1 July 2012
Two new dramas – everything which disrupts my daily routine now seems to be a drama! First of all, there was a new night sitter introduced to the team . I think it is all about Wendy being on holiday. Anyway, this new gentleman carer, Jan – believed to be of Dutch origin – apparently appeared around 10 o’clock-times when I was fast asleep. when it came to my first sightless contact with him, he seemed rather perturbed that I never actually saw any of my night carers because I wear an eye shade under my respirator. He has apparently told Alice that he will bring him a photograph of himself for me! Anyway, this young man apparently looked the part – white coat with the traditional upside down watch pinned on the breast etc . Jan apparently spent most of the night reading my blog, having started at the beginning in January 2008 , he got as far as August 2009 so he has some way to go. Having said that I am impressed that he should take the trouble to read this long diatribe so that he is more familiar with his clients needs.
The other drama concerned the new hoist. We were very fortunate that as this was the first time we really used this new sling hoist, that Craig, in whom I have the greatest confidence, was the first of the morning carers to be charged with this task. It was a real performance. At one stage I had to be swiftly lowered back onto the bed as I was so uncomfortable in the sling that I almost hyperventilated. The problem arises every time, how to take off or put on trousers! I suggested they might be much more comfortable in carrying out this procedure if they were to put the respirator on and then roll me from side to side to put the trousers on and use the same technique to get them off. We had another exhausting and prolonged session in the evening. Craig and Becky did a sterling job but attempted to remove my trousers whilst using the sling.
I think we all agree at the end of three quarters of an hour that the bed was the only place to carry out this procedure. We got there in the end, and I suppose it will get easier as I get more confidence in the carers, but this first effort was not a particular stress free one.
The sadness is that the move from the standing hoist to the sling is just another act acknowledged step to the inevitable end. At least with the standing hoist there was some evidence of physical control on my part. When the patient has to go onto the cradle hoist it is an acknowledgement that he really has little or no control left. Even on this first attempt with Craig this morning I almost panicked, and at one stage, feeling all crunched up and unable to breathe, knowing that this which can lead to hypoventilation I asked to have the respirator fitted whilst I was in the hoist.
Paul ‘the computer’ came for three hours this afternoon so that Alice could go to an antique fair. We were intending to spent the best of time working on my music library and attempting to work out some voice macro commands to make it easy to move about the library and find a specific piece of music but the special zoom camera that Paul had ordered (he thinks as to come from Hong Kong) had not arrived so he did his own thing on my second computer when I watched the tennis from Wimbledon.