Chapter 486 - A Day of Contentment
Yesterday, Thursday, I needed to stock up on meds from the chemist, a task I was unable to do the day before (Wednesday one of my respite days) when the Wild Dog Carer rang me because her legs were giving her a lot of bother perhaps due to "Dance for PD" class on Tuesday. I told the Carer to go ahead to give her a couple of Soluble Panadol which sometimes eases the discomfort; except this time she only wanted one. Anyway, I grocery shopped then was home by 1400.
Anyway, yesterday I connected to the Canadian "Dance for Parkinsons" archived classes and, seated in her wheel chair, she followed along with one of the recorded classes. Then immediately afterwards we went down the street where we shopped for a few items, including a quilting magazine, as well as the meds. A lunch of "Mediterranean Melt" was not very appealing to her when she found the sliced salami was too spicy for her. On the way home we both expressed our feelings that the shopping trip had been most enjoyable. During the 4 hours neither of us needed the toilet. There seemed to be no repercussions from the on-line "Dance" class. A rather amazing day!
Several nights recently around 0200 she has woken me with twisted legs, shortness of breath, the Duodopa pump tube wrapped around her arm (but not in reality). Sometimes I give her two soluble Panadol to help calm her. Perhaps her restlessness has been due to watching DVDs after going to bed. The DVDs were borrowed from our village hall, along with old magazines. In return she wishes to take her DVDs and magazines, including a collection of quilting magazines costing at least $10 each bough on Sunday shopping trips. I have prohibited this exchange even though she says she doesn't use them any more (she seems to have concluded that quilting is now beyond her abilities) except that yesterday she insisted on buying the latest quilting magazine at the newsagents. I want her to at least keep them to flip through. Also to sort them, as she was doing with other books and magazines this morning after she spent at least an hour sorting sugar tubes taken from coffee shops and tea bags which she prefers to see in plastic containers.
On Good Friday a cousin I had never met came for the afternoon. Then on Sunday our Blue Hills clan, the whole bunch of them, came for lunch at the Club. I forgot to take any photos of either gathering. Both visits were most enjoyable, except at the club she insisted on putting some dozen small pencils which she took from the Keno ticket holder on the table into her purse. Recently she bought several metal containers of coloured pencils and zipped bag into which all the pencils have now been placed so I was given the original containers to place in the garbage. She is yet to use the pencils on any of the adult colouring-in books she now has.
We now have a new fridge funded by her Level 4 Plan. One and a half shelves are filled with the boxes of Duodopa when we receive a new shipment. This will be more reliable than the 35 litre car fridge originally bought for the purpose. I had intended the new fridge to have door hinges on the left hand side but a right hand side hinged model was delivered and since this allows her more ready access from her wheel chair we kept it.
She is rejecting food that is too dry, lumpy, stringy, not swallowable, too thick. However, she really likes small containers of creme caramel for breakfast; I alternate them with various yogurts. She has pear juice with Benefiber morning and night and Sustagen for lunch regularly. I keep the cupboard stocked with chocolates for her but she is unable to eat any containing nuts or coconut. Along with frozen dinners many may say her diet is not balanced. She has no trouble eating mango or kiwi fruit so such are often added to evening meals.
She has been complaining about her poor vision while using her computer. Aided with a lot of duct tape, I have installed her MS Surface Pro, with a new 27" monitor and a new keyboard with 1" square keys on her over-the-bed table, although she has not yet used this rig in the bedroom yet.
I am sure she has difficulty learning new activities. For instance, she is unable to remember CNTRL-+ to make text larger on her screen so now that is written on a white label on the table. Her bedside lamp and several fans have been switched on and off by a remote control for several months now; the control having a row of buttons for turning ON individual devices and a parallel row to turn the same OFF, and there is a label attached indicating the switch functions, yet she continues to randomly push buttons and not learn which one is which. When in bed at night watching DVDs or NetFlix she usually wears sunglasses to not hurt her eyes.
Anyway, yesterday I connected to the Canadian "Dance for Parkinsons" archived classes and, seated in her wheel chair, she followed along with one of the recorded classes. Then immediately afterwards we went down the street where we shopped for a few items, including a quilting magazine, as well as the meds. A lunch of "Mediterranean Melt" was not very appealing to her when she found the sliced salami was too spicy for her. On the way home we both expressed our feelings that the shopping trip had been most enjoyable. During the 4 hours neither of us needed the toilet. There seemed to be no repercussions from the on-line "Dance" class. A rather amazing day!
Several nights recently around 0200 she has woken me with twisted legs, shortness of breath, the Duodopa pump tube wrapped around her arm (but not in reality). Sometimes I give her two soluble Panadol to help calm her. Perhaps her restlessness has been due to watching DVDs after going to bed. The DVDs were borrowed from our village hall, along with old magazines. In return she wishes to take her DVDs and magazines, including a collection of quilting magazines costing at least $10 each bough on Sunday shopping trips. I have prohibited this exchange even though she says she doesn't use them any more (she seems to have concluded that quilting is now beyond her abilities) except that yesterday she insisted on buying the latest quilting magazine at the newsagents. I want her to at least keep them to flip through. Also to sort them, as she was doing with other books and magazines this morning after she spent at least an hour sorting sugar tubes taken from coffee shops and tea bags which she prefers to see in plastic containers.
On Good Friday a cousin I had never met came for the afternoon. Then on Sunday our Blue Hills clan, the whole bunch of them, came for lunch at the Club. I forgot to take any photos of either gathering. Both visits were most enjoyable, except at the club she insisted on putting some dozen small pencils which she took from the Keno ticket holder on the table into her purse. Recently she bought several metal containers of coloured pencils and zipped bag into which all the pencils have now been placed so I was given the original containers to place in the garbage. She is yet to use the pencils on any of the adult colouring-in books she now has.
We now have a new fridge funded by her Level 4 Plan. One and a half shelves are filled with the boxes of Duodopa when we receive a new shipment. This will be more reliable than the 35 litre car fridge originally bought for the purpose. I had intended the new fridge to have door hinges on the left hand side but a right hand side hinged model was delivered and since this allows her more ready access from her wheel chair we kept it.
She is rejecting food that is too dry, lumpy, stringy, not swallowable, too thick. However, she really likes small containers of creme caramel for breakfast; I alternate them with various yogurts. She has pear juice with Benefiber morning and night and Sustagen for lunch regularly. I keep the cupboard stocked with chocolates for her but she is unable to eat any containing nuts or coconut. Along with frozen dinners many may say her diet is not balanced. She has no trouble eating mango or kiwi fruit so such are often added to evening meals.
She has been complaining about her poor vision while using her computer. Aided with a lot of duct tape, I have installed her MS Surface Pro, with a new 27" monitor and a new keyboard with 1" square keys on her over-the-bed table, although she has not yet used this rig in the bedroom yet.
I am sure she has difficulty learning new activities. For instance, she is unable to remember CNTRL-+ to make text larger on her screen so now that is written on a white label on the table. Her bedside lamp and several fans have been switched on and off by a remote control for several months now; the control having a row of buttons for turning ON individual devices and a parallel row to turn the same OFF, and there is a label attached indicating the switch functions, yet she continues to randomly push buttons and not learn which one is which. When in bed at night watching DVDs or NetFlix she usually wears sunglasses to not hurt her eyes.
posted by Kilpike | 1:30 pm
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