Chapter 400 - Going Nowhere
Is this just part of old age? I don't want to go out, she prefers to stay at home, neither of us is enthusiastic about phone calls, when I go shopping I waste half the day so I procrastinate until a needed item runs out then I buy extra of anything seemingly important. On line super market shopping is helpful but since I began the on line ordered, delivered to door diet (frozen and refrigerated items) there is less to buy weekly so delivery costs are a greater percentage of the costs. I tried her on my diet food but quickly learned finely grated carrot and such like cause her swallowing problems. I was buying frozen fish fillets and suchlike for her but decided doing so and cooking frozen vegetables was a chore so now I buy expensive as well as cheap frozen dinners for her (none of which cause her swallowing difficulties; strange). Last Saturday I bought her an impulsive and expensive box of chocolates, small rough surfaced balls, which melted quickly in her mouth, leaving behind a mouthful of unswallowable finely ground nuts which had to be spat into a tissue, and since the whole box consisted of the same chocolate balls, she was unable to eat any more. I ate a few before remembering my diet.
Last week she began knitting a difficult tiled pattern for a beanie. I noticed she did some dozen or so rows before pulling the lot undone then starting again. This continued for a few days. She said she got so far before noticing mistakes and it was easier to begin again. When asked she said she made mistakes; the pattern was not in error. She eventually discontinued the project. A few days ago she began cutting out hexagons (using a plastic template) for some patchwork. She used her sewing machine (the one without the foot pedal, she is unable to control such devices) to stitch the pieces together. There was some unstitching done for corrections but a number are now sewn together. I will monitor her progress.
The new fore-arm walker has hardly been used because we were unable to find her round-the-waist safety belt to support her. The trolley device we have rented is perfect for transfers bed to commode, to loo, to wheel chair etc except when her lower half becomes dyskinetic and her body bobs up and down, making it difficult to seat her on it, she is unable to stand straight enough to swing the seat paddles into position and her shaking tends to dislodge the brakes. Morning transfers bed - commode - loo - commode (shower) - bed (while dressing) - standing to arrange her clothes - wheel chair all work perfectly but we can't use it at night to transfer wheelchair - loo - fit overnight incontinence pants - bed because between 9PM and 10PM her dyskinetics are worse and she becomes stressed. So we need to use the bad strong arm lifting procedures as always. And at that time of night there is no help as of a morning when Wild Dog care is here. The machine itself works well and is ideal so long as the patient is able to stand briefly. There are a couple of mechanical issues I have reported that I expect to be resolved on the model we purchase. I may post a picture of the trolley; no physio, OT or carer has ever seen one.
Our local OT thought the foam cushion I bought for the wheel chair most unsatisfactory, so he loaned a gel filled type which she found to firm for her coccyx area. An air filled cushion from the store that supplied her wheel chair, the fore-arm walker and the transfer trolley is much better and her pains have gone.
After my hydrocoele day surgery I experienced an uncomfortable week, followed by a week of UTI during which I almost admitted myself to the local hospital one night when I found I was unable to piddle for pain. I took a specimen to pathology and our GP gave me a course of antibiotics (Ibelex 500, the same given by the surgeon after the day surgery) but when they were ineffective he prescribed 2 only Apo-Azithromycin because the specimen results showed no culture but a trace of blood and sent me off for a CT scan of my sewage area. The GP mentioned the possibility of an STD but that is as impossible as a miraculous conception! The UTI symptoms ceased the day after taking those two pills a week ago yesterday, Saturday, and the CT scan report was clear except for an enlarged prostate (so what's new?). So as I'm beginning to feel a little better, she catches a cold, then I do, so we both suffer a miserable two days followed by the lingering after effects for the rest of the week. I now reach for the box of tissues.
She was referred by the Hot Air private hospital for follow-up physio at our local hospital, so now she has 4 half hour physio session, including what is provided by Wild Dog.
She likes me to cut the blooms from our few standard roses to bring into the house. I bought 3 dahlias for our raised garden bed; she likes to play at gardening in the garden bed from her wheel chair.
Last week she began knitting a difficult tiled pattern for a beanie. I noticed she did some dozen or so rows before pulling the lot undone then starting again. This continued for a few days. She said she got so far before noticing mistakes and it was easier to begin again. When asked she said she made mistakes; the pattern was not in error. She eventually discontinued the project. A few days ago she began cutting out hexagons (using a plastic template) for some patchwork. She used her sewing machine (the one without the foot pedal, she is unable to control such devices) to stitch the pieces together. There was some unstitching done for corrections but a number are now sewn together. I will monitor her progress.
The new fore-arm walker has hardly been used because we were unable to find her round-the-waist safety belt to support her. The trolley device we have rented is perfect for transfers bed to commode, to loo, to wheel chair etc except when her lower half becomes dyskinetic and her body bobs up and down, making it difficult to seat her on it, she is unable to stand straight enough to swing the seat paddles into position and her shaking tends to dislodge the brakes. Morning transfers bed - commode - loo - commode (shower) - bed (while dressing) - standing to arrange her clothes - wheel chair all work perfectly but we can't use it at night to transfer wheelchair - loo - fit overnight incontinence pants - bed because between 9PM and 10PM her dyskinetics are worse and she becomes stressed. So we need to use the bad strong arm lifting procedures as always. And at that time of night there is no help as of a morning when Wild Dog care is here. The machine itself works well and is ideal so long as the patient is able to stand briefly. There are a couple of mechanical issues I have reported that I expect to be resolved on the model we purchase. I may post a picture of the trolley; no physio, OT or carer has ever seen one.
Our local OT thought the foam cushion I bought for the wheel chair most unsatisfactory, so he loaned a gel filled type which she found to firm for her coccyx area. An air filled cushion from the store that supplied her wheel chair, the fore-arm walker and the transfer trolley is much better and her pains have gone.
After my hydrocoele day surgery I experienced an uncomfortable week, followed by a week of UTI during which I almost admitted myself to the local hospital one night when I found I was unable to piddle for pain. I took a specimen to pathology and our GP gave me a course of antibiotics (Ibelex 500, the same given by the surgeon after the day surgery) but when they were ineffective he prescribed 2 only Apo-Azithromycin because the specimen results showed no culture but a trace of blood and sent me off for a CT scan of my sewage area. The GP mentioned the possibility of an STD but that is as impossible as a miraculous conception! The UTI symptoms ceased the day after taking those two pills a week ago yesterday, Saturday, and the CT scan report was clear except for an enlarged prostate (so what's new?). So as I'm beginning to feel a little better, she catches a cold, then I do, so we both suffer a miserable two days followed by the lingering after effects for the rest of the week. I now reach for the box of tissues.
She was referred by the Hot Air private hospital for follow-up physio at our local hospital, so now she has 4 half hour physio session, including what is provided by Wild Dog.
She likes me to cut the blooms from our few standard roses to bring into the house. I bought 3 dahlias for our raised garden bed; she likes to play at gardening in the garden bed from her wheel chair.
posted by Kilpike | 10:19 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home