Thursday March 18 – Dancing Together

We danced in the bathroom today! Your bathroom duties, this morning, required my help as usual. The difference was that I was in bare feet. You had your shoes on to give you better traction. It reminded me of the ballroom dancing lessons we took when we were pregnant with Tara. You picked up on the different footwork patterns pretty quickly. I didn’t and as a result there were many swished toes ... mostly yours. Now, you are getting even and I have to be conscious of where your feet are so I can get my feet out of the way. You have to maneuver your feet about when pivoting to get onto the toilet. This is a special challenge in the apartment’s bathroom with limited space.

Your PT danced with you today too. You started with lots of walking and sitting from different positions. I had to take the children outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air and burn off some steam. When we came back in the PT gym, you and your PT were shuffling about in a circle. Clockwise then counter-clockwise. The two of you looked like you were dancing.

She wanted to demonstrate how it is easier for you the circle counter-clockwise and lead with right foot. This is important to know because that means every time you sit down, you have to think about your approach. At this point not only do you have to think and plan your ‘descent into the chair but you have to communicate or ‘file the flight plan’ with whoever is helping you to land in a chair or bed. This small mindless act that we do normally all the time with little thought, becomes a major production and requires the coordination of a well executed football play.

At lunch you OD’ed on your pills. It was an error. I had all your medications for the week. Five pill at 8 am, two at noon and 5 pm and 5 more plus a liquid at 10 pm. To simplify the week I put your noon pills for the week in a pill vial and kept them in my purse so that we would have them wherever we went. The plan sounded good at the time.

As the children and I were getting ready to leave to go to Tara’s hair appointment, I said as I went to the washroom, “Don’t let me forget to give you your noon medications before we leave.” And I placed the pill vial on the table. I was gone of less then 3 minutes and when I get back to your room, I grab the pill vial to give the pills – they are all gone… all four noon doses gone!

We talked to your nurses and they check with your doctor and the consensus is that you would be tired and you should just rest the rest of the day and skip your therapy sessions. So I leave you to rest and whisk Tara and Quinn away to meet Juanita at the hair salon to get Tara’s hair highlighted and Quinn’s mop of hair tamed.

Tara didn’t want me to see her getting done until it was finished so I hung out with Quinn and busied myself next door at the luggage shop. That’s where I found a one strapper back pack for you with spot for cell phone for you. I think that will make getting about, both in and out of the house a little easier.

While the children were with Juanita, I went back to the NSRC for an appointment with the family psychologist. He planted a seed in my mind. Well meaning friends have planted the same crop in my head too. I don’t know if they will spout. The seed is the concept of ‘me time’. It sounds good in theory and I would be planting the same seed in my friend’s head if they were in a tough situation with family illness, but I can’t see how it will happen. Right now, I am content to call a solid eight hours a night of sleep - Me Time.

There was no OT today but tomorrow, your OT are going to videotape you so you can see how you move. I anticipate that this is going to be an emotional moment. Left neglect, hemiplegia, hemianopsia … the perfect storm of sensory loss. The net result is there is no left.