Monday, May 18th
We all agreed that the last two weeks have not been stellar movie choices. I was looking at the good old reliable Criterion for a movie that would at least be of good quality. I had watched the original The Postman Always Rings Twice and found it very watchable. As is typical for me, I dozed off during the second half of the movie, and I was interested in finishing it. I was also interested in watching the remake with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.
So those were two of my choices, along with The Apartment and this movie. M commented that he had seen that movie, but he has seen a vast quantity of movies, so that did not seem to be disqualifying in any way. I was probably discounting M’s disapproval, but he also did not speak out to watch anything else, so we watched this.
Mom had made lunch for her and M, but unfortunately had left it in her refrigerator. That opened the door for a pizza to be ordered! M ordered from a Domino’s Pizza in Waikiki that was close. It's easy to forget that this hospital is very close to the world-famous Waikiki! It feels a world away from my hospital room. I ended up ignoring the gluten and having one piece. It was OK pizza. The best thing about it was that it was very fresh and warm! Yum!
Tuesday, May 19th
In an effort to motivate her to get up in the morning, my sister showed up at breakfast. Well, technically, it was 45 minutes after I would normally have had breakfast, but it was in the morning! This was her first time doing this, so she will get better.
It so happened that I had an appointment with the MLR, my California nutritionist, that morning, so my sister was able to listen in. I was talking about how I would like to get something going where I could be useful, being in the situation I am. MLR encouraged me to start something on my own and not wait for someone else to come along and help me.
It was perfect that my sister heard that and could help hold me accountable. I am thinking of starting a call/virtual meeting online with alert patients in long-term care or in rehab to offer support and community. I also thought I could have a call/virtual meeting with relatives and caregivers for the same reason. I will come up with a proposal and offer it to Leahi.
Wednesday, May 20th
My CNA came to me and said there were only three CNAs today, and she couldn’t give me a shower. I can take missing one shower, but I hadn’t gotten a shower on Sunday, so I had to insist that she give me one. She did, and, unfortunately for her, she didn't know how to regulate the shower water temperature very well, and I am very particular, so it took a while.
After the shower, she had to put me in my wheelchair so I could attend the resident council meeting today. These meetings are an opportunity for the hospital to get feedback from the 10% of the alert population. It's a good excuse for me to get into my chair and see other people.
Today, I met S, a rehab patient with a serious neck brace. He was very gregarious, and I thought, oh, he's a handful for his nurses. He is on the floor below me, and I told him we could trade phone numbers so he could call me and ask questions. I could definitely help field some questions so he doesn't take up everyone's time. Just trying to be useful.
I also had a talk with the head nurse on my floor when I returned. We discussed increasing the medication I was taking that was supposed to help me sleep, but wasn’t doing the job. It definitely helped me stay asleep once I was down, but I wanted something that made me feel sleepy, like the melatonin he used to take. We shall see.
Thursday, May 21st
So I tried the higher dose of trazodone, and it was miserable! 10 times worse than the lower dose! I'm sure this medication works fine for some people, but not me. I also felt very drugged and groggy on it. I talked to the nurse in the morning and said I would like to change to the maximum dose of melatonin I can take. That will be much better, I predict. I'm glad I could immediately put a stop to that horrid medication.
Dr. R was on another trip until the end of the month, so no Freddie today or next week. She and some friends were visiting a country far away, so I would get another exotic postcard for my wall!
Mom stopped by to deliver the finger splint that had arrived at her place. I wanted to have it so that the OT could assess it tomorrow, and I could start using it. Great!
Friday, May 22nd
The OT looked at the finger splint, and though it was a bit low-tech, it did the job I needed it to do. I kind of want it to hold the entire finger flat. Of course, if it did do that, I would probably complain about how awkward it was, so maybe it's fine the way it is. I will wear the splint at night on my left hand instead of putting the entire hand in a splint and not being able to use it.
Mom visited at lunch, and I tried to drink as much water as I could during the day, although I'm sure I could've done better. I tried in vain to fall asleep. As usual, when I can't sleep, I just lie with my eyes closed listening to podcasts. Maybe tomorrow night I will sleep.
Saturday, May 23rd
The past week or so, I have not been eliminating everything when I get a suppository. That's the nicest way I can put it. This morning, it felt like I eliminated everything that was there and then some. Very nice to feel so free and easy! I don't usually comment on that, but today it was good enough that I wanted to.
My sister got me a package of sushi at Whole Foods and came by. Mom also showed up at lunch because my sister was traveling to Illinois to visit relatives. I asked my sister to order some AirPods for me so that one guest can listen to audio through my iPad at the same time. It's too bad I can only listen with one person, as Mom, M, and I watch movies together. Oh well.
Sunday, May 24th
I had wanted my sister to bring two packages of sushi, but there was a bit of miscommunication, so I only got one package. Consequently, I felt justified in asking Mom to get something from Diamond Head Grill today. I looked at their menu online and decided to try the kalbi ribs. A lot of gristle, but very tasty! I actually did start writing my blog today! I will get it out before Thursday!
The cover photo is a close-up of Mom stretching my left hand. It looks a tad brutal, but it gives the tendons in my fingers a good stretch. If you try it yourself, most people can extend their fingers out flat and then flex their hand like this and keep the fingers extended. On my hand, the fingers curl forward instead of staying straight, so this stretch counteracts that.
Have a fabulous week!
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