Chapter 355 - Crying "Wolf!"
Perhaps I cry "Wolf!" too often? Last Monday I took her to see our GP about her breathing problems. He explained that tissue at the back of the throat can cause the whistles, suggested she will have some relief by laying on her side, but didn't bother to use a stethoscope to listen to her breathing. He commented on her "improvement" when he saw her pushing her walker into his room (she usually arrives in walker or wheelchair); what did I say last post? Perhaps such a comment is uplifting for a patient on the mend. He had received a 3 page report from experts at West Beer, the only portion he shared with us was a comment that her left leg maybe a candidate for Botox. He gave us a copy of the report of ultra-sound tests performed on her left leg; normal blood flow in all arteries tested other than "the popliteal artery or other calf vessels" unable to be tested due to her PD condition. We left with a handful of scripts and referrals for bone density tests for each of us, which she will possibly not have done due to her imagined difficulties getting in and out of the mobile vehicle used for the tests. Anyway, her breathing remains difficult at times and the whistling still occurs, although she has found that laying on her side is a relief. I encourage her to use the breathing exercise machine, consists of three columns each containing balls raised by breathing through a flexible tube, given to her in hospital some years ago.
She often has mild "empty" stomach feelings, perhaps a little nausea, usually in the early morning and requiring a biscuit to settle her stomach.
Back to the dentist on Wednesday for several fillings. She finds this one a "bit rough" but at least access from the street is not too bad. No further work required at this time. Just for the record, she was prescribed Alpamox 500 after the extraction the previous week.
An Ultralieve hand held ultrasonic device was suggested to assist in minimising the Apomine infusion nodules on her tummy. So each evening now prior to wrapping her in her overnight bloomers I apply the ultrasound device to some of the larger nodules. It's too early to say whether there has been any benefit. Each morning after replacing the infusion needle I continue to apply the zinc type ointment and the hand held vibrator.
Each night prior to going to bed before 10pm I have her sit on the commode positioned at the end of her bed. Using the bed end she pulls herself up to raise her bottom sufficiently so that I am able to thread the overnight incontinence pants between her legs, positioning the rear at about the correct point above her bum/lower back. Then I wheel her around to the side of the bed and assist her from the commode onto the bed. Then the bed is raised to its uppermost level before applying the Ultralieve for 5 or 10 minutes. Then I tug the front of the incontinence pants as far as possible through her legs before pushing a additional absorbent pad down between her legs, then the "belt" straps of the pants are tightly fitted around her waist then the front flap is attached to the "belt". The adhesive pads which hold the pants together are not sticky or of velcro but have the feel of emery paper and must be kept well clear of contact with the skin. Then in the morning, usually around her 6AM meds, she sits on the commode again, I undo the the adhesive pads on the pants, she presses down on the commode arms to raise her bottom slightly while I, having taken a firm grasp of the front of the pants pull like mad to withdraw the wet pants and pad from between her legs until the whole lot falls into a waste paper basket. If we have been lucky, no overnight leakages have occurred requiring her bed to be stripped. Then back onto the bed and I prepare the Apomine syringes; 12ml amounts into two syringes because that is less wasteful now that we use 5ml ampoules, one syringe gets 8ml saline while the other is put aside for the next day. Then after taping up the new infusion, removing the old, applying ointment and vibrating the nodule she is ready for the Wild Dog Personal Care person to shower and dress her. Except lately her bowels send urgency signals about this time, which may delay the shower a little. About an hour each morning and night is required for these tasks.
Recently, while sitting on the loo, she commented that she was "able to push now that the meds had kicked in". And while I have been typing this note she spent most of the time on the loo. At one point when I checked on her in the middle of writing this post she told me that when she sat up straight the "imminent motion" was felt, yet if she leaned forward, the feeling disappeared.
Contact from the West Beer people that her next appointment is on Monday 8th September at 9AM!!!! (a year after beginning Apomine). She must cease all PD meds before midnight on the Sunday so that the experts can interrogate and observe her stone cold as a brick, after which she will be given a large quantity of Sinemet while her mobility is videod and assessed, overall 3-4 hours. Shades of a clinic in Batman City. No mention was made of bringing a picnic lunch. The hospital has a hostel but the bathrooms are "shared", which suggests bush pub accommodation, so not for her. There is a motel close by. Unable to contact the hostel staff by phone last Friday I checked with Wild Dog whether they were prepared to chauffeur us at 6AM on that Monday. They are prepared to do that. No matter what we do, I will have a problem to shower, dress and move her in and out of a car, or, shower, dress and wheelchair her from accommodation into the hospital. My druthers are for being driven there and back in one day, rather than spend two nights in accommodation (since I am not really up to driving after what may be a stressful day).
Instructions from West Beer are to bring the recent MRI scans with us on 8th September; she is in a panic since the scans may be lost because after speaking to Dr F's receptionist I posted the damn things to him at great expense. She fears being scanned again.
Yesterday she nearly fell after being showered and dressed, on the way to her recliner for breakfast. I was able to grab and support her on her right side; not ideal since she was crumpling to her left side. My efforts would not be approved by an OT. It seems that a burning sensation in her lower left leg signals imminent collapse of that leg.
She often has mild "empty" stomach feelings, perhaps a little nausea, usually in the early morning and requiring a biscuit to settle her stomach.
Back to the dentist on Wednesday for several fillings. She finds this one a "bit rough" but at least access from the street is not too bad. No further work required at this time. Just for the record, she was prescribed Alpamox 500 after the extraction the previous week.
An Ultralieve hand held ultrasonic device was suggested to assist in minimising the Apomine infusion nodules on her tummy. So each evening now prior to wrapping her in her overnight bloomers I apply the ultrasound device to some of the larger nodules. It's too early to say whether there has been any benefit. Each morning after replacing the infusion needle I continue to apply the zinc type ointment and the hand held vibrator.
Each night prior to going to bed before 10pm I have her sit on the commode positioned at the end of her bed. Using the bed end she pulls herself up to raise her bottom sufficiently so that I am able to thread the overnight incontinence pants between her legs, positioning the rear at about the correct point above her bum/lower back. Then I wheel her around to the side of the bed and assist her from the commode onto the bed. Then the bed is raised to its uppermost level before applying the Ultralieve for 5 or 10 minutes. Then I tug the front of the incontinence pants as far as possible through her legs before pushing a additional absorbent pad down between her legs, then the "belt" straps of the pants are tightly fitted around her waist then the front flap is attached to the "belt". The adhesive pads which hold the pants together are not sticky or of velcro but have the feel of emery paper and must be kept well clear of contact with the skin. Then in the morning, usually around her 6AM meds, she sits on the commode again, I undo the the adhesive pads on the pants, she presses down on the commode arms to raise her bottom slightly while I, having taken a firm grasp of the front of the pants pull like mad to withdraw the wet pants and pad from between her legs until the whole lot falls into a waste paper basket. If we have been lucky, no overnight leakages have occurred requiring her bed to be stripped. Then back onto the bed and I prepare the Apomine syringes; 12ml amounts into two syringes because that is less wasteful now that we use 5ml ampoules, one syringe gets 8ml saline while the other is put aside for the next day. Then after taping up the new infusion, removing the old, applying ointment and vibrating the nodule she is ready for the Wild Dog Personal Care person to shower and dress her. Except lately her bowels send urgency signals about this time, which may delay the shower a little. About an hour each morning and night is required for these tasks.
Recently, while sitting on the loo, she commented that she was "able to push now that the meds had kicked in". And while I have been typing this note she spent most of the time on the loo. At one point when I checked on her in the middle of writing this post she told me that when she sat up straight the "imminent motion" was felt, yet if she leaned forward, the feeling disappeared.
Contact from the West Beer people that her next appointment is on Monday 8th September at 9AM!!!! (a year after beginning Apomine). She must cease all PD meds before midnight on the Sunday so that the experts can interrogate and observe her stone cold as a brick, after which she will be given a large quantity of Sinemet while her mobility is videod and assessed, overall 3-4 hours. Shades of a clinic in Batman City. No mention was made of bringing a picnic lunch. The hospital has a hostel but the bathrooms are "shared", which suggests bush pub accommodation, so not for her. There is a motel close by. Unable to contact the hostel staff by phone last Friday I checked with Wild Dog whether they were prepared to chauffeur us at 6AM on that Monday. They are prepared to do that. No matter what we do, I will have a problem to shower, dress and move her in and out of a car, or, shower, dress and wheelchair her from accommodation into the hospital. My druthers are for being driven there and back in one day, rather than spend two nights in accommodation (since I am not really up to driving after what may be a stressful day).
Instructions from West Beer are to bring the recent MRI scans with us on 8th September; she is in a panic since the scans may be lost because after speaking to Dr F's receptionist I posted the damn things to him at great expense. She fears being scanned again.
Yesterday she nearly fell after being showered and dressed, on the way to her recliner for breakfast. I was able to grab and support her on her right side; not ideal since she was crumpling to her left side. My efforts would not be approved by an OT. It seems that a burning sensation in her lower left leg signals imminent collapse of that leg.
posted by Kilpike | 12:31 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home