Chapter 344 - Early Morning Stress
In the previous post I described the events of early Monday morning. Well, when on a good thing, stick to it. We had our usual lunchtime fare; a spud boiled in the microwave, then cut in half, a handful of grated cheese added, micro-waved again, then sour cream and salsa (for me) and chutney or pickles (for her) added. There was a little Rosella Fruit Chutney left in a bottle, so I used that on her spud. About half an hour later she mentioned that her top lip was swelling and tingling. I could see nothing amiss. Another half an hour later at 1320 her top lip began to look like a duck's bill. She was not light headed, no pain, not bilious but her whole left foot tingled yet only the toes on her right foot. Blood pressure and temperature were 130/89 76 and 36.8C. She became distressed and measured 164/99 84 at 1350 after going to the loo. "OK, to the hospital" I said. "Call the ambulance" she asked. I resisted, perhaps a typical way to avoid the prying eyes of the other old farts in our village; "Ask not for whom the ambulance comes, it comes for Thee". There was no problem helping her into and out of the car from the wheel chair. The Triage nurse checked her over before giving her an anti-histamine by mouth, pointed out that half the town were in front of us so please wait. We waited till around 1600, her lip was subsiding, we told reception we were going home. At home she needed the loo, then again at 1700 and again at 1740; the last two times using the wheel chair there and back. Her top lip was still slightly swollen.
On Tuesday morning she missed taking the 0200 Sinemet, no mishaps with her weighty night time bloomers which weighed 1.55kg at 0645. At 0800, after Personal Care had showered and dressed her, she said "It's not kicking in as it used to" referring to 0600 meds. I checked her at 0830, finding her sitting on the end of what is now my bed, head forward resting on some sheets she had folded on her knees - in a deep sleep. 0835 a piddle on the loo, then a poo at 0930. She was very sluggish to and from the loo. Today was Sheltered Workshop Day. Very slow getting to and into the car. After arriving at the establishment she was unable, or could not compute how to get out of the car. We waited for more than 5 minutes before she was able to transfer to her walker. I collected her around 1600 when we popped in to speak to the person now responsible for these respite days so that she can attend each Saturday as well as Tuesday.
Wednesday an average day except on two occasions around 1000 and 1420, both times on the loo, her CB radio was not close at hand for her to call for help. She wasted half an hour attempting to call out to me in my Dungeon. Quite stressed as a result.
By 0545 Thursday morning she was in much pain having been on her back all night. Very painful thighs, lower back and buttocks. Packing her with pillows and beneath her feet helped as she sat on the side of the bed. At some unearthly hour of the night she had told me there was a buzzing noise in the room; I told her it was simply my CPAP machine; I could hear nothing. Thursday night I decided to move her Apo pump changeover forward to 2130 and fit her overnight bloomers so that my chores were complete prior to her 2200 meds, allowing me to get to sleep earlier.
All went to plan until 0345 Friday morning when she woke me.
She began describing what was happening to her and by about 0410 I was awake enough to scribble the following notes .............
"You're going one way and I'm going the other" she said. Had been awake for ages. Has been laying on her back. Very excited. Grappling with bed rails, pulls herself over one way but then goes over the other way. Thinks she is going further and further down the bed but her head is within 200mm of the head board. Legs aching. Bare legs, no bed clothes on but is hot. Asks me "Can't you see what is happening?" Says "I am definitely not asleep, feels like gravity is pulling me the wrong way. This is the worst it's been, this moving, yesterday needing pillows to sit up straight. Can you hear my bed?" She thinks my CPAP machine is doing something to her bed, so I switched it off. She said "There is still a vibration." She raised the head of the bed and I could hear a buzzing sound. Earlier she said she was adjusting the bed and the vibration came "then all this business started" by which I imagine she referred to the moving side to side she experienced.
I used a piece of dowel to listen to each of the motors (equivalent to the old technique "stick a screwdriver into your lug hole, the other end onto an engine or whatever" to hear a rumble or a knock); the centre motor, with power supply and control box attached, which adjusts the head end of the bed had a low level buzzing coming from it, typical of a switching power supply. The buzz did not change as each of the motors was activated. The buzz stopped when the bed was switched off at the power point. I noted that none of the metal bed frame components were bonded to the earth wire in the power cable; strange for piece of medical equipment.
At 0440 she felt cold, needed the bed clothes on. She attempted to describe what she had been feeling, that she was moving past objects. I suggested "like on a merry-go-round?", she said yes.
I wondered later whether she experienced the feeling of being drunk when one's head feels as if it is swinging sideways but other senses indicate that is not so.
By 0450 she was beginning to panic, saying "For 3 nights now I have missed the 2am Sinemet.". Both feet were tingling like crazy. Five minutes later the tingling was all around her genital area.
At 0550 she had scheduled meds; a little later we removed her heavy night bloomers, then onto the loo for a poo but nothing came. Shortly before Personal Care came at 0700 I placed her Apo pump in its container and sticky taped it shut .
A quiet morning while our Domestic Engineer vac'd and washed floors and sorted some of our cupboards which I get in a mess. While she was here I went to the chemists for one of my own meds.
She needed the wheel chair from the loo to her recliner at 1340. I bolted in to her at 1400 when a loud noise occurred next door, thinking she may have fallen. She was OK. She was unable to move her left leg, although it was relaxed and movable in my hands. Both legs were "burning". I rubbed a cream on her right foot and on her left foot and lower leg.
By 1430 she experienced strong head tingling, also in her genital area, before falling asleep in the wheel chair. She was alert by 1500 when I pushed the wheel chair to the kitchen table where she is now sewing again. The tingling sensations in private places is very reminiscent of the outcome of being over medicated when she was discharged from the clinic in Batman City many years ago.
Here's hoping our weekend is quiet.
On Tuesday morning she missed taking the 0200 Sinemet, no mishaps with her weighty night time bloomers which weighed 1.55kg at 0645. At 0800, after Personal Care had showered and dressed her, she said "It's not kicking in as it used to" referring to 0600 meds. I checked her at 0830, finding her sitting on the end of what is now my bed, head forward resting on some sheets she had folded on her knees - in a deep sleep. 0835 a piddle on the loo, then a poo at 0930. She was very sluggish to and from the loo. Today was Sheltered Workshop Day. Very slow getting to and into the car. After arriving at the establishment she was unable, or could not compute how to get out of the car. We waited for more than 5 minutes before she was able to transfer to her walker. I collected her around 1600 when we popped in to speak to the person now responsible for these respite days so that she can attend each Saturday as well as Tuesday.
Wednesday an average day except on two occasions around 1000 and 1420, both times on the loo, her CB radio was not close at hand for her to call for help. She wasted half an hour attempting to call out to me in my Dungeon. Quite stressed as a result.
By 0545 Thursday morning she was in much pain having been on her back all night. Very painful thighs, lower back and buttocks. Packing her with pillows and beneath her feet helped as she sat on the side of the bed. At some unearthly hour of the night she had told me there was a buzzing noise in the room; I told her it was simply my CPAP machine; I could hear nothing. Thursday night I decided to move her Apo pump changeover forward to 2130 and fit her overnight bloomers so that my chores were complete prior to her 2200 meds, allowing me to get to sleep earlier.
All went to plan until 0345 Friday morning when she woke me.
She began describing what was happening to her and by about 0410 I was awake enough to scribble the following notes .............
"You're going one way and I'm going the other" she said. Had been awake for ages. Has been laying on her back. Very excited. Grappling with bed rails, pulls herself over one way but then goes over the other way. Thinks she is going further and further down the bed but her head is within 200mm of the head board. Legs aching. Bare legs, no bed clothes on but is hot. Asks me "Can't you see what is happening?" Says "I am definitely not asleep, feels like gravity is pulling me the wrong way. This is the worst it's been, this moving, yesterday needing pillows to sit up straight. Can you hear my bed?" She thinks my CPAP machine is doing something to her bed, so I switched it off. She said "There is still a vibration." She raised the head of the bed and I could hear a buzzing sound. Earlier she said she was adjusting the bed and the vibration came "then all this business started" by which I imagine she referred to the moving side to side she experienced.
I used a piece of dowel to listen to each of the motors (equivalent to the old technique "stick a screwdriver into your lug hole, the other end onto an engine or whatever" to hear a rumble or a knock); the centre motor, with power supply and control box attached, which adjusts the head end of the bed had a low level buzzing coming from it, typical of a switching power supply. The buzz did not change as each of the motors was activated. The buzz stopped when the bed was switched off at the power point. I noted that none of the metal bed frame components were bonded to the earth wire in the power cable; strange for piece of medical equipment.
At 0440 she felt cold, needed the bed clothes on. She attempted to describe what she had been feeling, that she was moving past objects. I suggested "like on a merry-go-round?", she said yes.
I wondered later whether she experienced the feeling of being drunk when one's head feels as if it is swinging sideways but other senses indicate that is not so.
By 0450 she was beginning to panic, saying "For 3 nights now I have missed the 2am Sinemet.". Both feet were tingling like crazy. Five minutes later the tingling was all around her genital area.
At 0550 she had scheduled meds; a little later we removed her heavy night bloomers, then onto the loo for a poo but nothing came. Shortly before Personal Care came at 0700 I placed her Apo pump in its container and sticky taped it shut .
A quiet morning while our Domestic Engineer vac'd and washed floors and sorted some of our cupboards which I get in a mess. While she was here I went to the chemists for one of my own meds.
She needed the wheel chair from the loo to her recliner at 1340. I bolted in to her at 1400 when a loud noise occurred next door, thinking she may have fallen. She was OK. She was unable to move her left leg, although it was relaxed and movable in my hands. Both legs were "burning". I rubbed a cream on her right foot and on her left foot and lower leg.
By 1430 she experienced strong head tingling, also in her genital area, before falling asleep in the wheel chair. She was alert by 1500 when I pushed the wheel chair to the kitchen table where she is now sewing again. The tingling sensations in private places is very reminiscent of the outcome of being over medicated when she was discharged from the clinic in Batman City many years ago.
Here's hoping our weekend is quiet.
posted by Kilpike | 4:16 pm
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