Chapter 222 - Handyman Day

Using some brick pavers & lengths of timber I raised the head end of her bed about 100mm, well actually the mattress, yesterday. She was a little hesitant about getting into bed last night. My Heath Robinson construction was a little rickety but quite stable, if you know what I mean. About midnight, time for pills and complaints about tingling in her head, due of course to the raising of the mattress, to her mind. I suggested that the cause was probably her digestive system recovering from the anti-biotics she has been taking for the UTI, and the amount of levadopa now in her system is producing the slight effects of over dosing experienced before. She accepted that & returned to sleep. Only rose once during the night. This morning stiff, bent over her trolley, shuffling, lower leg pains. I talked her into a few minutes on the treadmill. She needed her shower chair, then I needed to dry & dress her. The day was not starting well. She was feeling miserable & I was becoming depressed at the start of a good day.

So I thought "Stuff it! I am going to complete some little jobs, get them out of the way." About to go to the hardware store I asked "Would you like to come for a drive?" "Yes, I should get out more." Not much of a trip, 5 minutes down to Magnet. As usual I asked whether she wanted to get out, and was surprised when she said "Yes, I will." Over to the timber section where we talked about the pieces I wanted cut to size, 3 different thicknesses of pine and a sheet of MDF. While that was cut we went into the shop area and bought some power cabling, fittings and clips and a door bell. She was not bothered walking along the aisles between the racks, although I did not waste time finding the bits. She was even able to wait patiently at the check out queue. Then back to the wood area where I left her standing while I went for the truck. She flagged a bit when we returned home.

You need to know why we need another door bell, don't you? You know that we already have a door bell, really two, one in the kitchen and the other out here in my dungeon so that while I am employing myself with whatever I do at this computer all day, accompanied by loud music, there is little fear that our infrequent callers are ignored, and more particularly, so that she doesn't need to respond. And you know that both "bells" actually produce a barking noise, realistic enough to confuse callers. Now our new 3rd door bell? A few mornings ago, after her 6AM meds she needed to meditate on the loo for an extended period; I went back to sleep, dreaming a retirement nightmare (a recurring theme even though it's now over 10 years since i escaped) probably at the time she was yelling her heart out perched, unable to rise off the loo. When I finally woke after she eventually returned to bedroom complaining that I was deaf (I am in one ear) I pointed out that she failed to take her CB radio with her. Then I thought of the alarm button on the wall of the bathroom, why not another to awake me if the situation happens again? So now close at hand to the loo is a door bell button, wirelessly connected to the "bell" screwed onto my bedside table. It plays an unrecognizable tune rather than a dog's bark; otherwise I might race half asleep to the front door in the nuddy!!

So far today she has had 3 five minute sessions on the treadmill. I placed more masking tape strips from the door of my sewing room to guide her to the side of the treadmill.

We have decided that unless she has improved within a few days then our trip down to Pivot City to see the performance of Seusical the Musical (in which a couple of our grand children have roles) will have to be cancelled. If she remains as she is at the moment, the extra stress of travelling & living in motel rooms will make the experience memorable for its horror.

She is very bent whenever she walks, pushing her little trolley in front wherever in the house she goes. When I try to hold her when in places the trolley won't go she prefers to open cupboard doors so the shelves inside can be clutched with one hand to prevent her falling. She senses that when her feet freeze to the floor, any slight tilt off centre means a fall is imminent. Her worst horror has not happened.

She just called me on the CB. She is at one of the embroidery machines making a calendar; the bobbin had run out; full bobbins were on the other side of the room. She was unable to lift herself from her chair to push her trolley a couple of metres to get another bobbin. Some may think she wants to be "waited upon"; no way, she really struggles to remain independent.