Monday, April 27th
The doctor changed my catheter, and for the first time in about four changes, did not push the new catheter in too far! Totally pain-free! I was so happy! It's only lately that he pushes it too far and then has to back out. This is what it was like during the first three years or so of my stay here! Anyway, it's done.
It was my turn to pick up a movie, and I had watched a documentary about Chevy Chase, and since Mom was such a fan of comedies, I thought, let’s pick a comedy of his to watch. I was thinking Foul Play, Fletch, or the first National Lampoon‘s Vacation. When I actually spoke my choices out loud, they lost a lot of their flair, and we decided this was Chevy‘s best movie.
Mom chuckled a bit during the movie but ultimately was appropriately not impressed. It's very much a movie that appeals to the younger generation. Oh well, we are definitely catching Mom up with the classics.
Tuesday, April 28th
They got me up in my chair by 9:30 AM, and my sister came by, and we sat in the small private room and talked to the Michigan lawyer my sister had hired to take care of Dad’s estate. We talked about how I could inherit money from Dad without affecting my Medicaid status. It will happen.
Usually, if one shift gets me out of bed, I wait for the next shift to get me back in bed. It was not my regular daytime CNA who had gotten me up, and so, after lunch, when they asked if I wanted to get back into bed, I said yes! So I was in bed for my massage, which was great! We were talking about her living situation at home, and I gave her advice she really liked. That made me feel very useful. Yay!
Wednesday, April 29th
Mom came by at 3 PM with one box of stuff from Amazon. That was half the stuff I had ordered. One thing was a new nighttime brace for my right hand. The brace I had been using for five or six years now was nice, but the finger separators were not super heavy-duty, and if it was not put on just so, the fingers and hand would tighten into a fist by morning. This brace had loops for each finger and a strap that would keep the hand in place throughout the night. Yay! Much better.
Since I am someone who can evaluate the tools I use and I have the ability to look for and shop on the Internet, I will just buy something that looks better than the thing I have. Then, because I am living in such a highly regulated environment, I need to get that new thing approved. I really bristle at the idea that I don't know what's good for me, but there you go. I am the hospital’s responsibility, and my independence is, to some degree, an illusion. This is the price I pay to live with caregivers 24/7.
Thursday, April 30th
I waited patiently for Dr. R and Freddie to show up, and then when I saw it was noon, I remembered she had told me that she would not be here this week. Crap! Oh well, I just went on with my day. Later in the afternoon, a deep sense of loneliness came over me, and I realized missing Freddìe was a bigger deal than I thought. And I had been watching the existential show Severance, which could really mess with your mind if you're not careful. Especially in my situation, where every day can look eerily like the day before.
Friday, May 1st
In a week, I will get my first Botox injection into my hand so that my fingers can loosen a bit. I will then need OT to help me do exercises so that I can extend my hand. I believe the doctor said that Botox was first developed for just this type of situation. In anticipation, the OT visited and took measurements of how much I could open my hand before the treatment.
I thought it was interesting that she said I was doing OK now. The rigidity can get so bad that the fingers won't open at all! I'm glad I'm not that bad, but you can see that the supplements I take do help. It will be nice to be able to use my hands more. I'm taking videos to show progress.
Mom also came by with the second box from Amazon. This box had the melatonin and the new daytime hand brace, which was very low profile and very comfortable! Yay! No more large orange finger separators rearing their ugly heads!
Saturday, May 2nd
We were good and did not buy anything yesterday, so I was extra eager for Mom to go to Guava Smoked and get me some beef ribs and fish. A little bit of an odd combination, but I don’t eat them together! Unfortunately, they were out of ribs, so she got chicken instead. The first time we got fish there, it was one large whole butterfish, which was very tasty! This time, we got three small fish wonderfully barbecued but with the fins still attached. It was a little bit like eating Nemo! If he weren't so tasty, I might be upset.
Sunday, May 3rd
A came by again in the morning right after my shower was finished. It was nice to catch up with her. Mom stopped by after church, and we played more Connections.
It's proving to be a bit challenging to come up with new cover photos every week. A took this photo so I could see the minor boo-boo on the side of my neck. I had been doing an oil treatment that involved putting drops on a Band-Aid and then on me. One of the Band-Aids had not been removed, so the skin had gotten like this. Very minor. It will quickly heal. This shows the level of desperation I have to find an interesting picture to lead with every week. I will do better next week. Have a great time until then!
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