Chapter 587 - Some Bad, Some Good

Last Wednesday 10th February I increased the Duodopa Day Rate from 6.5 to 7.0 and since Thursday she has suffered minimal dyskinesia, to such a degree that unless she stresses due to transfers or an inability to perform a simple task there is no dyskinesia, although her head may bob a little. A flow rate of 7.0 has been used some time ago but at the moment I am too weary to look through my notes to see whether there was a similar improvement.

Her stoma remains a serious worry. From Tuesday 2nd February the doctor started her on Clindamycin which was continued until Tuesday 9th when it was discontinued by the doctor who said to restart it the stoma had not imp[roved by the Friday three days later. I thought it had so that antibiotic has not been given again. I took images of the stoma each day, leaving prints at the surgery on Friday for the doctor to see.

The Clindamycin was commenced on Tuesday 2nd and the following day she had to be returned to bed without showering and was in "zombie mode" until 1030. Hind sight suggests I should have called for an ambulance and/or spoken to her doctor since she may have been reacting to the new antibiotic. My cognitive abilities are in a bad way.

While typing the above she pushed the alarm button on her wheel chair, wanting the loo. While transferring her onto the loo a deposit was caught in her pull downs, which I ripped off. Then she did an enormous amount into the toilet. Wild dyskinesias made fitting a clean pair of pullups very difficult, and I did not replace her slacks so she is in the wheel chair without them. The dyskinesias have almost ceased.

For several weeks now I wake between 0300 and 0400, sometimes listening to Radio National, sometimes reading a few chapters, in an attempt to sleep. This morning I sat in the lounge recliner and listened to several sleep therapy exercises on Insight Timer, sleeping from about 0500 for an hour. Perhaps I need daytime exercise, since I discontinued treadmilling of a morning and she never wants to be walked in her wheel chair any more. So I did 30 minutes at 4km/hr this morning while watching a Great Courses lecture. I need to do something, I'm feeling jet-lagged without the travel required.