Chapter 235 - Dog Days
She is much happier in our "enlarged bedroom", now that the chest of drawers is out in the living area & my bed pushed up hard against the wall. This morning after her 7AM meds (new regime) she was sitting on the side of her bed. poncho around her shoulders keeping warm, feet on a firm pillow on the floor (doing so stops her legs shaking) her trolley pulled up close on which was resting her Kobo reader on which she is reading "The Help". She queried me what was the difference between "Negro & nigra" - I did not know but it was obvious from the text. I haven't read that book yet and the movie has just begun at the local theatre. I bought her that book after she finished "Sunshine and Oranges" which, although markedly different from her usual reading, she enjoyed. Thus my choice of "The Help".
A week ago she began her new meds regime once the chemist sorted out what seemed to be an error on the part of the person that initially attempted to supply the lowest dose Stalevo. So she began on Monday last with Stalevo, Sifrol & Deralin at 7AM, 11AM & 3PM. She had checked with the neurologist on the previous Friday she she was intended to take the Sifol & Deralin as well. The intention was that she "top up" with Madopar Rapid when she encountered an emergency. She is hesitant to do that because she is scared of over-medicating. I don't think she took any Madopar Rapid at all on the Monday; at least I didn't note it.
On the Tuesday she was feeling cold, periods when she was unable to move, lots of tremors, very wobbly and she ventured to top-up with M Rapid. By Wednesday I thought she had adapted to the new regime with several M. Rapid top-ups. Thursday was a horror show, she froze on the loo, needing her walker (which doubles as a rudimentary wheel chair) to sit on & be wheeled out to her favourite chair. At 10PM she needed to be wheeled to bed & onto the commode. All this even with a few M. Rapid top-ups.
Friday was not too bad in the morning, so I risked popping over to the Men's shed (I recently joined) & visiting the nearby nursing home to query day respite arrangements. In her cornucopia of Parky meds she had a bottle of Stalevo 200/50/200 left over from a previous neurologist's attempt to stabilise her symptoms so she decided to substitute those for the smaller dose. She says it is not a good idea to simply take double the lower dose Stalevo to achieve the same effect because that results in taking too much of the Comtan component. So the remainder of Friday was good, she was able to get out of bed for the commode by herself and had better agility. I had retrieved the wide blue padded band with handles to aid in lifting her; even so, my back has been twinging. Yesterday, Saturday, we attended a 25th wedding anniversary for friends at our local hall and she did well. Last night I helped her up once.
I have come to realise why, when in an immobile stage, she becomes terrified of over-balancing when I attempt to lift, raise, position her to be able to use her walker or sit on the loo or commode. Her feet are stuck to the floor and any slight movement above her hips begins to send signals that she is off-balance for which her brain is unable to make corrections to maintain equilibrium. So when I attempt to position her, her senses tell her that I am causing her to fall. She whimpers in fear. If she can get her legs to move when she is in that condition she shuffles, no more that half a foot length per step, feet flat on the floor.
This morning she moves well, showered & dressed before I realised she was up & about; I had left her reading while seated on the side of the bed. On Friday morning before our cleaner arrived I swapped her special orthopaedic mattress with the one on the bed. I am getting too old to move mattresses to & from our attic space. I await her saying that the mattress has her sinking into a hole once again. Maybe we can simply swap ourselves between the two beds to temporarily overcome the difficulty when it arrises again.
She has been quite negative toward the day respite issue. However, after I spoke to to resposible person over there on Friday and gave her an idea what was involved she sounded more at ease with the idea. Perhaps on Monday afternoon after physio we may pop in there.
I tested her urine a week ago - the dip stick still shows a colour change for nitites. She has no other symptoms of UTI so I will not have her visit the doctor again. Worrisome though.
Today the kids are meeting us at the club, probably because it's Father's Day and next week my birthday. A couple of days after that her 20th anniversary of her PD diagnosis. Do you think we should celebrate wildly??
A week ago she began her new meds regime once the chemist sorted out what seemed to be an error on the part of the person that initially attempted to supply the lowest dose Stalevo. So she began on Monday last with Stalevo, Sifrol & Deralin at 7AM, 11AM & 3PM. She had checked with the neurologist on the previous Friday she she was intended to take the Sifol & Deralin as well. The intention was that she "top up" with Madopar Rapid when she encountered an emergency. She is hesitant to do that because she is scared of over-medicating. I don't think she took any Madopar Rapid at all on the Monday; at least I didn't note it.
On the Tuesday she was feeling cold, periods when she was unable to move, lots of tremors, very wobbly and she ventured to top-up with M Rapid. By Wednesday I thought she had adapted to the new regime with several M. Rapid top-ups. Thursday was a horror show, she froze on the loo, needing her walker (which doubles as a rudimentary wheel chair) to sit on & be wheeled out to her favourite chair. At 10PM she needed to be wheeled to bed & onto the commode. All this even with a few M. Rapid top-ups.
Friday was not too bad in the morning, so I risked popping over to the Men's shed (I recently joined) & visiting the nearby nursing home to query day respite arrangements. In her cornucopia of Parky meds she had a bottle of Stalevo 200/50/200 left over from a previous neurologist's attempt to stabilise her symptoms so she decided to substitute those for the smaller dose. She says it is not a good idea to simply take double the lower dose Stalevo to achieve the same effect because that results in taking too much of the Comtan component. So the remainder of Friday was good, she was able to get out of bed for the commode by herself and had better agility. I had retrieved the wide blue padded band with handles to aid in lifting her; even so, my back has been twinging. Yesterday, Saturday, we attended a 25th wedding anniversary for friends at our local hall and she did well. Last night I helped her up once.
I have come to realise why, when in an immobile stage, she becomes terrified of over-balancing when I attempt to lift, raise, position her to be able to use her walker or sit on the loo or commode. Her feet are stuck to the floor and any slight movement above her hips begins to send signals that she is off-balance for which her brain is unable to make corrections to maintain equilibrium. So when I attempt to position her, her senses tell her that I am causing her to fall. She whimpers in fear. If she can get her legs to move when she is in that condition she shuffles, no more that half a foot length per step, feet flat on the floor.
This morning she moves well, showered & dressed before I realised she was up & about; I had left her reading while seated on the side of the bed. On Friday morning before our cleaner arrived I swapped her special orthopaedic mattress with the one on the bed. I am getting too old to move mattresses to & from our attic space. I await her saying that the mattress has her sinking into a hole once again. Maybe we can simply swap ourselves between the two beds to temporarily overcome the difficulty when it arrises again.
She has been quite negative toward the day respite issue. However, after I spoke to to resposible person over there on Friday and gave her an idea what was involved she sounded more at ease with the idea. Perhaps on Monday afternoon after physio we may pop in there.
I tested her urine a week ago - the dip stick still shows a colour change for nitites. She has no other symptoms of UTI so I will not have her visit the doctor again. Worrisome though.
Today the kids are meeting us at the club, probably because it's Father's Day and next week my birthday. A couple of days after that her 20th anniversary of her PD diagnosis. Do you think we should celebrate wildly??
posted by Kilpike | 9:41 am
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