Chapter 412 - A Medical Appointment-Free Week
A week without a medical appointment of any type for either of us is respite of a pure kind. Not that I mind visiting the medical professionals, it's just the issue of wasting most of a morning or an afternoon for a visit locally, or a whole day for a visit out of town. This coming week is also free!
Her Level 4 support came into effect last Monday, 29th of February, with a Wild Dog person arriving shortly after 1930 to help her to bed. We originally thought this somewhat too early, yet after a few evenings we have decided it is not wholly a bad thing. Except for those few occasional TV shows worth watching from that time of an evening. Anyway, the routine is settling into the following; she will be on the loo when someone arrives (I have asked they ring some minutes earlier), I help her off the loo onto the commode from where she cleans her teeth, then the person helps her fully undress before sponging her over with a damp cloth, then the Sara Stedy is used to transport her into the bedroom and positioned over the Tena pants laid on her opened bed in readiness, she is helped onto the Tena pants which are then wrapped around her waist (in belt fashion and secured with the Velcro-like tab) and the front bib portion drawn up between her legs and fastened to the belt with two tabs. Later when I settle down for the night around 2200 when the Duodopa pump is removed, and if she wishes to void, I help her onto the commode (or into the loo) after which I wrap sticky tape around the tab areas to prevent any abrasion from the sand paper like surface of the tabs. The person from Wild Dog may apply under arm deodorant, moisturiser creams to her legs if considered necessary; before leaving again. Not much to do in a half hour you may suggest, yet their presence locks us into a routine to gain more sleep. She watches a DVD each evening before I take down the pump, syringe the stoma tubes, give her pills around 2200. Until now we dawdled, procrastinated each evening so that often lights out were at 2300 or later. Last night we were both asleep shortly after 2200, neither woke during the night until I rose about 0530, prepared her pump, attached it without waking her, then we both got up a little after 0700, me to shower and she to sit on the loo.
Last night we almost had a disaster. She always has an additional pad inside her incontinence pants, an additional pad that has a sticky backing to remain in place while away from home, as yesterday while she was at Respite. We ran out of that type so she had to use some found in our cupboard without a sticky backing. Once or twice during this past week an additional pad (without sticky backing) fell into the toilet bowl as I helped pull her pants down. Against her protests I simply flushed the pad down rather than poke around in the bowl. Last night, just before the Wild Dog person arrived, a pad became stuck, did not flush down, so I had to rescue it with a stick and rubber glove, depositing the pad in a couple of supermarket plastic bags. This morning I bought some pads with sticky backing at the chemists', although they are smaller that what she has been using.
Yesterday while she attended Respite I did the supermarket shopping, stocking up on cartons of milk (we drink that conditioned stuff lacking fats which some people can detect when they pollute tea or coffee with it), boxes of tissues, fruit juice etc etc; all the things I attempted to buy last Sunday while pushing her in her wheelchair around the aisles, nearly giving myself a seizure of some sort. Today was simply an outing for her to visit the shops; yet I still felt weak in the knees and frazzled by the time we returned to the car. I'm suggesting, encouraging her to accept an hour's trial having a Wild Dog person push her around the shops for an hour next Sunday whilst I read a good book, imbibing coffee, while she is gone. I will take her down the street, meet a Wild Dog person, who will return her in an hour, after she spends a few $'s on stuff if she wishes. I suspect I will feel better for it and she may be with someone who has greater appreciation for the junk that the shops have for sale.
Her Level 4 support came into effect last Monday, 29th of February, with a Wild Dog person arriving shortly after 1930 to help her to bed. We originally thought this somewhat too early, yet after a few evenings we have decided it is not wholly a bad thing. Except for those few occasional TV shows worth watching from that time of an evening. Anyway, the routine is settling into the following; she will be on the loo when someone arrives (I have asked they ring some minutes earlier), I help her off the loo onto the commode from where she cleans her teeth, then the person helps her fully undress before sponging her over with a damp cloth, then the Sara Stedy is used to transport her into the bedroom and positioned over the Tena pants laid on her opened bed in readiness, she is helped onto the Tena pants which are then wrapped around her waist (in belt fashion and secured with the Velcro-like tab) and the front bib portion drawn up between her legs and fastened to the belt with two tabs. Later when I settle down for the night around 2200 when the Duodopa pump is removed, and if she wishes to void, I help her onto the commode (or into the loo) after which I wrap sticky tape around the tab areas to prevent any abrasion from the sand paper like surface of the tabs. The person from Wild Dog may apply under arm deodorant, moisturiser creams to her legs if considered necessary; before leaving again. Not much to do in a half hour you may suggest, yet their presence locks us into a routine to gain more sleep. She watches a DVD each evening before I take down the pump, syringe the stoma tubes, give her pills around 2200. Until now we dawdled, procrastinated each evening so that often lights out were at 2300 or later. Last night we were both asleep shortly after 2200, neither woke during the night until I rose about 0530, prepared her pump, attached it without waking her, then we both got up a little after 0700, me to shower and she to sit on the loo.
Last night we almost had a disaster. She always has an additional pad inside her incontinence pants, an additional pad that has a sticky backing to remain in place while away from home, as yesterday while she was at Respite. We ran out of that type so she had to use some found in our cupboard without a sticky backing. Once or twice during this past week an additional pad (without sticky backing) fell into the toilet bowl as I helped pull her pants down. Against her protests I simply flushed the pad down rather than poke around in the bowl. Last night, just before the Wild Dog person arrived, a pad became stuck, did not flush down, so I had to rescue it with a stick and rubber glove, depositing the pad in a couple of supermarket plastic bags. This morning I bought some pads with sticky backing at the chemists', although they are smaller that what she has been using.
Yesterday while she attended Respite I did the supermarket shopping, stocking up on cartons of milk (we drink that conditioned stuff lacking fats which some people can detect when they pollute tea or coffee with it), boxes of tissues, fruit juice etc etc; all the things I attempted to buy last Sunday while pushing her in her wheelchair around the aisles, nearly giving myself a seizure of some sort. Today was simply an outing for her to visit the shops; yet I still felt weak in the knees and frazzled by the time we returned to the car. I'm suggesting, encouraging her to accept an hour's trial having a Wild Dog person push her around the shops for an hour next Sunday whilst I read a good book, imbibing coffee, while she is gone. I will take her down the street, meet a Wild Dog person, who will return her in an hour, after she spends a few $'s on stuff if she wishes. I suspect I will feel better for it and she may be with someone who has greater appreciation for the junk that the shops have for sale.
posted by Kilpike | 3:33 pm
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