Chapter 283 - Mobility

Monday last to Hot Air City to see my urologist who says he will leave me to managed by my GP, after a stiff finger salute. Prior to that visit we called into the Independent Living Centre to see and learn about various wheeled commode/shower chairs. Also incontinence aids. All very interesting. The therapist told us we may be entitled to assistance from EnableNSW, another of those organisations/government bureaucracies/NGOs that sufferers and their carers should be aware of, just approach an Occupational Therapist (I assumed the term implies work place initiated problems) in our local town for advice. So the following morning (while she was at Respite) I saw someone at the local Community Nursing (or is that called something else?) for advice on finding an OT (I'm just slack) so that person made an on-line referral for us, saying "they are rather short staffed and busy so you may need to wait several weeks for a response." So what's new? In passing, to establish our credentials and credibility, I mentioned that an ACAT Assessment had been made in 2011 and she was entitled to 63 days per year of "high level care" to which comment was asked "Are you registered?" To which one can but answer "Well, I suppose so, we received a letter saying approval was given." "Well you perhaps should ring this 1800 number and check, and that way the formalities will be out of the way, so speeding up a request for respite." So next morning I rang the 1800 number, to be surprised I did not enter a queuing tunnel, speaking to a pleasant human voice immediately. The person understood my needs, looked for her details, and unable to find such searched on mine which were found, then discovered that one letter had been left out of her surname (which of course is the same as mine, but one letter makes a hell of a difference to a strict name search). That done, I was asked whether I had 40 minutes to spare to answer questions. Of course! I suspect longer was needed, since I am sure I digressed anecdotally from time to time, and once or twice another phone, constantly ringing in the background, needed answering. That place, wherever it is physically, seems short staffed as well. I learned a lot from the conversation, including that there is only one bed available to be assigned to emergency respite needs, often places are offered at a coastal town, several hours drive from here. Apparently, if I need to be absent and she needs respite then I can deposit her at a care facility, bed available, in a town along the route to somewhere. This assumes I have not been run over by the proverbial and she has no known to care for her. Seems the structure matrices are there yet the interstices are large (Oh dear, I have tried for years to use those words ;-) Meanwhile, we wait quietly for contact from OTs who I believe live in the building behind the local hospital where she attends her Falls Group physio sessions most weeks.

Returning to last Monday. What with visiting the ILC and seeing the urologist neither of us had eaten so I suggested we call into a McRubbish on the way around town in mid-afternoon. While there I wondered whether a window shop around the adjacent centre interested her. At first no, but then enlivened by the food, she said "Yes, let's go to BigW." So we did, she pushing her walker all over the place until my feet burned with the unusual exercise, there was no stopping her, although at a slow pace. Must have been the lack of crowds and the wide aisles. We spent $100 on "stuff". On the way out we stopped for iced coffees. I resisted the temptation to enter a techo super-market.

About a fortnight ago she her legs became itchy with small bumps along the calves of first one leg and then the other. I immediately suspected over application of Ice Gel which she had liberally applied to ease the pain of leg cramps, for the itching only occurred where the Ice Gel had been rubbed on. Since she began taking magnesium tablets there has been little need for Ice Gel. Of the 6 tubes of Ice Gel bought on-line some months ago only one remains. So she applied ant-itch cream as well as damp hand towels, which she must have rubbed on her legs because the skin became very red and began breaking. Then she tried packets of frozen vegetables for which I substituted some "ice packs", those things used in Eskys on picnics, which helped a lot, tied onto her legs with tea towels and a velcro strip ex Wii Fit green mat, which gave me the idea for her to make long wide ribands with velcro at each end, yet to be used because the itching has subsided.

From time to time she complains of heat radiating from the ceiling onto her while she is in bed. A little worrying since we have infra-red heating in the ceiling, yet it is now late summer and no heating has been switched on. I am unable to sense any heat. Also she sometimes thinks she feels rain drops falling on her while in bed.

Her Tuesday respite group won a local singing competition. I took a photo of her group holding the quilt they made and entered into the local show.

Yesterday family visited from Big Smoke. We shouted lunch at the Club as a belated birthday party for the youngest. We arrived early to lay claim to two tables where she was most comfortable. When the meal was finished others needed to prowl the shops, so we followed behind until she was unable to push her walker any longer so I switched it over to wheel chair mode, which she hates, until her meds kicked in enough for her to walk and push the walker again. This is the second time we have suffered a similar experience with others rushing hither and thither, not buying anything, me bored out of my brain and she unable to walk, so in future we will not oblige. People can visit us, two old farts at home, or nowhere, although we may make exceptions.

Query - what's the difference between shopping yesterday afternoon at a similar time to last Monday at BigW? Crowds? Space? Walking surface? Time of eating? Damned if I know!!