Chapter 210 - Festive Time

We drove to our son's place Xmas eve morning, after dropping our bags into the motel just after lunch time. We had stopped for petrol along the highway where I had some junk food; she limited herself to one of those things they call "apple pie". A pleasant evening with the grandkids. Back at the motel she realised that her bed poles had been left at home; fortunately she did not seem to have difficulties rising during the night. Returned next morning to spend next day with the family as well as the son's in-laws. I had to be with her when she needed the toilet; first to help her down the stairs and secondly, to help her adjust her clothing in cramped toilet room which was not designed for two.

We left the motel in heavy rain mid-morning on Boxing Day for home. She had no wish to visit any of her favourite shops. I suspect driving in wet conditions discouraged her. Fortunately the rain disappeared once we were on the highway south; it was replaced by dense holiday traffic which she tolerated better than usual. As we approached the Highlands town she expressed the need for a 'loo, so we turned off the highway. I was tempted to just pull up at the disabled toilet (back at the motel our room was described as "with extra facilities" rather than "disabled") for which we have a key but I decided we may as well go to the Club where we had Chai Latte & cheese cake (enormous slices & too much ice cream for $19.20 but what the hell) after visiting the baby's change room which I can enter with her, since the place lacks a disabled toilet.

Once home she told me that the bidet of her toilet was not behaving properly on the "rinse" cycle. Rather than squirting water, there was just a trickle. I determined that the nozzle was not being extended although the water squirted from it. Without further thought I dismantled the whole affair & attempted to trouble shoot the problem on the kitchen table. After some considerable time I determined that the problem was due to the "occupied" sensor working intermittently. There are a couple of soft plastic pillows beneath the seat & which squashed when an occupant is enthroned and enables the nozzle to extend to squirt the proper areas. I suspect there may be magnets in the cushions & hall effect devices within the seat, since I was unable to find any mechanically actuated switches. Fortunately, we had a spare plastic pillow & after I replaced the one on the seat that had become split the entire mechanism functioned correctly, although I had to do some tightening this morning to prevent a drip at the water intake connection. Anyway she was most relieved to have her bidet operational again. Which makes me realise how uncomfortable she must be when we are away from home for days at a time. And although she is able to use her hands for sewing & embroidery there are parts of her body difficult to reach to carry out one of those tasks people don't discuss much. When we bought this bidet 4 years ago I queried whether there was a portable version available; there wasn't, but now I wonder whether this model, intended to be permanently attached to a toilet bowl, could be mounted in a commode seat and the water supply gravity fed from a plastic bottle.

She continues to experience problems locating her embroidery files which have been copied onto memory sticks rather than the hard drive of her new laptop. I must copy them to the hard drive to make it easier for her. She seems unable to comprehend the folder structure and is not helped by embroidery applications that expect files to be in conventional places. Also, she has difficulty reading the laptop screen and even the extended 19" monitor is not much better for her. Maybe something larger is called for.

Her hip & back pains continue but nowhere near as bad as before the Bowen appointment. Neither of us seem able to return to a Wii fit ritual. She has not asked to use the treadmill since our return.

Just now she called on the CB "Is it alright to use the toilet?". I went & helped her stand to grasp her walker which she needed because she was very stooped, then I checked to be sure the "Occupied" light glowed once she was comfortably seated. "Will you be OK?" I asked as I left the door ajar. "Yes, I'll be able to stand straight once I leave here." Want the treadmill afterwards?" "Yes, I think I will." she replied, and some say that
it's all in in the mind (someone who should be more sympathetic said that on the weekend).

Chapter 209 - Pain Relief

She fears 2 lane country roads more than ever these days. Tuesday last she had an appointment with a Bowen practitioner in a little town 45 minutes north of here. She clung to the grab handles in the vehicle all the way, being tense & uptight for the whole trip. We were both so pleased to find someone at long last who does Bowen rather than only pretending to do so while completing all sorts of painful prodding, stressing & rubbing. Why haven't we been to this practitioner before? The woman has been doing it for 18 years! Gentle touching, a little movement, much pausing between. On the return trip she immediately said she felt tired, then fell asleep for the whole of the journey, even on the rather rough stretches of road. No comments about going over 70 as being too fast. No stress, no anxiety - miracle stuff! Friends came for lunch and we had an enjoyable evening with them.

Then on Wednesday another lunch at the club in the Highlands town with her Ugly Sisters & their betters. After the return trip she needed to use her neck massager.

Thursday afternoon she became very tired so went to bed for 2 hours from 1530.

About 2300 Friday she was unable to lift her feet from the floor to get into bed.

Yesterday we had lunch with friends around the corner. About 4pm she asked to leave. She was becoming uncomfortable close to meds time.

I noticed this morning that she is speaking as if she has a lolly in her mouth. I have suspected this for some time now; perhaps others not with her all the time may have noticed. I hope that it may be due to her tongue annoying her poor teeth and/or the chewing gum recommended by the dentist. The end of the month is still far away before her next dental appointment.

Down the street to the chemist to fill some of her meds prescriptions.

Chapter 208 - Pain Unending

On Monday about 5am she woke me by calling my name. She rarely wakes me during the dark hours. She needed to go to the loo but the pain in her hips & back prevented her shuffling to the bathroom. She asked me to bring the commode from the 2nd ("my") bathroom where it is stored in the shower recess. I suspect she prefers not to use the commode because such an object is a symbol of debility.

Wednesday morning I was out in my dungeon without music playing, otherwise I would not have heard her call for help from the end of the hall near the bathroom. I had left my CB radio in the family room and anyway she was unable to reach her trolley where her CB was hanging on one of the handles. There she was grasping the corner of the wall with both hands, white knuckles, stooped almost horizontally. When I reached her she said plaintively "I'm stuck."

One night, I forget which, while sitting on the side of her bed, she asked for help to swing her legs up & onto the bed so that she might lay on her back for awhile.

She has been applying the TENS across her lower back & legs. Frequently asks me to help her onto the treadmill.

The expensive mattress we bought a couple of years ago, the one that moulded itself to the shape of the body, was very good for her at first but over time she began to complain of a hollow into which she sank and we think the hollow has aggravated her hips & spine to give her so much pain. The mattress is one sided, so it cannot be tipped over, only reversed end to end which is of no benefit since the hollow is in the centre. So I have retrieved her old firm mattress from the ceiling loft. She has found it comfortable. The newer one is presently in the middle of the lounge room floor.

Yesterday, Saturday, again she called me. This time dripping wet, stooped horizontally, gripping one of the rails in the bathroom after a shower. This time we both had our radios but hers she could not reach because it was on the other side of the bathroom. "I shouldn't have washed my hair" she said, since doing so always requires too much effort. I dried her, helped her into the bedroom and dressed her. We need to change our approach to the problem; seems our radios are not always the way out of a difficult situation.

Also yesterday she made the effort to ring a Bowen practitioner in a little town half an hour north of here. We don't have one in our town any more. An appointment was made for tomorrow. I hope this woman sticks to simply the Bowen procedures and doesn't include all the other manipulation activities.

Just I heard her boot up the Wii but the familiar notes soon stopped. She called that she wanted the treadmill. As I helped her onto the treadmill I queried how much Wii she had done "The treadmill does me more good." After about 5 minutes I helped her off the machine, breathless.

A few days ago she decided to adjust her meds regime to 3 hourly. I haven't noted the details yet.

Chapter 207 - A Scream

She screamed a couple of unintelligible words over the CB. I found her stooped, leaning forward holding the edge of her sewing table, surrounded by boxes full of small dolls, surrogate grandchildren from when we lived elsewhere. Panting, out of breath. She had surrounded herself with boxes, a few bags, general clutter and was unable to extricate herself.

She relies much more on her two walkers these days. I seem to be placing the collapsible one into the back of the 4WD more often. She rarely moves around the family room area, to the bathroom, to the laundry without pushing her trolley (it has trays on which she places pills, stuff and the CB hangs from one of the handles) in front of her.

I don't think her incontinence is worsening, but at times she needs the loo up to 3 times in a half hour, often as she goes to bed. Some mornings she reports getting up 4 times in one night, thankfully she is able to quickly go to sleep again.

Yesterday after the family gathering she gave away most of her dolls to a good cause. That is why she became stuck in her sewing room the other day when she was sorting them.

I have to force myself to complete a half hour of Wii exercises these days, but when I do, she seems more motivated to do her stint as well. As I type I hear the familiar voice, chirps & bell tones from the Wii.