Chapter 353 - A Tunnel with No Light
So we saw the doctor who may have performed a nerve conduction test if I had insisted but since Dr M. had done it, this one didn't think it necessary. On the other hand, he gave her feet and legs a good inspection and reflex tests, finding nothing wrong. I can't remember any comments about the temperature differentials between her feet. Since we learned nothing new, a wasted trip. The multi-page questionnaire filled in on arrival suggests the practise is obviously directed towards sporting injuries. Back home again on that Monday I rang the the neuro's rooms in West Beer for directions on how to deliver the images from the MRI scan the previous Friday. "Just mail them to Dr F's rooms" I was told, "But my wife saw Dr C" I replied, to which the response was "She's just a locum who fills in for Dr C when he's away". Looks as if we cool our heals until the appointment to see the good man in October.
The following Wednesday night as I took her shoes and socks off going to bed I noticed both feet were very hot and pink; both measured 38C. There was no tingling or burning sensations although both feet seemed to her to be moving about; they were quite stationary. Her body temperature according to her ear probe was 37.1C.
She had frequently mentioned that after 2pm each day she lost the capability to do very much, sewing, reading, general mobility. On Thursday 24th July we decided (without speaking to any professionals) to increase her 2pm meds to see whether there was any improvement over a week or so.
A Sinemet 250/25 at 2pm has been replaced with a Sinemet 100/25 and a Sinemet CR 200/50. No other changes were made.
Now, Sunday 3rd August, she has experienced no benefit she says. Instead, other problems have developed that may be completely unrelated to that meds change. The following day, Friday, she called for help when her left leg failed while she was at the linen cupboard, holding on to a shelf to support herself until I reached her; not unusual though. Then on the Saturday night going to bed we noticed a fiery red rash right around her right ankle, perhaps a little on the left; the right foot much warmer than the left. There were no bumps and although itchy, she had not scratched so the skin was intact. She blamed the rash on an overly warm room at Wild Dog Respite that day. The next day we went to the Club for lunch but the place was packed so we went to the shopping centre for fish and chips. By Monday the rash was still there, perhaps fading a little; I asked at our chemist's for some anti-itch cream and when I displayed some photographs they suggested she see a doctor. That afternoon Dr I. was away but she was able to see another late in the afternoon. In discussing changes in diet, medication, clothing and the like we said there had been none (completely overlooking the 2pm meds change); the only thing I thought of was the injected dye used for the MRI over a week earlier. Since the rash was fading she was advised to do nothing about it, but to return if it worsened or failed to disappear. Perhaps the rash was due to the high temperature of her feet some days previously? A large bruised area on her left calf had appeared along with the rash. She was unable to remember bumping her leg. Faint signs of the bruise remain.
After breakfast last Thursday she felt too unstable to stand, there was severe burning in her left leg and said there was a haze aver her vision. Following her 10am meds she was very sluggish and the "haze" was as if her hair was over her eyes so I helped her to bed. At 1025 her blood pressure was 110/60 and pulse rate 78 so I raised the foot end of her bed. She slept until 1245 when her BP reading taken on her left wrist was 103/58 62; right wrist 119/73 61. When she rose a few minutes later her left leg had pain down its whole length.
Early Friday morning she woke me 3 or 4 times by yelling and snoring/gasping. She nearly fell off a chair in the sewing room mid-afternoon when she fell asleep. At 1500 her BP was 120/70 75. At 1600 she was asleep in her recliner.
Saturday was at Wild Dog Respite. She was able to knit without wearing glasses all morning but in the afternoon was unable to play Rummy Cubes because she was unable to comprehend what to do, being able to see the words but not knowing what to do with them. She says between 2pm & 6pm each day both her vision and thinking are "fuzzy".
Both of us are very weary and out of sorts today. After 2am meds this morning she was stressed and both legs were cramping. I took her night nappy pants off a little after 3am for her to use the commode, much more pleasant than filling the pants while she was awake. She thought the Circulation Booster, the TENS machine for feet, might be of help for her painful legs. The device has not been used in ages because she decided that her shaking legs and feet prevented it from working. About 4am I located the machine and its power supply ("lost" independently). She noticed very little stimulation through her feet so I attached the sticky pads to her legs.
Every day last week, when she was able, she sorted through her stuff in her sewing room, the intention being to returning the kitchen table to a state of bareness. We finished on Friday, furniture was relocated to give her more open access to her laptops and sewing machines.
She now uses another type of nappy pants at night, ones that have very "sticky" tabs that look like carborundum paper. I last ordered the middle sized ones because we had too many "accidents" with the largest size; accidents still happen though, sometimes I fit them very well, sometimes not so well. To fit them, I seat her on the commode, wheel the commode to the end of the bed, have her pull herself up by pulling on the bed end while I slip the opened out pants beneath her bum, then when she collapses back onto the commode I loosely wrap the "belts" around her and loosely pull the front section up between her legs. The off the commode, onto the bed, raise the bed, place an extra absorption pad into the pants between her legs before jiggling all the bits into place as firmly as possible. Apo pump changeover occurs after 730am just before Wild Dog personal care person arrives to shower her.
I'm looking forward to a quiet night.
The following Wednesday night as I took her shoes and socks off going to bed I noticed both feet were very hot and pink; both measured 38C. There was no tingling or burning sensations although both feet seemed to her to be moving about; they were quite stationary. Her body temperature according to her ear probe was 37.1C.
She had frequently mentioned that after 2pm each day she lost the capability to do very much, sewing, reading, general mobility. On Thursday 24th July we decided (without speaking to any professionals) to increase her 2pm meds to see whether there was any improvement over a week or so.
Now, Sunday 3rd August, she has experienced no benefit she says. Instead, other problems have developed that may be completely unrelated to that meds change. The following day, Friday, she called for help when her left leg failed while she was at the linen cupboard, holding on to a shelf to support herself until I reached her; not unusual though. Then on the Saturday night going to bed we noticed a fiery red rash right around her right ankle, perhaps a little on the left; the right foot much warmer than the left. There were no bumps and although itchy, she had not scratched so the skin was intact. She blamed the rash on an overly warm room at Wild Dog Respite that day. The next day we went to the Club for lunch but the place was packed so we went to the shopping centre for fish and chips. By Monday the rash was still there, perhaps fading a little; I asked at our chemist's for some anti-itch cream and when I displayed some photographs they suggested she see a doctor. That afternoon Dr I. was away but she was able to see another late in the afternoon. In discussing changes in diet, medication, clothing and the like we said there had been none (completely overlooking the 2pm meds change); the only thing I thought of was the injected dye used for the MRI over a week earlier. Since the rash was fading she was advised to do nothing about it, but to return if it worsened or failed to disappear. Perhaps the rash was due to the high temperature of her feet some days previously? A large bruised area on her left calf had appeared along with the rash. She was unable to remember bumping her leg. Faint signs of the bruise remain.
After breakfast last Thursday she felt too unstable to stand, there was severe burning in her left leg and said there was a haze aver her vision. Following her 10am meds she was very sluggish and the "haze" was as if her hair was over her eyes so I helped her to bed. At 1025 her blood pressure was 110/60 and pulse rate 78 so I raised the foot end of her bed. She slept until 1245 when her BP reading taken on her left wrist was 103/58 62; right wrist 119/73 61. When she rose a few minutes later her left leg had pain down its whole length.
Early Friday morning she woke me 3 or 4 times by yelling and snoring/gasping. She nearly fell off a chair in the sewing room mid-afternoon when she fell asleep. At 1500 her BP was 120/70 75. At 1600 she was asleep in her recliner.
Saturday was at Wild Dog Respite. She was able to knit without wearing glasses all morning but in the afternoon was unable to play Rummy Cubes because she was unable to comprehend what to do, being able to see the words but not knowing what to do with them. She says between 2pm & 6pm each day both her vision and thinking are "fuzzy".
Both of us are very weary and out of sorts today. After 2am meds this morning she was stressed and both legs were cramping. I took her night nappy pants off a little after 3am for her to use the commode, much more pleasant than filling the pants while she was awake. She thought the Circulation Booster, the TENS machine for feet, might be of help for her painful legs. The device has not been used in ages because she decided that her shaking legs and feet prevented it from working. About 4am I located the machine and its power supply ("lost" independently). She noticed very little stimulation through her feet so I attached the sticky pads to her legs.
Every day last week, when she was able, she sorted through her stuff in her sewing room, the intention being to returning the kitchen table to a state of bareness. We finished on Friday, furniture was relocated to give her more open access to her laptops and sewing machines.
She now uses another type of nappy pants at night, ones that have very "sticky" tabs that look like carborundum paper. I last ordered the middle sized ones because we had too many "accidents" with the largest size; accidents still happen though, sometimes I fit them very well, sometimes not so well. To fit them, I seat her on the commode, wheel the commode to the end of the bed, have her pull herself up by pulling on the bed end while I slip the opened out pants beneath her bum, then when she collapses back onto the commode I loosely wrap the "belts" around her and loosely pull the front section up between her legs. The off the commode, onto the bed, raise the bed, place an extra absorption pad into the pants between her legs before jiggling all the bits into place as firmly as possible. Apo pump changeover occurs after 730am just before Wild Dog personal care person arrives to shower her.
I'm looking forward to a quiet night.
posted by Kilpike | 3:28 pm
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