. . . However, the day has improved. As usual, I was awake a couple of hours in the night again, and ended up writing down everything that was going through my mind. I had a phone call from the Hospital yesterday, to say they had had a further cancellation and we could have the appt with the Consultant bought forward to tomorrow. Still 10 a.m. which is a push for us living 45 miles away and Keith isn't too mobile first thing. We'll manage - we have to.
One of the things which hit me in the night was the fact we had upped Keith's dairy intake to try and get weight back on him. Yesterday Keith had cheese on toast for breakfast, and later we tried the whey protein which Tam had left us at the weekend, mixed with full cream milk. Keith had a small glass at teatime, but then later on we really struggled to get him up to bed as his balance was so bad. He had some cheese biscuits in the evening too and that really increased saliva production. I have read that too much dairy prevents the Parkinsons medication from working efficiently and I think that we need to cut right back and see if it makes a difference. Today he's only had a little milk in his tea and I did him the fluffiest omelette for his breakfast.
The District Nurse has just called, and will be back later. We were chatting outside and I mentioned the LPAs and blimey, she can help with that. Then she asked about carers and of course I told her I was a one man show, which really surprised her. She is going to sort that out too and get in touch with Social Services., It does seem to me, if you are a professional, you can make things happen - get the attention of Social Services etc - in a way that I as an individual can't. I had left a couple of phone messages but then decided Danny & Emma would be here in January, so I just had to slog on till then.
I am just sat down watching Bargain Hunt with Keith, and we are doing our usual "DON'T buy that" and "HOW much?!!" or "I wouldn't buy that". I will get back to he cake I began mixing earlier (Chocolate Apple Cake to use up some stewed blackberry and apple I had in the fridge and needs using.) I have apples to stew up as well, after being given that huge bag last week. Oh and I have mandarin oranges to use up too from a tin opened and put in a cup, and those will be a Mandarin Orange Cake.
I even made progress with a brick wall for my Adams Family in Plymouth - Non-Conformists are always wriggly worms - and now it looks like they came from Cornwall. I shall do some more research later - I have been looking up all the Adams names in the censuses and will be mapping out different families/occupations/areas of Plymouth area in a "Spider" later. The ones I need most are the Carpenters with Plymstock and Charles the Martyr Plymouth and have found what may be a brother now, of my g.g. grandfather.
So, we shall see what transpires with today's developments.
Good news about hosp appt tomorrow even if early and I hope the District Nurse can sort out some much needed help for you. You need some support you really do. Thinking of you. I do admire you for getting on with jobs and cooking and caring for Keith when I can't sleep I can barely function in fact I find reading hard even!
ReplyDeleteI have thrown away SO much food whilst we had/recovered from Covid. Keith has been even fussier than usual about what/how much he will eat. Now I shall just do individual amounts of say, spuds, rather than cooking up several meal's worth, etc. 2 small pork pies and not the cheaper option of 6 etc. He has been calling just ONE of these tiny pork pies his lunch!
ReplyDeleteAs forgetting on with things - no-one else to do it. Hopefully I may get a sofa nap once the nurse has been.
It is amazing what an insider can accomplish compared against a mere wife struggling to make an impossible situation work for herself and her spouse. Glad for the early appointment.
ReplyDeleteGood news over the cancellation getting Keith seen sooner. Praying they will sort out much needed help before Christmas. My ears pricked up when you said about the dairy interfering with Parkinson's medication. Cheese is one thing I eat far, far too much of. I
ReplyDeletet's funny, I often think of you when I'm watching Bargain Hunt. I wonder when I see what people are buying and for what price, what you would think of it. I also wonder if the Stallholders want to run the other way when they see the BBC coming. We often had them coming out on our boat, filming the island. And boy oh boy did you know you were going to be mucked around when the BBC were coming for the day.
Popping in this morning to say, I hope it went well with the district nurse.
DeleteI do hope the District Nurse can sort you out some support even if its just a morning and evening visit. I've given up watching Bargain Hunt as the prices they pay (over the top) for junk mostly annoyed me I was shouting at the TV Nooo. I quite like Flog It and Antiques Roadshow but am bemoaning the dearth of decent gardening programmes . Take care. Hugs Gill Xx
ReplyDeleteThat's tv for you! It's good to see when there is a "sleeper" that one of the professionals has bought when it comes to the Celebrity Road Trip though and suddenly makes big bucks and surprises even them! Flog It annoys me because people just want to be on tv and will happily part with a piece which should stay in the family, and usually for peanuts, just for 5 minutes of fame.
DeleteHooray for District Nurses ❤️
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Sam was SO helpful, in various ways.
DeleteI really hope you get some help very soon so you can have a proper rest.
ReplyDeleteI'm not holding my breath Sue. Apparently carers in Wales are a rare commodity.
DeleteThanks heavens there may be a glimmer of help coming your way. Re the food, Robbie eats a minute amount each day and is still physically active and she is fine , Keith won’t be burning many calories at all with limited movements so I’d try to move from what looks like a normal portion to just thinking as long as he’s eating a couple of times a day and drinking lots of water that that will be better than it appears. Am
ReplyDeleteTired I hope that makes sense lol x Danette
Well, I think for the carers, I will need to phone up again and again until they feel the need to give me some and shut me up. Problem is Keith has lost so much weight (he was always slim, as you know) that we are now in bedsore territory . . . I do chase him up to drink more though. He's having his favourite lamb steak for lunch today, done in the slow cooker so it falls apart.
DeleteI do hope the nurse can sort some help for you. That would be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
She's been helpful so far and quickly rustled up some stuff that was required.
DeleteHopefully the appointment with the consultant has gone well, and the nurse can get things done and you will get some help. I'm impressed by all your baking. I hope it helps you relax.
ReplyDeleteThe baking usually helps but I was a bit frazzled this time an the chocolate apple cake exploded - never had that before. Still edible, now the burnt bits are removed!
DeleteHooray and fingers crossed for help to come very soon. When late husband was dying of cancer of the stomach we received good advice from the dietician, hopefully you will get the same. I hope the appointment goes well and that you are seen quickly and efficiently. And I hope too that the lovely Kit kats continue to bring good cheer in these difficult times. Take care.
ReplyDeleteOh Anon, how awful for you. We are waiting for the dietician appt - probably 3 mths.
DeleteKitkats really diffuse difficult situations and make us both smile/laugh.
Hello BB, it’s Thursday lunchtime now and I hope the day is going well. I’m listening to a lunchtime concert on Radio 3 recorded at Hay on Wye during the festival. It’s lovely chamber music and the announcer who introduced the concert described Hay as the prettiest of Welsh towns. I’ve had a cooking morning making a big stock pot of soup, a sauce for this evening which will probably stretch to three nights and pastry for the first lot of mince pies of the season. I have one jar of homemade mincemeat left from last year and all the ingredients for this year’s batch ready to go later this afternoon after I’ve sat down for five minutes with my knitting. Suddenly I thought I should get a wriggle on with my Christmas making so I’m spinning, plying and knitting the Romney marsh merino into a gilet for my husband. He feels the cold so much nowadays, not least because he only weighs 9st 4lbs fully dressed on a 5’10” frame. Yet he eats well and has a good appetite and his BMI is within the normal range so I am not worrying. He ate soup for lunch, followed by cheese and pickle sandwich and a quarter of a pork pie which are handmade and sold in our village shop. I just had soup with a slice of bread, no butter, and we both had a tangerine and a date. I would be as big as a house if I ate as much as S! I am finally taking care of my poorly Achilles which has been bothering me since my marathon meadow mowing in August. It wasn’t getting any better and was painful when I walked so I went to the physio on Monday where he diagnosed acute chronic tendinopathy and said I must rest it and do prescribed exercises. I went to yoga on Monday and swam for an hour yesterday but otherwise I have been pottering around house and garden and not going for excruciatingly painful walks with S and after four days it’s feeling a lot better. He said it could take up to three months to heal fully though so I need to be sensible and realise that I am no longer invincible. Right, better get on - the washing machine is beeping at me. Take care BB and try not to worry.
ReplyDeleteSarah x
Hay is indeed a very pretty Welsh town (though you are just yards from England on on side.) I didn't even look at last year's programme of events as I don't like to be anywhere crowded because of bringing Covid home - as it happens I probably caught it at very uncrowded Tretower Court, chatting to one of the re-enactors.
DeleteYour meals and baking sound good - Keith is not a soup person, but will doubtless have to get used to the idea of softer food in the future.
I hope you can rest and heal your Achilles tendon. Long walks will definitely not help it. Indeed, invincibility has definitely faded here. Talking of walks, I'd like to do one but raining steadily here, foggy and cold and pretty miserable.
every now and then I have a go at adding a comment, I'm pretty inept at finding my way, but today the stars aligned and here goes, just catching up with your latest post, such a busy time for you, I hope you get some relief with Danny and co coming soon, even if it's mostly moral support. I see the little water colour cards I have sent to you sitting on the mantel, I'm so pleased you like them enough to have them on show!
ReplyDelete