Chapter 595 - Preparations for Decision Making

 I just sent off a request for financial advice about Residential Care for one of us at some future time. I feel much better for having taken another cautious step as I did recently by speaking to a consultant at Wild Dog Carers. My head spins too much trying to solve financial problems that involve government pensions, superannuation, residential care financing and personal assets; just too many simultaneous equations. Even winning Tatts, although most unlikely and easier to catch COVID, would just add another variable. Anyway, I have now committed to paying someone to sort it out for me, yet without making a commitment to implement the matter, something similar to standing at the edge of a cliff then taking a step back.

A couple of days ago I took her for an ultrasound scan on her stomach, hoping to learn what was causing her pain on the left side. As always, the professional avoided saying what was seen, other than commenting that the process was complicated by her dyskinesia and her inability to get out of her wheel chair. He did mention the word "constipation" which I am well aware of and have increased the laxative to two doses each day. I am already regretting doing so but the additional work and care is worth avoiding hospitalisation and other complications.

I had started to think there was an association between bowel movements and dyskinesia. The last few days and nights have had long bouts of dyskinesia yet she has produced piles of thin cat-like turds. This morning the Wild Dog carer said she passed a very large stool at showering time, although I am unsure how big "very large" was. Interestingly, her dyskinesia has been much less today. However, she has been very dull today, subdued, not interested in an audio book or TV. On Friday I bought her a green cactus "trunk" with a red cactus ball grafted  onto the top. Her OCD problems took over and she had removed the cactus from the pot I had bought it in, although it remained in a black plastic container, although perhaps not for much longer if I had not discovered her at it, so I took her outside in her wheel chair and we planted the cactus in the centre of a large shallow bowl I recently bought for some other succulents.

I was very sad to watch her over several days attempting to crochet what may have been intended as a square or a circle coming to nothing. After producing a heap of knots for awhile she was then unable to cast on and crochet a few stitches. Sometime ago she pulled the case off a pillow and began picking at loose threads along one end, eventually revealing the foam chip filling. I tried to discourage her from doing this but she decided she needed to undo the entire seam at one end in order to make repairs. I had to take it from her and some days late I hand sewed the seam shut with a length of wool using a sort of chaff bag stitch. The job looks OK once the pillow case hides is replaced to hide the seam. She is no longer bothered about, not yet anyway.