An Impossibly and Perhaps Unecessarily Detailed Daily History,February2016

An Impossibly and Perhaps Unecessarily Detailed Daily History, February 2016

It should be noted that I am inceredably blessed to have the life that I have.  It all goes back to my partner, who lives with back pain, nerve pain, and more...all while taking care of me, our home, and our senior cat.  How did I get so lucky?

730-9am.... Partner wakes me up from a deep slumber.  

He takes me through a range-of-motion exercise & stretch routine.  

Then, he readies me for the day.

He takes off my underwear with cloth pad,.

Hands me an unscented baby wipe.

Newly laundered cloth pad goes on fresth undies.

Soaps up a washcloth to clean up supra area. Pants on and into Permobile tilt/recline.  

Now, he puts on compression stockings (usually, thigh-high).  They are difficult for him to put on.  Even without the bad back.  He makes it look easy.  Next, a tank top, then an overshirt.  Eyeglasses cleaned and put on.  Catheter bag drained into toilette.  Finally, a course of pharmaceuticals and morning supplements of fiber, magnesium, flaxseed oil.

Whew.  

………………

On a bath day (once or twice a week), after excercise, underwear is removed, clean towel then myself onto the chair, roll into a tiny bathroom, and heave-ho into the bath tub.  Waiting for the tub to fill up to my ankles, I roots up to touch the butterfly appliqué on my right side:, getting a nice stretch, and at some point I hold the sprayer over my heart where it feels so good.  This is as close to those relaxing, warm baths  that I used to love so much, as I can get these days.  Then we work to clean my body, and he washes my hair.  We work to squeeze the water from my hair, dry my face and shoulders.  I ask for a towel on my shoulders to catch the drips.  Heave-ho back into the chair.  Roll out, and a pillow is placed on the floor.  Lotion is applied to my feet & lower legs, then stockings.  I apply facial moisturizer and think that I should apply moisturizer on the top half of my body, but I usually don't.  We roll over and I am placed onto the bed where underwear and pants are put on.  Back into the chair and roll back to the same place, where I may need to be shaved, and further dressed.

Double whew!

…….…………

9-10:30am ... "Pull-up" exercises, push–outs,  handweights...upper body things.

1030am and on.

Lumosity computer "brain training" games ... Breakfast.  

Lunch.

Afternoon supplements (100mg biotin, flaxseed oil, 6000 IU vit d3, sea kelp, coQ10, desicated liver).

"Ex-N-Flex" passive exercise bike on feet or hands (stretch out arms and a core exercise it is).

1-2pm

Park myself in front of the television, with the tablet and food/tea tray on my lap (and more or less stay here until bedtime).

3pm.  Lie down & put feet up... I should, anyway... I don't know why I deny this to myself.   Many times it's just, not being at home but being in a doctors office or an errand is being run, or I decided that it is more important to drink or eat at this time.

All of this, my partner does for me.  All of it.

6-7pm. Partner makes or orders dinner.

Sometimes after dinner (or lunch) I will indulge in a cookie and/or piece of candy.

930 or so.

Bedtime.

First, catheter bag is drained.

After washing hands, he puts toothpaste on the Oral-B Pro1000 & hands it to me.  (wikipedia: The first electric toothbrush, the Broxodent, was conceived in Switzerland.   Electric toothbrushes were initially created for patients with limited motor skills and for orthodontic patients (such as those with braces).  The system I have designed for brushing my teeth while confined to a wheelchair (one that was designed longbefore I was on the planet) works well for me so far.  I use a cup to spit in, and a cup of water  (covered, plastic, with a straw) to rinse with).  I floss my teeth while still toothpaste on .  I rinse, then place the Holly Hobbcup in the sink, and turn on the hot water.  With the hot water running, I run the toothbrush under it.  Finally, I put a washcloth over the toothbrush and turn it on to dry it out.  I overturn the cup and place it onto a clean washcloth to dry.

Then I am given faxseed oil, pharmaceuticals, herbal calms.  sometimes I use a nightcap to keep the hair out of my face while I sleep.  When he comes to bed a few hours later, he will flip me over.  I will stay there until I wake up in pain from the constant pressure of not being able to move. I will need to wake him from a deep sleep to flip me once again. At this point, he usually gets up.

Repeat.