Chapter 277 - Walking and Not So Well
I am shopping more by myself lately. Although she has not said so, she fears her feet freezing in public and being pushed around in her walker cum wheelchair. For instance, on Boxing Day she had the excellent idea that she may be assisted to walk through the house if I placed more strips of masking tape on the floors. Some time ago I placed masking tape strips between the bedroom and her toilet which have been helpful for her. So we drove to the Big Hardware on the other side of town where a helpful shop attendant advised me not to buy a type of masking tape requiring removal with a sander at some future time and recommended plain old silver grey duct tape. So now we have a silver grey "zebra crossing" extending from the hallway into the bedroom across the timber floor all the way out to her usual seating position in front of "her" TV, as well as from the doorway of her bathroom to the toilet. I can see that more zebra crossings will be needed across other carpeted areas using ordinary paper based masking tape which seems to adhere better to carpet. She says the tape helps her step out behind her walker in getting from the bedroom to the bathroom and TV in the back room.
She needs rescuing at least 4 times a day (although I haven't been counting) from seated positions from the kitchen table (which she uses for cutting sewing), from her TV chair, from her laptop and sewing/embroidery machines in her sewing room and of course, the loo. At these times when her meds are off and she has left moving too late she calls me, most often on the CB, for help. She needs to grasp immovable solid objects of which I am not one. She breaths like a terrified animal through her nostrils and sweats excessively (although her body and clothing are usually damp anyway). Once upright (well, hardly, she stoops badly) her feet fail to move, especially the left, she fears falling and most often sits down again. Should she perform her standing action several times without being able to step forward with her walker, I simply fetch the full-sized wheel chair into which her bottom can be swivelled without much difficulty. That minimises the stress although I suspect she fears becoming wheel chair dependent. Frequently she needs to be moved sideways from off the toilet onto her shower chair for comfort until she is able to stand or I fetch the wheel chair.
Today I needed to collect some meds for her from the chemist; she was tempted to come with me to buy some fabric. By the time I was ready to go she had changed her mind about coming with me, preferring to stay home. I prefer she comes with me, even just to sit in the vehicle. While alone I fear she will become stuck in an awkward situation, attempt to stand and then fall, should I be delayed. So shopping tends to be in a rush.
She needs to wear slip-on shoes whenever she walks anywhere, even at night when going to the loo. Slipping her left foot into a shoe is becoming more difficult for her. Often in the middle of the night I need to help with the left shoe. While sitting on the bed, she is unable to lower her left heel to the floor, her left foot is arched downwards, toes firmly on the floor. Even when I push down on her left knee we have difficulty forcing the foot into the shoe. So the commode, kept ready beside her bed, is often used.
She told me she has been losing weight. Probably due to the perspiration that drips off her at times although she always feels damp through her clothes. Fans are positioned near her regular seating positions and in the bedroom is a pedestal fan, with a remote control, blowing most of the night. An expensive shame we lack ducted air conditioning, having decided a wall unit would be sufficient when the house was built.
I theorise that she needs more leg/foot activities to help her standing and walking, but such is becoming more difficult. I dare not have her on the tread mill; walking around the village can be difficult; I had her doing steps on the Wii yesterday morning causing her lower legs to ache badly last night. Tiger Balm oil and the vibrator are frequently applied to both legs. Fortunately the intense pain in her left hip has gone.
She needs rescuing at least 4 times a day (although I haven't been counting) from seated positions from the kitchen table (which she uses for cutting sewing), from her TV chair, from her laptop and sewing/embroidery machines in her sewing room and of course, the loo. At these times when her meds are off and she has left moving too late she calls me, most often on the CB, for help. She needs to grasp immovable solid objects of which I am not one. She breaths like a terrified animal through her nostrils and sweats excessively (although her body and clothing are usually damp anyway). Once upright (well, hardly, she stoops badly) her feet fail to move, especially the left, she fears falling and most often sits down again. Should she perform her standing action several times without being able to step forward with her walker, I simply fetch the full-sized wheel chair into which her bottom can be swivelled without much difficulty. That minimises the stress although I suspect she fears becoming wheel chair dependent. Frequently she needs to be moved sideways from off the toilet onto her shower chair for comfort until she is able to stand or I fetch the wheel chair.
Today I needed to collect some meds for her from the chemist; she was tempted to come with me to buy some fabric. By the time I was ready to go she had changed her mind about coming with me, preferring to stay home. I prefer she comes with me, even just to sit in the vehicle. While alone I fear she will become stuck in an awkward situation, attempt to stand and then fall, should I be delayed. So shopping tends to be in a rush.
She needs to wear slip-on shoes whenever she walks anywhere, even at night when going to the loo. Slipping her left foot into a shoe is becoming more difficult for her. Often in the middle of the night I need to help with the left shoe. While sitting on the bed, she is unable to lower her left heel to the floor, her left foot is arched downwards, toes firmly on the floor. Even when I push down on her left knee we have difficulty forcing the foot into the shoe. So the commode, kept ready beside her bed, is often used.
She told me she has been losing weight. Probably due to the perspiration that drips off her at times although she always feels damp through her clothes. Fans are positioned near her regular seating positions and in the bedroom is a pedestal fan, with a remote control, blowing most of the night. An expensive shame we lack ducted air conditioning, having decided a wall unit would be sufficient when the house was built.
I theorise that she needs more leg/foot activities to help her standing and walking, but such is becoming more difficult. I dare not have her on the tread mill; walking around the village can be difficult; I had her doing steps on the Wii yesterday morning causing her lower legs to ache badly last night. Tiger Balm oil and the vibrator are frequently applied to both legs. Fortunately the intense pain in her left hip has gone.
posted by Kilpike | 12:49 pm
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