Chapter 576 - Another Humming Day

 I find that on days when she hums a lot, frequently, sometimes continuously, that those days are good ones. Much less dyskinesia (by observation only because I am not burdening her with the FitBit since professionals are disinterested in the results) on these days and she is less stressed. I assume her current dose rates, day 6.5and night 3.0, cause her to feel better although I'm sure weather conditions play a part as well as her general health and stress levels. I also assume her dose rates will need to change again. Since she is usually in bed for about an hour each morning after I change the pump to day rate, I tend to omit the Morning Dose of 1.0 ml, since I assume it is meant to be a "kick start" to get her mobility going and gradual acclimatisation to waking hours maybe better for her.

Concerned that a knuckle on one of her toes was not healing well I had the Wild Dog nurse visit on Thursday rather than take her out in the rain to the doctor's surgery. I had not considered that sort of help until the Wild Dog carer of the night before mentioned it. I had been applying Betadine, liquid then ointment, but the nurse used a small piece of Inadine which is more suitable and she left me the remnant of the sheet and I have since bought some more for "next time". I had used surgical gloves to keep the feet dry in the shower, tried Glad Wrap suggested by the nurse (failed for me) and bought some whole leg protectors which are effective if I securely tape the things to her legs. When I dressed the bad toe this morning a scab had formed over the area and it was no longer moist.

I think I noted recently in a previous chapter that I had the Wild Dog Care nurse ring each Monday to chat with her for a little social contact. Some years ago I approached the Red Cross via Wild Dog Care for someone to visit her but without success. Volunteer visitors in country towns seem hard to find. Recently I was made aware of The Community Visitors Scheme, an "initiative of the Australian Government". I was contacted by a co-ordinator in another state. Volunteer visitors in country towns are still hard to find. Last week I was contacted by a support person from another organisation in another state able to offer a tablet based Skype system as a 21st century substitute for an in-person visitor. Appropriate paper work was emailed to me which she completed after I discussed the matter with her. She was quite positive about the idea.

To help her call me when needed, I bought two door bell sets. The KISA phone requires some fumbling on her part to call me, simple as the phone is. Each door bell set has one press button and two chime boxes. One press button is glued onto the frame of her wheel chair ( I removed the earlier button and chime) and one of its chime boxes is in my "front" room and the other here in my "dungeon". The other press button is glued to the fan control attached to the monkey bar over her bed and its chime boxes are similarly positioned in "front" room and "dungeon". Each pair of chime boxes plays a different dirge so I know whether she calls from her wheelchair or bed.

While dabbling with family history on Ancestry last week I decided to contact a UK lady via the messaging system about some small matter. To my astonishment, I discovered that I had contacted this lady 10 months ago about a related matter, even promising to send a photograph of interest to her. Honestly, I still have no recollection of ever having exchanged several messages with her! Is this a not-so-subtle indication that my cognitive processes are declining? In recent weeks I have made errors with medications, both hers and mine, that I assumed were due to the effect of the dose of "Man 'Flu" I suffered. Perhaps not. Of all the novels I read I retain very little, if anything at all of the plots, never the titles and a fading memory of authors even though I prefer to read a series in order of publication, 25 novels in the Jack Reacher series just completed, at a rate of one a fortnight. They are simply instant gratification and entertainment, as were the 3 or 4 movies I watched while sick with Man Flu. Of consolation however are my stable Lumosity scores hovering around 10 below my peal LPI of 1425.

There were other matters I intended to diarise but I can't remember them.

The writing above was interrupted to watch Biden and Harris give their speeches as president elect and vice-president elect of the USA. Both were moving, positive speeches in comparison to the self promoting shit that spilled from Trump throughout the last four years. I have yet to finish reading "The Storm Before the Calm".