point in cutting of my nose to spite her pain.

On Tuesday our GP gave us flu injections and a prescription for Madopar HBS 100/25 to replace the non-existent supply of Sinemet CR. Because this is a "new" drug, the chemist had to order it so I collected it this morning. She will not commence the Madopar until we return from our weekend away. I hope the stuff treats her kindly. I noted in a journal report referenced in the PD group today that that country "with the best medical system in the world" for the rich people of their country seem surprised that Europe and Australia lack Sinemet CR due to "unknown supply" reasons. A pox on the lot of them!

Chapter 190 - Too Late Too Soon

A month since I last posted. My postings here have tended to be Sunday religious rituals, and like the "real" thing no longer indulged in, a matter of decaying habits. Not that there haven't been PD things to talk about but first-thing-of-the-day Wii Fit exercises and breakfast come first, so now, after 9am, I feel I am wasting the working part of the day.

Not that there haven't been matters to recall. We attended the last meeting of our local PD group when the two PD nurse practitioners chosen for the PD training in Big Smoke attended and gave short presentations. One, K, (no, not one of Kafka's non-heroes) is a pain management expert. A quiet brief word to K at the end of the meeting resulted in an appointment a few hours later. She had immediate relief from the sharp needle-like pains extending from her lower legs down both legs. Pain returned within a day, although mostly in the lower legs. And as expected, there was dull muscle pain following the therapy which seems to the untrained eye to be much the same as the Bowen technique experienced some time ago. Actually, I'm sure the same, yet with more understandable technical phrases to describe the process; much better than the warm & fuzzy terms heard from others talking about "energy flows" and the like. Anyway, well worth another visit this past Friday, and some future appointments scheduled.

Magic how a little striding relieves her lower leg pain lately experienced. Take this morning. She rose with difficulty from bed and really really shuffled her feet all the way to & from the bathroom. "Some treadmill?" I asked. As she shuffled beside me into my "sewing room" to the treadmill, she said "I'm as bent and shuffling as bad as J (a lady in our PD group) who is 80!" "You have another 12 years to go" I quipped. On the machine she cranked the speed up to 4km/hour for a few minutes before slowing down before stopping. When she stepped off she stood vertically (well as good as damn) rather than stooped at about 50 degrees. The lower leg pain was gone so she said. Then to the Wii Fit. Out of breath of course, as she was after walking around our village last evening.

Several weekends ago we made a flying visit to Cane Toad Country to see my 88 year old mother after a fall resulting in hospitalisation. That is another story. She travelled well; the Kangaroo airline took good care of her; providing golf buggy transportation at both ends of the trip up in an elongated Cessna parked way out on the tarmac. A larger plane requiring ramps made the return trip easier. The motel comfort was reasonable. We made a few walks at evening as well as at lunch times when we went to a shopping centre for lunches. Five days from departure to arrival home was probably more than enough for her; before back pains became excessive.

Last week she attended the clinic in Hot Air City to suffer "boob sandwich" testing. Cursory examination suggests she is clear, although she needs to wait about 4 weeks for formal results.

We had hoped to visit the Gallery in Hot Air City to see the visiting exhibition of Van Gogh & others. Reports of endless queues and congestion within the gallery has discouraged us from going. Even though cousins who visited us a couple of days ago found the crowds had thinned by late afternoon she has shown no keenness to go, so I will not press the issue. She has forwarded me a couple of Van Gogh prints (graphics) of iris & sunflowers to digitise for her to stitch, so that will be sufficient pleasure for both of us.

Next weekend we make a brief visit to my Home Town to see relatives. Then after Easter we have planned a van trip to South Oz, part of the way with the Ugly Sisters, intent on meeting our son & family at a national park should they survive the gruelling trip across the south western Cane Toad Country flood plains. In my mind that trip is seriously in doubt - in her present state she will suffer excessive pain after being cooped & cramped in our White Elephant van for an extended period, possibly all of April. Perhaps I should dispose of the White Elephant.