Chapter 522 - Not Quite the Outcome Hoped For
Yesterday, as we drove from the motel we stayed at in town Y on Saturday night my feelings suggested further trips away from home were unlikely. Not that we experienced any great difficulties. Just that I had entertained hopes of both of us feeling more satisfied with this short escape.
We left home about 1030 on Saturday. An hour later I drove into a disabled slot in the car park of the RSL Club at Y, rather than parking in the main street with high curbs, the street that was once the main highway. We had lunched at the club years previously in the days when we met friends (he now dead) in a number of towns, so I knew where convenient parking was located. Feeling somewhat guilty I thought we should at least have some lunch at that club. She decided on a Neapolitan pizza which she found very tasty; it was too, for she shared a piece with me. I omitted telling her that much of the flavour was due to the anchovies partially submerged into the cheese topping until after we had finished eating. She had never eaten anchovies, considering them the be "horrible hairy things".
After lunch we walked the length of the shopping area on both sides of the main street, only venturing into a tightly stocked junk shop. The only newsagents' had closed by the time we reached it so I was unable to buy her something to read, as I had forgotten to pack her eBook reader, although she did not seem to mind. Mid afternoon we booked into the motel at the northern end of the shopping area. The room and its bathroom were both quite large, fortunately so for our suitcases, wheelchair and collapsible commode took up a fair bit of space. She decided she must have the roll-out bed/lounge rather than the double bed which was much higher and may have presented difficulties getting her in and out of it. The meal we enjoyed in the room was excellent, only marred by not eating it in the restaurant which she wished to avoid.
Our early morning routine was unchanged so I began her pump maintenance matters as usual a little after 0600. She had found the roll-out bed most uncomfortable and for once she had been cold. She hadn't mentioned this during the night otherwise the air conditioner could have been left on at a reasonable temperature. On the drive home she complained of pain in her shoulders and back. Attending to someone on an adjustable bed is much better than on a low roll-out I had found. The new collapsible commode/shower chair met my expectations even though it feels somewhat frail. When used as a shower chair the many nooks and crannies of its structure prevent complete drying so I will need to leave it assembled and not in its carry case to air dry. We drove from the motel about 0930 and arrived home shortly before 1100 on Sunday.
Once home she needed to lay down and sleep and her back ache developed into a pulsating head ache so I gave her two soluble Panodol. She slept for about an hour. Then when I began to put things away in the bedroom she decided it was time to do a little spring cleaning so I got the vacuum to remove fluff and dust from behind the beds and she continued wiping down surfaces using baby wipes which we use for cleaning her stoma. We both slept well last night.
Last week while enthusiastic about going away I ordered a webbed access strap for the door on her side of the car, a car seat slide for her and a wide lifting belt with handles and velcro closure. All these items arrived this morning, a shame I hadn't ordered them a day or two earlier. This morning I fitted the two items to the car and we used the belt for a toilet visit. In testing the seat slide (which consists of two padded pieces which slip easily across each other) in a transfer from her big wheel chair onto her car seat I almost had her slip onto the garage floor; so with it I must take great care. Our intention is to make chair to car transfers much easier on both of us. Some time ago I had bought a lifting belt that joined at the front with a plastic clip and a narrow belt but I felt such was unsafe with her stoma and tubing. The new belt is quite wide with overlapping velcro fastening. Even so, it does not seem to fit as well as I had expected.
She continues to shred the thick cord from a couple of pillows we bought recently. Simply to make soft filling for some sort of small quilt or large pillow she is trying to make. We could have bought sufficient filling and still had two pillows. On Saturday she took two large balls of "wool" to knit into something while away but when she realised too many stitches had been dropped in the midst of a jumble of strange stitches (she was stitching two threads, one from each ball) she gave up, pulling the creation apart to begin again. I untangled the jumble. Then again yesterday afternoon after returning home for her next attempt failed as well. She knows what she wants to create yet when things begin to go wrong she is unable to make corrections without pulling it apart and beginning again. I am reminded of once seeing a piece of video of a spider trying to spin an orb after the spider had been damaged in some way by research scientist.
My doubts about venturing away from home again are lessening as this day drags on. We have made the first step and perhaps with practise I will become more confident about moving and transferring her in unfamiliar surroundings. One way or another, I need to be able to attend to dressing her and showering her without using the Sara Stedy for transfers. There are times when myself and a Wild Dog carer are required to use the Sara Stedy when she is unable to stand easily. Of late her upper arms are painful from the effort she herself uses and I need to apply Voltaren for pain relief. My lower back is becoming quite painful as well. So we are reaching the time when her pants and slacks must be replaced by rolling her side-side on her bed after sliding to/from wheel chair or commode and transfers are kept to a minimum. Planned toilet breaks may help to eliminate "urgencies". I do so ramble on.
My repeated comments about her poor eye sight when she asks me to thread a needle for her may be bearing results. A short time ago such a comment by me resulted in her saying that if she could be assured her PD "shakes" would not be a problem then she may think about a cataract operation. She thinks maybe she could talk to her eye specialist who would do the job.
We left home about 1030 on Saturday. An hour later I drove into a disabled slot in the car park of the RSL Club at Y, rather than parking in the main street with high curbs, the street that was once the main highway. We had lunched at the club years previously in the days when we met friends (he now dead) in a number of towns, so I knew where convenient parking was located. Feeling somewhat guilty I thought we should at least have some lunch at that club. She decided on a Neapolitan pizza which she found very tasty; it was too, for she shared a piece with me. I omitted telling her that much of the flavour was due to the anchovies partially submerged into the cheese topping until after we had finished eating. She had never eaten anchovies, considering them the be "horrible hairy things".
After lunch we walked the length of the shopping area on both sides of the main street, only venturing into a tightly stocked junk shop. The only newsagents' had closed by the time we reached it so I was unable to buy her something to read, as I had forgotten to pack her eBook reader, although she did not seem to mind. Mid afternoon we booked into the motel at the northern end of the shopping area. The room and its bathroom were both quite large, fortunately so for our suitcases, wheelchair and collapsible commode took up a fair bit of space. She decided she must have the roll-out bed/lounge rather than the double bed which was much higher and may have presented difficulties getting her in and out of it. The meal we enjoyed in the room was excellent, only marred by not eating it in the restaurant which she wished to avoid.
Our early morning routine was unchanged so I began her pump maintenance matters as usual a little after 0600. She had found the roll-out bed most uncomfortable and for once she had been cold. She hadn't mentioned this during the night otherwise the air conditioner could have been left on at a reasonable temperature. On the drive home she complained of pain in her shoulders and back. Attending to someone on an adjustable bed is much better than on a low roll-out I had found. The new collapsible commode/shower chair met my expectations even though it feels somewhat frail. When used as a shower chair the many nooks and crannies of its structure prevent complete drying so I will need to leave it assembled and not in its carry case to air dry. We drove from the motel about 0930 and arrived home shortly before 1100 on Sunday.
Once home she needed to lay down and sleep and her back ache developed into a pulsating head ache so I gave her two soluble Panodol. She slept for about an hour. Then when I began to put things away in the bedroom she decided it was time to do a little spring cleaning so I got the vacuum to remove fluff and dust from behind the beds and she continued wiping down surfaces using baby wipes which we use for cleaning her stoma. We both slept well last night.
Last week while enthusiastic about going away I ordered a webbed access strap for the door on her side of the car, a car seat slide for her and a wide lifting belt with handles and velcro closure. All these items arrived this morning, a shame I hadn't ordered them a day or two earlier. This morning I fitted the two items to the car and we used the belt for a toilet visit. In testing the seat slide (which consists of two padded pieces which slip easily across each other) in a transfer from her big wheel chair onto her car seat I almost had her slip onto the garage floor; so with it I must take great care. Our intention is to make chair to car transfers much easier on both of us. Some time ago I had bought a lifting belt that joined at the front with a plastic clip and a narrow belt but I felt such was unsafe with her stoma and tubing. The new belt is quite wide with overlapping velcro fastening. Even so, it does not seem to fit as well as I had expected.
She continues to shred the thick cord from a couple of pillows we bought recently. Simply to make soft filling for some sort of small quilt or large pillow she is trying to make. We could have bought sufficient filling and still had two pillows. On Saturday she took two large balls of "wool" to knit into something while away but when she realised too many stitches had been dropped in the midst of a jumble of strange stitches (she was stitching two threads, one from each ball) she gave up, pulling the creation apart to begin again. I untangled the jumble. Then again yesterday afternoon after returning home for her next attempt failed as well. She knows what she wants to create yet when things begin to go wrong she is unable to make corrections without pulling it apart and beginning again. I am reminded of once seeing a piece of video of a spider trying to spin an orb after the spider had been damaged in some way by research scientist.
My doubts about venturing away from home again are lessening as this day drags on. We have made the first step and perhaps with practise I will become more confident about moving and transferring her in unfamiliar surroundings. One way or another, I need to be able to attend to dressing her and showering her without using the Sara Stedy for transfers. There are times when myself and a Wild Dog carer are required to use the Sara Stedy when she is unable to stand easily. Of late her upper arms are painful from the effort she herself uses and I need to apply Voltaren for pain relief. My lower back is becoming quite painful as well. So we are reaching the time when her pants and slacks must be replaced by rolling her side-side on her bed after sliding to/from wheel chair or commode and transfers are kept to a minimum. Planned toilet breaks may help to eliminate "urgencies". I do so ramble on.
My repeated comments about her poor eye sight when she asks me to thread a needle for her may be bearing results. A short time ago such a comment by me resulted in her saying that if she could be assured her PD "shakes" would not be a problem then she may think about a cataract operation. She thinks maybe she could talk to her eye specialist who would do the job.
posted by Kilpike | 3:19 pm
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