Keeping Cool On A Hot Day.

 

Carlos Alfonzo, Afraid of Clowns, 1986

Cuban artist, 1950- 1991

Today has been a real hot day; the temperature is well over 30° which has left me feeling dreadful.

Being hoisted out of bed was not easy for Richie as I was extremely floppy due to the heat.

Because it was so hot we did not need any heating in the bathroom, which I usually need to stop me cramping up once I've been showered.

It was so hot today this did not happen which was excellent, Richie solution was to put one radiator on in the front room with towels on it.

After a shower we have noticed it is best for me to have warm towels on me which also helps stop me getting painful spasms and cramps.

The heat caused me to constantly hang on one side or the other in the shower chair, this made Richie’s task more difficult.

Every 5 minutes he had to alter my position, at times it must have looked more like wrestling rather than washing me.

Putting henna in my hair was not a good idea today, as it would have meant me sitting even longer in the shower chair which did not seem a good idea.

Not in this heat and with me sitting so badly, it was unpleasant for me and for Richie.

Getting me dressed was difficult, sadly Richie could not get my favourite sleeveless Trinidad shirt on me, so I'm wearing another favourite.

One good thing is that Richie has got the mobile air-conditioning unit to work well and I'm sitting comfortably in a cool room which is making my life pleasant.

I still apologize.

Lenor Fini.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_Fini
 

Today was a pleasant warm day, the dogs were happy, so was I because the sun was shining.

Richie went off to get the shopping, so we can go out tomorrow and enjoy the market.

Just after Richie got back I started to feel uncomfortable and asked to go to the bathroom.

Sadly the action of having the straps from the hoist put around me, laying me down, then sitting me up again caused me to start crapping.

Luckily Richie got me out of bed and over the toilet before anything much happened, amazing how we are getting used to this happening.

I still apologized to Richie, funny that because I can not do anything about this happening.

After a shower/grooming session I felt restored, Richie put my favourite colourful summer trousers, as well a pretty blue t-shirt on me.

Also pretty multicoloured Swarovski crystal earrings, a glittering necklace, one red & three purple rings.

After taking baclofen tablets, eating bread with delicious soft goat cheese, Richie got my laptop, before he took the dogs for a run.

Suddenly after 1 hour the laptop screen went black, the laptop went off, I tried to switch it back on, sadly it did not.

Hours later I tried again and my laptop is functioning now, I am so glad really thought that was it.

 

Exciting Things Hapening.

 

Sokea soittoniekka (Blind Musician)

Alvar Cawen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Caw%C3%A9n

Great news had a call from Frans, from Tiltechniek, who came by about the new hoist straps yesterday which he was going to order for me and would be here in two weeks time.

Today a happy Frans called to say he had found a set of the straps and a colleague of his would be in Amsterdam tomorrow and could drop it by at 10.00.

Brilliant news, great to get a set that will not be painful like the ones we use now; my skin has become so very sensitive in the last three years that getting the straps on is very unpleasant.

We both wish there were another way of getting me transferred from bed to shower chair and then into wheelchair and back into bed, that was painless.

Looking forward to the new straps tomorrow is excellent to have a set of straps that does not feel unpleasant like my skin is being scrapped raw with an emery board.

So tomorrow will be quite a pleasant change, I hope that the new straps will make transfer as easy as it was recently at the hospital.  

Looking forward to tomorrow and trying out the hoist straps be so good to be able to be transferred without discomfort.

So tomorrow first the excitement of the new straps in the morning and then the excitement of the last afternoon and evening of 2010 before fireworks at midnight.

Then the next excitement is seeing the little Jack Russell, Jacky on Sunday at 15.00 that will be very exciting indeed.

So exciting things happening this year and next year, we are both very excited at the prospect of a new dog in our lives.

Woke up quite gently this morning and lay here quite enjoying the sounds from outside.

Then started getting a touch melancholic and next thing I was crying and the tears were running down my face my ears were getting wet.

Put the bed into a half sitting position this also made it easier to stop crying that and regulating my breathing.

It is true though that when you are lying down and you cry you find it harder to stop than sitting up.

Luckily did not wake my darling which I was very happy about.

As soon as I had recovered my composure I did the arm and back exercises and tried not to make too much noise in the process.

Don't think it was sucessful think I sounded like an old steam train trying to ascend a large mountain.

Just after the exercises were done and as I was falling deeply asleep heard Richie getting up turned out it was 10.15 already.

Richie got himself a coffee and some thc for me, I stopped drinking coffee before I had the catheter as coffee makes you pee alot and I was constantly under estimating the effect of coffee.

Plus at the time had carers coming in who were very bad, they regularly did not come on time or just did not come at all.

One time one 'carer' left me in the lurch twice in one day and it ended up with urine flowing out of the bottom of my chair because I could not hold it any longer.

Finally the 'carer' who should have come round at 12 noon and 14pm came round at 15.30 and then she was so dreadfully clumsy with the hoist that she hurt me badly which caused huge spasms in my legs and shocks to the lower back.

And during all this fumbling I had pissed again and was not a happy girl!

Luckily a good friend came round and saved the day, despite never having any knowledge of the hoist.

She put the lifting harness expertly round me and under my legs and hoisted me up removed trousers and knickers and showered me and got me clean and dry knickers and trousers.

What a woman!

Still so glad Richie is looking after me as he does it so very well in comparison to the Home Care experts we have had here.

Richie does it all very carefully with the minimum of pain and discomfort,mind you every little movement can and does hurt so it is very difficult to move me without hurting me.

Luckily they do not come here now, took awhile to recover from the trauma certainly took the dogs longer as they got very upset with the never ending flow of strangers.

The staff are not to blame it is the result of the new policy of getting rid of qualified staff and hiring staff without training on a very low wage.

This is Government policy for the Home Care Industry which then can only provide a low level of care.

Since the qualified staff have mostly all gone now there are heaps of Home Care Bureaus popping up all over the place.

Staff come and goes quick as they are always on the lookout for a job with more money.

Luckily all that is in the past now and I am no longer at the mercy of yet another Home Care bureau.

Happy days!

Weather is wonderful going to enjoy it now.