Chapter 449 - The Carnival Continues

We were driven in the rain to West Beer to see Dr F in his rooms last Thursday. A nerve conduction study on her right arm and leg when we got there. Since there is little opportunity given for questions or comments, I wrote  a number of observations and a question. He said they were "good" observations and in response to my question he asked for her Duodopa pump settings to be changed to: Morning Dose 8ml; Daytime Rate 5.2ml/hr; Nighttime rate 2.2ml/hr. He queried whether I was able to change the settings and whether we were going down to the hospital clinic to have the port fittings replaced. Apparently others have this done after visiting him; we had never been advised to do so. Such maintenance on her pump is only performed when we attend the six monthly scheduled clinics; the clinics we were told last visit were intended to be "in and out affairs". And at consultations with him we have negligible time to have a discussion before he stands, rushes to the door saying "Take your time leaving"; we are puzzled that he always behaves so, does he need a piss every time we see him?

We left home at 1030, arrived at West Beer at1300, almost straight into the nerve conduction study, an awful long wait then in an over crowded waiting room (I always forget to note how long we wait), about 15 minutes with Dr F, make another appointment, into the car, rain and awful traffic, no more than 1/2 an hour at MacDonald's (we had had no lunch) and arrived home at 1830. This day out will cost her Level 4 plan about $800.

Friends came down on Saturday, stayed overnight, returned home Sunday afternoon. On Sunday morning I was woken by door knocking, I had slept in until 0750 when the Wild Dog carer arrived to shower her. In consequence, I fouled what I had hoped was to be a smooth transition to the new pump settings.

The following is a redacted (horrible word used so frequently by a horrid alien government) version of my "observations" for Dr F.