24 March 2012
Another bad night, basically because of pain in my hips and. buttocks. I am beginning to wonder whether it is possibly anything to do with sitting in the same position for around 11 hours each day as I am totally immobile and cannot even move a fraction in order to relieve the pressure at least. After a little bullying by me, the district nurse has persuaded the authorities that I qualified for a pressure cushion. I looked up the company on the net and see that the one I have in my wheelchair, which I’m temporally using in my lounger chair, is for someone classified as ‘low risk.’ On the same page is illustrated a similar cushion for a ‘high-risk’ patient which is unfortunately much, more expensive (around £640). Presumably,’ low risk’ patients are those who sit in the chair for prolonged periods but are able to get up, walk around from time to time and, most importantly of all, can move enough, from time to time, to change the pressure. On the other hand’ high-risk’ patients must be people like me, totally immobile, who cannot move a centimetre in order to relieve the pressure. Not surprisingly, after 11 or 12 hours in the same position on the same cushion, the last couple of hours can be very uncomfortable. I shall discuss this with the pain consultant during our telephone appointment, on 4 April, and, if there is any validity in my assumption, try to persuade the pain consultant to intervene and try to get me a higher quality cushion more in keeping with my condition.
Readers will recall my plea recently to sign a petition to be presented to the government to try to persuade them not to change the meaning of marriage. I had two reasons for adding my name to the petition. Firstly our present tax laws are more favourable for single people, with children, living together, than they are for a married couple with the same number of children.
Secondly, I am against the idea of calling a union between same-sex couples, marriage, although I have no strong views against some sort of civil contract so that the partners have some protection in the event of the death of the other partner or a breakdown in the relationship, after a number of years together.
One of our readers disagreed with me, which he is perfectly entitled to do, and against my practice of confining the comments to the end of the entry to which they apply (see 18 and 19 March 2012 entries), in this case I make an exception. In order to give balance to the discussion. I repeat here the precise content of his comment and leave it to the readers to make up their own mind on the issue.
This is what the reader said:
“The original purpose for a legal marrige still exists, but the SPIRITUAL aspects, or ideals, are no longer homogenous and heterosexual. The rub is that the LEGAL purpose for marriage still exists and gives preference or protection to those who are legally married. We don’t prevent a man and a woman from becoming legally married, even if they are not in love, will never have children or they are simply manipulating the system.
Conversely, when lifelong partners of the same sex who are responsible citizens ask for a marriage license they are denied. Even if we don’t recognize / legitimize their alternate lifestyle, we should consider and accommodate, if warranted, their legal rights”.
Another lovely warm day. Smiler and Kimberly came down for lunch and we were able to eat in the garden which was a real joy after being cooped up for what seemed to me to be an interminable winter – the warm sunshine was around 30% higher than the norm for this time of year and the garden was looking particularly well groomed.. It was lovely to see them both, looking well. Kimberly, the kindly, brought me a pineapple which in times past was a symbol, quite often carved in stone or moulded in concrete, perched on the top of the posts holding the entrance gate, as a traditional sign of welcome, so I suspect strictly the gift should be the other way around.
However much one feels like leaping out of the chair to go have a round of golf, in this perfect weather, and then remember you can’t move, that is the time, when one must remember that there is always somebody far worse off than yourself. This is well illustrated by the case of the armless man. Click here for an object lesson.