I visited Margaret on Sunday and Monday and on both Saturday and Sunday nights Margaret had had a lot of pain and also had to get up to go to the toilet on several occasions. The visits were much the same. I took in Louis and we sat on the balcony having morning tea then I took Margaret and Louis for a long walk. I stayed about two and a half hours.
On Monday Margaret's companion complained that she had had no sleep becuase of Margaret and Margaret countered by saying that Maureen's snoring and loud TV had kept her awake but I suspect that Maureen had the better case. They decided to move Margaret to another share room where the other occupant was away in hospital having surgery for a broken hip and would not be in residence for several weeks.
Margaret was moved on Tuesday to her new room which is a lot nicer and she has the window bed overlooking the courtyard. She has a TV over her bed but doesn't really know how to use it so I set it on her favourite channel for her so she just has to switch it on. Unfortunately she also pushes buttons willy nilly and ends up lost.
The new room is near the dining room where they have diversional therapy which is usually local performers dancing or playing music. I have sat through three performances and they are quite good and I think Margaret enjoys them.
On Wednesday I took Margaret to have her arm X-rayed and while we were out made an appointment for her to have her hair done next Monday afternoon. She could have it done by a visiting hairdresser but prefers to go to her old one in Tewantin. Afterwards I took her to the Local RSL Club for a light lunch. She ate half a sandwich. It is becoming a bit worrying as she is eating less and less in spite of the Nursing Home meals looking very good.
On Thursday I took her to see her surgeon who said that her arm had healed very well and she should now have regular physio to regain mobility in the shoulder. This will be provided by the home.
During the week Margaret has been in pain and not sleeping too well and her GP has prescribed additional painkillers for overnight. She is also very cold which as the Nursing Home is kept warm for its elderly residents is a problem. She has so many blankets that they are worried about her being suffocated. I am going to take in a Doona tomorrow. This is about four blankets in warmth and is also very light .
Margaret is still very upset and wants to come home.
Her GP phoned me Monday evening, after visiting Margaret earlier. He said that Margaret is "failing" and all he is trying to do is provide some "quality of life" which because of the increased painkillers and diuretic will eventually shut her kidneys down. I spoke briefly with him a couple of hours ago and he is going to see her later.
During the week Margaret received her official confirmation that she is a high care permanent resident and I have submitted all the forms to the home and Centrelink as required. She will probably remain there for the rest of her life.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Margaret is in The Noosa Nursing Centre High Care Unit
On Monday I sorted out a few things for Margaret to take with her into the nursing home and picked up her pre-packed medications for the next three weeks from the pharmacist. It was a fairly quiet day as I think Margaret understood that this was probably her last day living in this house. At one stage she asked me what I was going to do with the house and was relieved when I said I would stay there as long a Louis was alive.
The Blue Care RN made her visit to dress Margaret's arm and shower her. She was relieved to hear that Margaret was going into a Nursing Home as Blue Care would only provide 2 hours support a day leaving me to look after Margaret for the other 22. She also said that in her experience that people like Margaret got weaker and weaker and in a few weeks she would have to lifted in and out of bed. This would mean that she would have to go into a nursing home as lifting facilities would not fit in our little home without removing walls, She gave Margaret a cuddle and wished her the best. In turn Margaret thanked her for her care over the last few months.
On leaving the RN said that she thought that, unless the fluid could be dispersed soon, Margaret's life expectancy was very short even as little as six weeks.
After another disturbed night I took Margaret to the Nursing home at 10.00 am. The room they had for her was a share room but she would be on her own for the time being. This room was in the High Care Unit Dementia Section and the other residents we mostly severely affect by dementia so it was a bit grim. The carers and nurses introduced themselves and after a couple of hours I left her to have lunch. I told her I would return at 9.00 am next day to meet the Age Care Assessor.
On Wednesday I took in Margaret's TV and some photos at 9.00 am and we sat and waited for the assessor. At 11.30 am I phoned her office and was told that she would be there at 1.30 pm. I went home to feed Louis and get myself some lunch and checked the assessor's appointment in my diary and there it was 1.30 pm!
Margaret had had quite a good night but had had to get up several time to go to the toilet using her wheely walker. She was quite calm but very quiet.
I returned at 1.30 pm and the assessor arrived soon after. We went into a little lounge provided for the residents and had the assessment. It took about and hour and we were told, informally, that the result was that Margaret was low care based on her level of dementia but high care based on her state of health. This meant that she could be transferred out of the dementia unit and placed in a normal high care room. It would be several days before the official assessment result would be posted to us but I could get on with the paper work to get Margaret admitted permanently - at present she is on a two week respite care placement totally funded by the government.
Afterwards she had a private word with Margaret to explain what was going on. Margaret was upset as she thought she would be told that she could come home and life would return to normal. I don't know what the assessor said but Margaret, while still naturally very unhappy, agreed to stay.
I had taken Louis in to see her and he gave her great comfort. I left at 3.30 pm and said that I would return at about 10.00 am next day.
In the home they shower and dress Margaret each day and she can sit up or lie on her bed as she wants. They will also take her to the common room area to meet other residents if she wants. I can also take her out when ever I like for walks or shopping trips etc. I can take Louis in any time and there are genrally two or three other dogs about the place.
On Thursday I visited with Louis and we explored the home. It is quite large and even has a swimming pool for the residents with a walk walk down ramp. I assume it is used for physio. Margaret was reasonably happy but a bit lonely as the other residents were out of this world with dementia. We were told that she would probably be moved on Friday to a normal area upstairs. We were shown her new room which she was to share with a permanent resident called Maureen. Maureen has spread out taking up most of the space up to Margaret's bed and had a TV in the corner. This was obiviously HER room and Margaret was going to be a visitor.
Margaret was given the choice of staying where she was or moving in with Maureen and much to my surprise she opted to move in with Maureen.
On Friday I visited with out Louis because of the move. I noticed that Margaret's legs were worse and the fluid was up to her thighs. I pointed this out to the RN and he phoned her GP and her asked me to take Margaret into his surgery at 3.30 pm.
During the morning I signed Margaret's admission forms and was given the forms required to be completed then approved by the government to give Margaret permanent high care residence. I went home and took Margaret's TV with me as there was no space for it in her new room and anyway Maureen usually had hers turned up loud.
Before returning to take Margaret to the GP I phoned Centrelink, our central government agency responsible among other things for Age Pensions, Carers and Age Care, to set the ball rolling. First they cancelled my carer's allowance. Next they updated our financial status as this affects what Margaret has to pay for care in the Nursing Home and finally advised me to complete her form and take it to our local Centrelink Office. After Margaret is finally admitted our joint age pension would be cancelled and replaced with individual age pensions giving us several hundred dollars a month more income. It may take a week or so to sort things out but Margaret will remain in the nursing home anyway. In time she will get a single room.
When I returned at 3.00 pm Margaret had been moved. They had moved Maureen back into her own half of the room and Margaret had space for her bed, armchair, her wheely walker a bedside table/cupboard and a wardrobe. There was an en suite bathroom for Maureen and Margaret to share. She had access to the common room area of the unit and there is a nice outside balcony area where she can sit in the sun or share as she likes.
I took Margaret to see her GP at 3.00 pm and A was alarmed at the state of Margaret's legs. She was on the highest dose of Frusimide he was willing to give her, 200 mg. He decided to supplement it with another diuretic, Aldactone 25 mg and said he would see her in the home on Monday. He said that Margaret's legs had gone ballistic.
I took Margaret back to the home before getting the new prescription filled as she was very weak and getting her in and out of the car was becoming more difficult. Luckily our Honda Jazz has very upright high seats so I can just get her in and out OK. After getting her back to the home she had a lovely surprise. One of her carers is a Filipino lady who we used to sit with at our local club for many years. We lost touch after Margaret became ill in 2004. T didn't recognise Margaret at first but recognised me. She gave Margaret a kiss and said that she would see he most days when she was working.
I filled the prescription and after some minor problems got the RN to give Margaret her first dose. By law they must have either a signed authorisation from a GP or two RNs must hear a verbal authorisation from the GP. This meant that the RN in Margaret's are had to find another RN and then phone the GP so both received the verbal authorisation and witnessed the dispensing authority.
I left Margaret talking to Maureen and said I would return next ay.
At 10.00 am on Saturday I took Louis to visit Margaret in her new room and to meet Maureen. Margaret had had a bad night and had been up several times. Poor Maureen must have also been disturbed and remember she is also a high care resident and not too well.
We took Louis to sit outside on the balcony while we had morning tea then I took them both for a long walk around the streets surrounding the home. The home is in a quiet residential area of "Old Tewantin" and there are some very old houses. It is a nice walk and Louis found lots of new smells and trees to water.
Margaret is still not very happy but appears to fit in OK. I was told that she is normally bright and cheerful with the carers and RNs and only gets upset with me.
I am going into see this morning.
The Blue Care RN made her visit to dress Margaret's arm and shower her. She was relieved to hear that Margaret was going into a Nursing Home as Blue Care would only provide 2 hours support a day leaving me to look after Margaret for the other 22. She also said that in her experience that people like Margaret got weaker and weaker and in a few weeks she would have to lifted in and out of bed. This would mean that she would have to go into a nursing home as lifting facilities would not fit in our little home without removing walls, She gave Margaret a cuddle and wished her the best. In turn Margaret thanked her for her care over the last few months.
On leaving the RN said that she thought that, unless the fluid could be dispersed soon, Margaret's life expectancy was very short even as little as six weeks.
After another disturbed night I took Margaret to the Nursing home at 10.00 am. The room they had for her was a share room but she would be on her own for the time being. This room was in the High Care Unit Dementia Section and the other residents we mostly severely affect by dementia so it was a bit grim. The carers and nurses introduced themselves and after a couple of hours I left her to have lunch. I told her I would return at 9.00 am next day to meet the Age Care Assessor.
On Wednesday I took in Margaret's TV and some photos at 9.00 am and we sat and waited for the assessor. At 11.30 am I phoned her office and was told that she would be there at 1.30 pm. I went home to feed Louis and get myself some lunch and checked the assessor's appointment in my diary and there it was 1.30 pm!
Margaret had had quite a good night but had had to get up several time to go to the toilet using her wheely walker. She was quite calm but very quiet.
I returned at 1.30 pm and the assessor arrived soon after. We went into a little lounge provided for the residents and had the assessment. It took about and hour and we were told, informally, that the result was that Margaret was low care based on her level of dementia but high care based on her state of health. This meant that she could be transferred out of the dementia unit and placed in a normal high care room. It would be several days before the official assessment result would be posted to us but I could get on with the paper work to get Margaret admitted permanently - at present she is on a two week respite care placement totally funded by the government.
Afterwards she had a private word with Margaret to explain what was going on. Margaret was upset as she thought she would be told that she could come home and life would return to normal. I don't know what the assessor said but Margaret, while still naturally very unhappy, agreed to stay.
I had taken Louis in to see her and he gave her great comfort. I left at 3.30 pm and said that I would return at about 10.00 am next day.
In the home they shower and dress Margaret each day and she can sit up or lie on her bed as she wants. They will also take her to the common room area to meet other residents if she wants. I can also take her out when ever I like for walks or shopping trips etc. I can take Louis in any time and there are genrally two or three other dogs about the place.
On Thursday I visited with Louis and we explored the home. It is quite large and even has a swimming pool for the residents with a walk walk down ramp. I assume it is used for physio. Margaret was reasonably happy but a bit lonely as the other residents were out of this world with dementia. We were told that she would probably be moved on Friday to a normal area upstairs. We were shown her new room which she was to share with a permanent resident called Maureen. Maureen has spread out taking up most of the space up to Margaret's bed and had a TV in the corner. This was obiviously HER room and Margaret was going to be a visitor.
Margaret was given the choice of staying where she was or moving in with Maureen and much to my surprise she opted to move in with Maureen.
On Friday I visited with out Louis because of the move. I noticed that Margaret's legs were worse and the fluid was up to her thighs. I pointed this out to the RN and he phoned her GP and her asked me to take Margaret into his surgery at 3.30 pm.
During the morning I signed Margaret's admission forms and was given the forms required to be completed then approved by the government to give Margaret permanent high care residence. I went home and took Margaret's TV with me as there was no space for it in her new room and anyway Maureen usually had hers turned up loud.
Before returning to take Margaret to the GP I phoned Centrelink, our central government agency responsible among other things for Age Pensions, Carers and Age Care, to set the ball rolling. First they cancelled my carer's allowance. Next they updated our financial status as this affects what Margaret has to pay for care in the Nursing Home and finally advised me to complete her form and take it to our local Centrelink Office. After Margaret is finally admitted our joint age pension would be cancelled and replaced with individual age pensions giving us several hundred dollars a month more income. It may take a week or so to sort things out but Margaret will remain in the nursing home anyway. In time she will get a single room.
When I returned at 3.00 pm Margaret had been moved. They had moved Maureen back into her own half of the room and Margaret had space for her bed, armchair, her wheely walker a bedside table/cupboard and a wardrobe. There was an en suite bathroom for Maureen and Margaret to share. She had access to the common room area of the unit and there is a nice outside balcony area where she can sit in the sun or share as she likes.
I took Margaret to see her GP at 3.00 pm and A was alarmed at the state of Margaret's legs. She was on the highest dose of Frusimide he was willing to give her, 200 mg. He decided to supplement it with another diuretic, Aldactone 25 mg and said he would see her in the home on Monday. He said that Margaret's legs had gone ballistic.
I took Margaret back to the home before getting the new prescription filled as she was very weak and getting her in and out of the car was becoming more difficult. Luckily our Honda Jazz has very upright high seats so I can just get her in and out OK. After getting her back to the home she had a lovely surprise. One of her carers is a Filipino lady who we used to sit with at our local club for many years. We lost touch after Margaret became ill in 2004. T didn't recognise Margaret at first but recognised me. She gave Margaret a kiss and said that she would see he most days when she was working.
I filled the prescription and after some minor problems got the RN to give Margaret her first dose. By law they must have either a signed authorisation from a GP or two RNs must hear a verbal authorisation from the GP. This meant that the RN in Margaret's are had to find another RN and then phone the GP so both received the verbal authorisation and witnessed the dispensing authority.
I left Margaret talking to Maureen and said I would return next ay.
At 10.00 am on Saturday I took Louis to visit Margaret in her new room and to meet Maureen. Margaret had had a bad night and had been up several times. Poor Maureen must have also been disturbed and remember she is also a high care resident and not too well.
We took Louis to sit outside on the balcony while we had morning tea then I took them both for a long walk around the streets surrounding the home. The home is in a quiet residential area of "Old Tewantin" and there are some very old houses. It is a nice walk and Louis found lots of new smells and trees to water.
Margaret is still not very happy but appears to fit in OK. I was told that she is normally bright and cheerful with the carers and RNs and only gets upset with me.
I am going into see this morning.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
More Turmoil As A Chapter in Our Lives Comes to An End
The visit to Margaret's GP on Friday ended with a totally different result to what I expected. He gave us Margaret's new prescriptions and listened to the Blue Care RN's plan for Margaret's at home care. He than very quietly and kindly told Margaret that it wouldn't work for two reasons.
One she was much to ill and weak to be cared for at home in the short term and in his opinion she required full time nursing care. In the long term, however long she has got, she will require manual assistance just to exist. This will include assistance in getting in and out of chairs and bed and also supervision while walking. showering, toileting and even dressing.
Two she would require so much support that, unless I could afford full time nursing care, at my age my health would soon give out and we would both be in nursing homes.
Margaret was very upset and accused me of plotting " to put her away" fortunately A, told her that it had been my stated intention of caring for her until it was no longer safe to do so. It was no longer safe for either of us to continue with me as the sole carer even with boosted Blue Care support.
He phoned the Noosa Nursing Centre and ascertained that they could provide a temporary respite care bed for two weeks form next Tuesday, August 3 and following an assessment of her future needs a High Care Permanent Placing was available. I phoned the Nursing Centre after lunch and we had a look around. The respite care room is a little grim, just a bare hospital room but the permanent rooms are better and she will be able to have her own chair and TV plus all her photos and mementos. By it's very description, the other High Care residents vary in their disabilities but most are bright individuals and appeared happy in their surroundings.
I have arranged for Margaret to be visited by the Aged Care Assessment Team next Wednesday and the assessor has already received A's medical assessment of Margaret. She said it is most likely that Margaret would be assessed as High Care and I should be able to commence the permanent admission paper work in time for Margaret to move in permanently after her respite stage ends. She is not likely to live at home again.
This end the longest chapter in our lives as we have lived together for nearly 52 years.
The last three days have been very difficult, not just because of my feeling of failure in caring for Margaret but in the actual care itself. It has been very hard as almost everything Margaret does has to be supervised unless she is in bed. She can't get up out of our quite high recliner chairs without assistance. She can't dress. She can't use her normal toilet without assistance. Several times she has forgotten that she has a commode chair beside he bed and struggled into her en-suite and used the normal one. I then have to struggle to get her off it again. She doesn't find it funny if I call her Mrs Pompfrey from the classic ditty "Three Old Ladies" .
She is also in considerable pain which has begun to affect her sleep and I have had to get up several times during the night to settle her down. I was with her at 1.00, 2.00, 4.00 and 5.30 this morning before I finally cave her an additional painkiller above her normally prescribed amount.
On top of this her weepy legs soil her bed linen which I have to change and wash daily and I still have the normal housework, shopping, gardening and dog walking to do. The latter I enjoy as for a few minutes each day I can meet our other dog walking friends. I stay a few minutes in the park near home and let Louis run free to get his exercise.
Tomorrow I must pack a few things for Margaret and get all her medications put into blister packs by our local pharmacist before cooking our final dinner at home for her. I think it will one of her favourites Shepherd's Pie.
I shall next update this blog after Margaret's assessment when I know what her future holds.
One she was much to ill and weak to be cared for at home in the short term and in his opinion she required full time nursing care. In the long term, however long she has got, she will require manual assistance just to exist. This will include assistance in getting in and out of chairs and bed and also supervision while walking. showering, toileting and even dressing.
Two she would require so much support that, unless I could afford full time nursing care, at my age my health would soon give out and we would both be in nursing homes.
Margaret was very upset and accused me of plotting " to put her away" fortunately A, told her that it had been my stated intention of caring for her until it was no longer safe to do so. It was no longer safe for either of us to continue with me as the sole carer even with boosted Blue Care support.
He phoned the Noosa Nursing Centre and ascertained that they could provide a temporary respite care bed for two weeks form next Tuesday, August 3 and following an assessment of her future needs a High Care Permanent Placing was available. I phoned the Nursing Centre after lunch and we had a look around. The respite care room is a little grim, just a bare hospital room but the permanent rooms are better and she will be able to have her own chair and TV plus all her photos and mementos. By it's very description, the other High Care residents vary in their disabilities but most are bright individuals and appeared happy in their surroundings.
I have arranged for Margaret to be visited by the Aged Care Assessment Team next Wednesday and the assessor has already received A's medical assessment of Margaret. She said it is most likely that Margaret would be assessed as High Care and I should be able to commence the permanent admission paper work in time for Margaret to move in permanently after her respite stage ends. She is not likely to live at home again.
This end the longest chapter in our lives as we have lived together for nearly 52 years.
The last three days have been very difficult, not just because of my feeling of failure in caring for Margaret but in the actual care itself. It has been very hard as almost everything Margaret does has to be supervised unless she is in bed. She can't get up out of our quite high recliner chairs without assistance. She can't dress. She can't use her normal toilet without assistance. Several times she has forgotten that she has a commode chair beside he bed and struggled into her en-suite and used the normal one. I then have to struggle to get her off it again. She doesn't find it funny if I call her Mrs Pompfrey from the classic ditty "Three Old Ladies" .
She is also in considerable pain which has begun to affect her sleep and I have had to get up several times during the night to settle her down. I was with her at 1.00, 2.00, 4.00 and 5.30 this morning before I finally cave her an additional painkiller above her normally prescribed amount.
On top of this her weepy legs soil her bed linen which I have to change and wash daily and I still have the normal housework, shopping, gardening and dog walking to do. The latter I enjoy as for a few minutes each day I can meet our other dog walking friends. I stay a few minutes in the park near home and let Louis run free to get his exercise.
Tomorrow I must pack a few things for Margaret and get all her medications put into blister packs by our local pharmacist before cooking our final dinner at home for her. I think it will one of her favourites Shepherd's Pie.
I shall next update this blog after Margaret's assessment when I know what her future holds.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Margaret is Home Again
Just after I posted my blog on Tuesday morning Margaret phoned me to say that she had been told that she was coming home that morning which surprised me as I had been told Wednesday. I phoned the Nurses Station and they denied that she had been spoken too. When I got into visit at 9.30 am all her medications had been removed and were returned at 10.30 am all packed up and listed as if for discharge which gave some support to Margaret being told that she was coming home.
I hung around until her specialist dropped by and he said that her arm was strong enough to steady her on her wheely walker so she could go home on Wednesday. They had to unpack her meds to give them to her during the day. We had managed to dress Margaret in a proper nightie for the first time since her fall and she sat up until after lunch when I put her back to bed to rest.
She had a quiet night but her legs were still weeping and were very swollen.
On the way home I bought a commode chair to prevent Margaret having to get into her tiny en-suite during the night which is when she has had several falls. By re-arranging the bedroom furniture she now had clear access to the commode and most of the other furniture is the other side of the bed. This took some time and effort but I managed to complete it on Wednesday morning.
Louis continued to improve but was very quiet all of Tuesday. When he woke up on Wednesday he was back too his old boisterous self. This would make Margaret's homecoming much happier.
I arranged to pick Margaret up at 10.00 am and she was dressed in a clean nightie and a full length housecoat. I had brought her wheelchair from home. Before she left her specialist dropped by to wish her well. I asked about her legs and other problems. He had said that it was all up to her GP from now on as there was no real remedy to her problems and it would remain a balancing act to keep her kidneys functioning without causing a heart attack by fluid overload. He had arranged for Margaret to have a follow up visit to an orthopaedic surgeon in two weeks time but he wouldn't see her again. Apparently the hospital policy is to treat acute patients only and Margaret was now classed as chronic and could be cared for at home as she could "transit from bed to the toilet"
We got home at 11.00 am and Margaret sat up until after lunch before going to bed and resting while watching a DVD on her Television. I hid the remote control so she could not switch it off. I did show her how to activate the intercom on our house phone system and she called me 12 times in two hours and then forgot how to use it once again. She had a very small dinner and went to bed early. At present she has a Valium, sleeping tablet and a powerful pain killer before going to sleep and this works so I had a quite night.
On Thursday the Blue Care RN called and she was very blunt about Margaret's condition which she believes will not improve and is probably terminal. She is arranging more support as Margaret is now a high care patient requiring special palliative treatment. She was also very kind to Margaret and showered her and settled her back in bed. This RN was normally called "that woman" by Margaret but is now her best friend who gives her loving support.
The rest of the day passed quietly. Margaret has a lot of pain but the patch and Endone tablets keep her comfortable most of the time and I can supplement them with Osteo strength paracetamol. She spent her day watching DVDs in her bedroom and sitting with me in the lounge.
Today I will take her to see A. her GP. To top up he prescriptions and ask his advice on her future care. Providing she remains mobile and upright I can cope.
I hung around until her specialist dropped by and he said that her arm was strong enough to steady her on her wheely walker so she could go home on Wednesday. They had to unpack her meds to give them to her during the day. We had managed to dress Margaret in a proper nightie for the first time since her fall and she sat up until after lunch when I put her back to bed to rest.
She had a quiet night but her legs were still weeping and were very swollen.
On the way home I bought a commode chair to prevent Margaret having to get into her tiny en-suite during the night which is when she has had several falls. By re-arranging the bedroom furniture she now had clear access to the commode and most of the other furniture is the other side of the bed. This took some time and effort but I managed to complete it on Wednesday morning.
Louis continued to improve but was very quiet all of Tuesday. When he woke up on Wednesday he was back too his old boisterous self. This would make Margaret's homecoming much happier.
I arranged to pick Margaret up at 10.00 am and she was dressed in a clean nightie and a full length housecoat. I had brought her wheelchair from home. Before she left her specialist dropped by to wish her well. I asked about her legs and other problems. He had said that it was all up to her GP from now on as there was no real remedy to her problems and it would remain a balancing act to keep her kidneys functioning without causing a heart attack by fluid overload. He had arranged for Margaret to have a follow up visit to an orthopaedic surgeon in two weeks time but he wouldn't see her again. Apparently the hospital policy is to treat acute patients only and Margaret was now classed as chronic and could be cared for at home as she could "transit from bed to the toilet"
We got home at 11.00 am and Margaret sat up until after lunch before going to bed and resting while watching a DVD on her Television. I hid the remote control so she could not switch it off. I did show her how to activate the intercom on our house phone system and she called me 12 times in two hours and then forgot how to use it once again. She had a very small dinner and went to bed early. At present she has a Valium, sleeping tablet and a powerful pain killer before going to sleep and this works so I had a quite night.
On Thursday the Blue Care RN called and she was very blunt about Margaret's condition which she believes will not improve and is probably terminal. She is arranging more support as Margaret is now a high care patient requiring special palliative treatment. She was also very kind to Margaret and showered her and settled her back in bed. This RN was normally called "that woman" by Margaret but is now her best friend who gives her loving support.
The rest of the day passed quietly. Margaret has a lot of pain but the patch and Endone tablets keep her comfortable most of the time and I can supplement them with Osteo strength paracetamol. She spent her day watching DVDs in her bedroom and sitting with me in the lounge.
Today I will take her to see A. her GP. To top up he prescriptions and ask his advice on her future care. Providing she remains mobile and upright I can cope.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Problems with Louis and Interesting News
Poor little Louis has had and embarrassing problem. On Saturday he appeared to have difficulty pooing this was much worse on Sunday and he collapsed half way through his afternoon walk. I had to carry him most of the way home. As he is a solid (fat?) little dog and weighs 15 Kg I had to put him down and he walked the last 100 M. I think I carried him for about a kilometre. I managed to get into see an after hours vet who took X-Rays which showed that he was blocked up pretty solidly. She kept him in overnight, gave him an enema and put him on a drip for hydration and giving antibiotics. In the morning he was no better and in some distress so they anaesthetised him and using instruments cleared the bowel. I picked him up at 4.30 pm and he was still groggy but I was told to take him for a short walk as there was still a plug to come out and he was being coy in the hospital. Luckily the walk in his home park did the trick and he is performing OK this morning, He is still very quiet so I cut his walk short.
There was no obvious cause for the blockage but a as a precaution chicken wings are out from now on and all bones are banned for four weeks to allow his tummy to recover. The only pain left is to our bank account which is nearly $1,000 lighter.
Over the weekend Margaret has been very emotional and actually lost her temper with a nurse. She appears to have had too much Valium and they are weaning her off it. The DVD keeps her happy and the nurses busy sorting it out when she switches it off. On Sunday morning I walked in to find her in tears complaining that she had been "locked up". Actually the nurse who she had been rude to on the previous day had found her fast asleep right on the edge of her bed and had raised the rails to prevent her falling out. On waking Margaret has panicked as she could not get out. She began to scream and the nurse soon sorted her out and was comforting her when I arrived. The silly thing is the rail was only up on one side of the bed and Margaret had forgotten about the nurse's call button which was right next to her.
After her shower she said that she wasn't going to bed again as "they locked her in!" Margaret has bars on her bed at home to stop her rolling which she used to do regularly so the nurse's action was well justified.
While I was away having my morning coffee she was visited by her specialist. On my return she said that she was being discharged!! I managed to catch up with the specialist who said that he had arranged for her to be discharged on Wednesday. This was a big surprise as the first hospital had said seven weeks minimum before she would be safe to send home on a wheely walker and her specialist had originally said six weeks at Noosa Hospital which would have been a couple of days under seven weeks total. Wednesday is five weeks and two days so she must have had a miracle healing. I shall follow this up with the specialist this morning.
There was no obvious cause for the blockage but a as a precaution chicken wings are out from now on and all bones are banned for four weeks to allow his tummy to recover. The only pain left is to our bank account which is nearly $1,000 lighter.
Over the weekend Margaret has been very emotional and actually lost her temper with a nurse. She appears to have had too much Valium and they are weaning her off it. The DVD keeps her happy and the nurses busy sorting it out when she switches it off. On Sunday morning I walked in to find her in tears complaining that she had been "locked up". Actually the nurse who she had been rude to on the previous day had found her fast asleep right on the edge of her bed and had raised the rails to prevent her falling out. On waking Margaret has panicked as she could not get out. She began to scream and the nurse soon sorted her out and was comforting her when I arrived. The silly thing is the rail was only up on one side of the bed and Margaret had forgotten about the nurse's call button which was right next to her.
After her shower she said that she wasn't going to bed again as "they locked her in!" Margaret has bars on her bed at home to stop her rolling which she used to do regularly so the nurse's action was well justified.
While I was away having my morning coffee she was visited by her specialist. On my return she said that she was being discharged!! I managed to catch up with the specialist who said that he had arranged for her to be discharged on Wednesday. This was a big surprise as the first hospital had said seven weeks minimum before she would be safe to send home on a wheely walker and her specialist had originally said six weeks at Noosa Hospital which would have been a couple of days under seven weeks total. Wednesday is five weeks and two days so she must have had a miracle healing. I shall follow this up with the specialist this morning.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Whose Smart Idea Was It to Buy A DVD PLayer?
Actually it was mine! As I said last time Margaret was getting bored so a DVD player appeared to be a good idea at the time. For Margaret it has been a great but for me it is a PITA. It has a remote control with no less than thirty buttons on it and I have given up trying to teach Margaret to use it. I have been trying to teach her how to use the manual controls on the player itself istead. The player sits on her over bed table within easy arm's reach so it is quite easy for her to use.
There are four buttons on top, two of which are set up and she doesn't need to use them. The other two are play/pause and stop. There is ,of course, the normal control for navigation through the DVD i.e. an OK button surrounded by four buttons with arrows. On the side is a volume control and an on/off switch plus a couple of socket for headphones, AV connections and the external power pack. These are all too much for Margaret. I forgot the cover for the DVD which has its own release button.
The first problem is getting her to remember how to insert a DVD. She should press the release button and the lid flips up. Now she should press the centre of the DVD with her finger while easing her thumb under the DVD to lift it out. She can't do it in spite of having a good right arm. No worries I load a new DVD each morning and evening and she has up to four hours of play time to keep her happy. She just has to switch player on and use the DVD's menu to play what ever she wants.
Next problem she can't remember where the on/off switch is - I shall put a label next to it and while I am at it label the volume control and play/pause and stop buttons. Another problem when a DVD starts it normally presents a menu which you use the navigation controls for. There is no standard menu and therefore Margaret can't get past the menu or if she does ends up where she dosen't want to be. She then just unplugs the power supply - she has forgotten the on/off switch and lets the DVD players internal battery discharge or if we are lucky the screen-saver kicks in and it shuts down after 10 minutes.
The solution is that I load the DVD and set it to play all the normal contents i.e. the complete movie or all episodes of the TV series she is watching. She remembers that she can use the play/pause button (I think) so she can go to the loo etc. At the end the DVD returns to the menu, the screen-saver kicks in and after 10 minutes it all shuts down, The nurse removes the power pack from the wall and I set it all up again when I next come in.
Luckily she loves it. She has watched the complete first series of "Some Mothers Do Have 'em", "Father Ted" and "George and Mildred" all UK comedy series from way back. Last night I left her watching "Beauty and the Beast" which she says she hasn't seen before but she bought it for herself several years ago and watched many times. I shall have a bit of a problem keeping her supplied but I think that I can start rotating them every couple of weeks and she wont notice.
On the health front it is not too good. The leg binding and TED stockings have been discontinued as her toes were not receiving any circulation and turning grey. Gangrene was a distinct possibility. Her feet and legs are once again very swollen. I don't know where she goes from here.
Her arm is still very painful but healing. She can use a wheely walker under supervision. It helps her stop wobbling but she cant use her left arm for support. If it was only the arm she would probably come home in two weeks but now I don't know.
There are four buttons on top, two of which are set up and she doesn't need to use them. The other two are play/pause and stop. There is ,of course, the normal control for navigation through the DVD i.e. an OK button surrounded by four buttons with arrows. On the side is a volume control and an on/off switch plus a couple of socket for headphones, AV connections and the external power pack. These are all too much for Margaret. I forgot the cover for the DVD which has its own release button.
The first problem is getting her to remember how to insert a DVD. She should press the release button and the lid flips up. Now she should press the centre of the DVD with her finger while easing her thumb under the DVD to lift it out. She can't do it in spite of having a good right arm. No worries I load a new DVD each morning and evening and she has up to four hours of play time to keep her happy. She just has to switch player on and use the DVD's menu to play what ever she wants.
Next problem she can't remember where the on/off switch is - I shall put a label next to it and while I am at it label the volume control and play/pause and stop buttons. Another problem when a DVD starts it normally presents a menu which you use the navigation controls for. There is no standard menu and therefore Margaret can't get past the menu or if she does ends up where she dosen't want to be. She then just unplugs the power supply - she has forgotten the on/off switch and lets the DVD players internal battery discharge or if we are lucky the screen-saver kicks in and it shuts down after 10 minutes.
The solution is that I load the DVD and set it to play all the normal contents i.e. the complete movie or all episodes of the TV series she is watching. She remembers that she can use the play/pause button (I think) so she can go to the loo etc. At the end the DVD returns to the menu, the screen-saver kicks in and after 10 minutes it all shuts down, The nurse removes the power pack from the wall and I set it all up again when I next come in.
Luckily she loves it. She has watched the complete first series of "Some Mothers Do Have 'em", "Father Ted" and "George and Mildred" all UK comedy series from way back. Last night I left her watching "Beauty and the Beast" which she says she hasn't seen before but she bought it for herself several years ago and watched many times. I shall have a bit of a problem keeping her supplied but I think that I can start rotating them every couple of weeks and she wont notice.
On the health front it is not too good. The leg binding and TED stockings have been discontinued as her toes were not receiving any circulation and turning grey. Gangrene was a distinct possibility. Her feet and legs are once again very swollen. I don't know where she goes from here.
Her arm is still very painful but healing. She can use a wheely walker under supervision. It helps her stop wobbling but she cant use her left arm for support. If it was only the arm she would probably come home in two weeks but now I don't know.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Margaret is having a lot of pain.
Since Monday morning Margaret has been having a lot of pain. It is mainly in her broken shoulder but her back is also causing problems. She has osteoarthritis of the spine and has also suffered a few crush fractures in the lower spine due to osteoporosis. These are not helped by only having one arm to manoeuvre herself in bed. Monday night she got very little sleep and was absolutely exhausted when i saw hew yesterday morning. She was kept in bed for most of the day and didn't have her usual physio session.
I managed to speak to her specialist who has prescribed morphine injections at night to help her sleep. He also believes that the bandaging of her feet and legs has failed to reduce the fluid build up and there were signs that the circulation to her big toes was failing and he was scared of gangrene setting in if he continues. The only alternative will be more diuretics which always affects her kidney function. At present she has about a 40 mm build up of fluid all over her feet and ankles which could cause a stroke and/or congestive heart failure. She would be in hospital even without her broken arm.
To help her feel a little happier I am going to buy her a portable DVD player so that she can watch her favourite comedy DVDs from home. I will set up a DVD when I leave her in the evening which should run until she gets her pain killer at 10.00 pm and hopefully she will be able to sleep in a happier frame of mind.
Today I am going to present a short tutorial at my computer club. It wont affect my visiting but poor old Louis will miss out on his afternoon walk.
I managed to speak to her specialist who has prescribed morphine injections at night to help her sleep. He also believes that the bandaging of her feet and legs has failed to reduce the fluid build up and there were signs that the circulation to her big toes was failing and he was scared of gangrene setting in if he continues. The only alternative will be more diuretics which always affects her kidney function. At present she has about a 40 mm build up of fluid all over her feet and ankles which could cause a stroke and/or congestive heart failure. She would be in hospital even without her broken arm.
To help her feel a little happier I am going to buy her a portable DVD player so that she can watch her favourite comedy DVDs from home. I will set up a DVD when I leave her in the evening which should run until she gets her pain killer at 10.00 pm and hopefully she will be able to sleep in a happier frame of mind.
Today I am going to present a short tutorial at my computer club. It wont affect my visiting but poor old Louis will miss out on his afternoon walk.
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