Chapter 575 - Peace Lily
After writing a few emails this morning I went to check on her. Hands in the soil of our large Peace Lily, dirt scattered on the floor, she was hunched forward, hearing my approach she remained very still, quiet, not reacting to my query, like a puppy that knows it shouldn't have piddled on the carpet. I suppressed my flare of anger, instead wheeling her into the bathroom for her to wash her hands, there were grains of soil up to her wrists. While she was there I took several photos of the lily, leaning to one side in its pot, its four blooms limper than normal. Perhaps the second or third time the lily has been "trimmed" in this past week' the last a day ago when I used a length of bamboo she had removed from a cane basket as an encouragement for the lily to be more vertical. Leaves she sometimes removes are often replanted in the pot in the hope they will grow.
I placed the lily, as well as the smaller one given by her younger sister when years ago she was in hospital receiving the stoma for the duodopa pump, in the second bathroom where several mattresses are stored. The small lily has lived on top of a book case for quite awhile to avoid "pruning" exercises. Realising that if she really wished to, she is able to get into that bathroom, I later relocated both lilies onto the laundry bench top. I dumped a quantity of used Duodopa cartridges at Community Health before buying fish and chips for lunch today; she didn't eat the chips.
I lack the stamina to describe the events of the last couple of weeks, I am depressed, I am tired. But a few brief notes. I ordered Duodopa on Thursday 15th October from our local pharmacy while we had one week's supply in hand, and was told late the next day there was "no stock" and by the following Tuesday that there was no status given for the stuff. Normally Abbvie, the supplier, provides next day delivery for this stuff that costs $11,000 per month. Our local pharmacy told me that Abbvie no longer supplied directly to them, but through a distributor called API. I contacted our West Beer Clinic Nurse who raised the matter with Abbvie. An on-line search showed me that API was the owner of the franchise name of Priceline that our local pharmacy operates under. The Duodopa arrived on Thursday 22nd October while we had one cassette left as a result of using each cassette for 16 hours a day rather than making replacements each morning and evening as usual. The stress inflicted upon me will not happen again without serious publicity consequences for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
The Friday following the Duodopa saga I came down with a version of influenza. Four relatives from Big Smoke visited us on the previous Monday; I blame them for infecting me, even though none showed signs of illness. And I had remained free of disease throughout the year until now because since COVID, I have avoided the local clubs & coffee shops. In case I had COVID symptoms I cancelled Wild Dog Carers for all services from Saturday and had a COVID test at our local hospital. This meant I had showering and dressing to do until my COVID result was found to be negative on the Monday and care services resumed on the Tuesday and on that day I visited our GP who gave me a course of antibiotics, not yet completed and my bloody, yellowed sinus snot has almost dried up now.
I made a number of mistakes with her Duodopa management during the past week, fortunately there have been no lasting problems caused. I'm worn out and very tired. Caring is not a good role for one both ill and aged.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home