Chapter 346 - Mobility Matters
She has maintained her low intake of Sinemet, almost always needing help to rise from a chair, bed or loo. At times she becomes stressed when I say I must move her in the wheel chair; even so the arms of both of us have become sore from lifting/pulling.
Perhaps professionals say that the patient must press down on chair arms, head over toes, to rise from a seated position mostly she lacks the strength to do that. Very rarely since the last hospital visit does she walk alone to the loo; she calls me on the CB then we debate whether she is able to shuffle behind her trolley or needs to be seated on the wheel chair. If the latter, then it is a matter of positioning it as close as possible, angled so that she is able to slide from chair or loo to wheel chair, although the fixed arms tend to get in the way.
Getting her off her loo (the bidet) is usually easier, although a little more complicated. On taking her into the toilet I ask "Will this be a quick one or long?". If long I usually go away until she calls again on the CB. Once I return, she stands in a stooped position, fiercely gripping the "fireman's pole". I must stand on her left side (the loo is in the corner) and reach my left arm around her back to grab the right side of her incontinence panties, while my right grabs for the right hand side, so I stare down into the toilet bowl. Time is short before she must sit down again, so sometimes we cycle through these positions before I am able to roll the panties back up. I need to be careful that the damned things don't tear. She must then sit again before I have the chance to pull up her slacks, after which she sits again. Then we decide whether she is able to shuffle away, me guiding her, or we use the wheel chair. She hates the wheel chair, prefers her walker which doubles as a light duty wheel chair, but sometimes it is in the back of the car or, for several days this week, at a bike shop having a brake cable repaired. Either while she holds the fireman's pole or later at a chair, I need to unroll or pull up the front band of the panties, as well as that of her slacks, above the Apo pump infusion needle position.
Unintentionally peering into the toilet bowl suggests whether she needs more or less Metamusil in her morning fruit juice. When she is in need of Metamusil I could be excused for thinking that a rabbit had pooped in the loo; there are lots of little "pebbles", as she calls them, perhaps due to diverticulitis.
She continues to wear those enormous nappy/bloomer pants to bed each night. I seem to have got the hang of fitting them each night without having a leak by the morning.Our morning routine is for me to rise about 0700, complete 10 minutes of Wii Fit Hula Hoops (for my lower back and hips) before a showering and dressing. Then I remove the nappy/bloomers if she hasn't already done so, fill a syringe with Apomine and saline, swap over the pumps after attaching a new infusion needle, clean and ointment on the old site then a little vibrator on the site, place the new pump into its small almost water tight case sealed with sticky tape, attach the case to the elastic belt placed around her waist, help her onto the commode/shower chair, and hopefully Personal Care then rings the doorbell. Unfortunately, they often arrive 5-10 minutes after we are ready, she sitting starkers on the commode/shower chair, warm towel over her shoulders, all ready to be wheeled into the shower, so sometimes she becomes a little excitable. While Personal Care helps her shower and dress I prepare our sparse breakfast. All complete by approximately 0840.
On Thursday we saw urologist Dr H., in Hot Air City, about a suprapubic catheter. He is quite happy to do the job in two weeks, saying he does not "do" incontinence and believes Botex injections in to the bladder cause lack of any flow. He stated that there is much less chance of infection from this type of catheter. But after returning home we discussed the issues involved and since the neuro has plans to send her to the PD experts in the west of Big Smoke, we decided to postpone a catheter job until after that.
During the week we learned that the nerve conduction tests scheduled for 23rd June at the Hot Air City Public Hospital have been cancelled, to be done at the neuro's rooms next Thursday when she was scheduled to see him anyway; last time she saw him he cancelled the tests. Several days ago I found that, with her eyes closed, she was unable to detect where I touched her lower legs or feet, until I applied pressure with a finger nail. I fax'd the neuro for advice about the wisdom of doing the catheter job prior to further PD investigations but have yet to receive a reply. No bother, She can get by without catheters after the conventional approach became such a problem and we will not be straying far from home, close to our garbage bin for nappy disposal.
Her quality of life? Crappy.
Perhaps professionals say that the patient must press down on chair arms, head over toes, to rise from a seated position mostly she lacks the strength to do that. Very rarely since the last hospital visit does she walk alone to the loo; she calls me on the CB then we debate whether she is able to shuffle behind her trolley or needs to be seated on the wheel chair. If the latter, then it is a matter of positioning it as close as possible, angled so that she is able to slide from chair or loo to wheel chair, although the fixed arms tend to get in the way.
Getting her off her loo (the bidet) is usually easier, although a little more complicated. On taking her into the toilet I ask "Will this be a quick one or long?". If long I usually go away until she calls again on the CB. Once I return, she stands in a stooped position, fiercely gripping the "fireman's pole". I must stand on her left side (the loo is in the corner) and reach my left arm around her back to grab the right side of her incontinence panties, while my right grabs for the right hand side, so I stare down into the toilet bowl. Time is short before she must sit down again, so sometimes we cycle through these positions before I am able to roll the panties back up. I need to be careful that the damned things don't tear. She must then sit again before I have the chance to pull up her slacks, after which she sits again. Then we decide whether she is able to shuffle away, me guiding her, or we use the wheel chair. She hates the wheel chair, prefers her walker which doubles as a light duty wheel chair, but sometimes it is in the back of the car or, for several days this week, at a bike shop having a brake cable repaired. Either while she holds the fireman's pole or later at a chair, I need to unroll or pull up the front band of the panties, as well as that of her slacks, above the Apo pump infusion needle position.
Unintentionally peering into the toilet bowl suggests whether she needs more or less Metamusil in her morning fruit juice. When she is in need of Metamusil I could be excused for thinking that a rabbit had pooped in the loo; there are lots of little "pebbles", as she calls them, perhaps due to diverticulitis.
She continues to wear those enormous nappy/bloomer pants to bed each night. I seem to have got the hang of fitting them each night without having a leak by the morning.Our morning routine is for me to rise about 0700, complete 10 minutes of Wii Fit Hula Hoops (for my lower back and hips) before a showering and dressing. Then I remove the nappy/bloomers if she hasn't already done so, fill a syringe with Apomine and saline, swap over the pumps after attaching a new infusion needle, clean and ointment on the old site then a little vibrator on the site, place the new pump into its small almost water tight case sealed with sticky tape, attach the case to the elastic belt placed around her waist, help her onto the commode/shower chair, and hopefully Personal Care then rings the doorbell. Unfortunately, they often arrive 5-10 minutes after we are ready, she sitting starkers on the commode/shower chair, warm towel over her shoulders, all ready to be wheeled into the shower, so sometimes she becomes a little excitable. While Personal Care helps her shower and dress I prepare our sparse breakfast. All complete by approximately 0840.
On Thursday we saw urologist Dr H., in Hot Air City, about a suprapubic catheter. He is quite happy to do the job in two weeks, saying he does not "do" incontinence and believes Botex injections in to the bladder cause lack of any flow. He stated that there is much less chance of infection from this type of catheter. But after returning home we discussed the issues involved and since the neuro has plans to send her to the PD experts in the west of Big Smoke, we decided to postpone a catheter job until after that.
During the week we learned that the nerve conduction tests scheduled for 23rd June at the Hot Air City Public Hospital have been cancelled, to be done at the neuro's rooms next Thursday when she was scheduled to see him anyway; last time she saw him he cancelled the tests. Several days ago I found that, with her eyes closed, she was unable to detect where I touched her lower legs or feet, until I applied pressure with a finger nail. I fax'd the neuro for advice about the wisdom of doing the catheter job prior to further PD investigations but have yet to receive a reply. No bother, She can get by without catheters after the conventional approach became such a problem and we will not be straying far from home, close to our garbage bin for nappy disposal.
Her quality of life? Crappy.
posted by Kilpike | 4:22 pm
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