Back to the Mouse, I mean Man-Cave.

I escaped to Eight Mile Plains this morning to Dr Hew's Surgery to pick up some new prescriptions for Dulcie.Dr Hew has prescribed Ventolin and Spiriva to help Dulcie's breathing.I called at the Pharmacy on the way back to collect the new medication.I noticed they were selling "Bird's Nests". Top quality nests, I guessed they were probably swans or golden eagles, were selling for $295 while lesser quality nests, probably like a starlings or a sparrows, were selling for $185. I don't know what you did with them when you got them but they were a wonder cure apparently. The poster said that they made your skin glow healthily, improved digestion and cleared phlegm. I could see that last bit being true with all those twigs slowly passing down your gullet no wonder it cleared phlegm!The Pharmacist explained how to administer the Spiriva...it was quite complicated. As I was leaving an elderly man stopped me."Excuse me, is that Spiriva?"I nodded."I take that," he said," I have breathing problems because of asbestos. I just wanted to tell you that when you put the capsule in, put it in with the thickest end first, it spins better."I thanked him for his advice and left.Driving out of the shopping precinct car park I spotted Terry coming out of Eagle Boys Pizza....I wasn't surprised...he looks like he enjoys a pizza quite often.I have spent the afternoon under the house clearing out and sorting the garage to get some of the stuff we have had to store while the builders were in, out of the man-cave.We have been sleeping upstairs for the last few weeks but are ready to move back downstairs tonight. She has been managing to get up in the night without our help and has been remembering to put on the bathroom light. When she puts the bathroom light on and off we have a light that comes on and off down in the man-cave.As for the rodent resident down in the man-cave I forgot to mention that we gave up on the 'Ratsak' last week, as the mouse was just enjoying it too much, and set 3 traps baited with peanut butter. We caught the mouse a few hours later.There has been nothing since. 

Driving Miss 'Dulchy' VI

Dulcie had an outpatient appointment today to check up on her hip operation.At 1.45pm I drove us all to the QE II Hospital and dropped her and Will off at Out Patients and went and parked the car.Before I went to meet them I nipped up to Ward 4B to see if Lillian was still there. I was really hoping she was not.I scoured the board for her name and could not find it anywhere.Somehow she had escaped....whether she was let out or she walked out as she had threatened to do....I doubt we will ever know.Back in Out Patients I found Will wheeling Dulcie along the corridor on her walker....it had been a further walk than we had expected."I'll go and get the wheelchair," I said, so went back to the car to get it.If you remember our last Out Patient visit had been in the Green Suite.....I noted last time the wide variety of different suites and about that I wrote:I imagined the Green Suite to be for people like Dulcie just having a quick check up and then they go. The Red Suite was probably for people with blood disorders, the Blue Suite for people having difficulty breathing, the Purple Suite for bruising, the Yellow Suite for bladder disorders, I didn’t want to dwell on the Brown Suite and I doubt once you entered the Black Suite you ever came back.I found them sitting in.......the Brown Suite!It turns out the Brown Suite is not what I had thought it was...it is the Ortho Suite."Sharouf Swavaz" called a female doctor.There were a couple of 'rednecks' sat a few chairs away and one of them said "Ha! That's a name!"'Fancy laughing at people's names', I thought."Mike Wong" another Doctor called, a young guy stood up, "you need to go to the X-ray department. Do you know where it is?"He didn't. The Doctor pointed him in the right direction.There was a girl with bright pink hair who, as all young people appear to be these days, was glued to her mobile phone."Dulchy Rodgers" called a Doctor. "You need to go to the X-ray department. Do you know where it is?"Know where it is? We knew the hospital like the back of our hands.....well, actually we didn't know where it was but we didn't admit it and followed the signs.Another waiting room."Why are we here?" Asked Dulchy."They need to X-ray your hip to check on it."The girl with pink hair turned up. There was something wrong with her right hand...she needed it x-raying...luckily she could still text with her left hand."Is this where I am having my X-ray?" Asked Dulchy.We nodded."Rabbi Labbi Omar?" a woman called.Another woman slowly stood up."Hmmm, did I say that right? Is it Rabbi Labia? .......Rabbilia, perhaps?" The first woman went on.I thought 'Oh, just leave it...you are making it worse.'"Dulcie Rod-Gers?"Will wheeled her off.By the time someone called out "Swan Teeni?" I found I was laughing at peoples names...like a 'redneck'.I didn't have to wait alone for long and we were all soon back in the Brown Suite.I was just thinking that  it was not good that over half the nurses and doctors wandering about were overweight whenAngus Moxon, for it was he (titter) called for Dulchy. Will wheeled her off again."Is that your walker?" Said Angus."Nick, will look after it." said Will."Keep an eye on it or it will go missing," said Angus.I was alone again....except for the 'rednecks'. They really did look like extras from 'Deliverance.'I noticed a large guy wearing a hospital gown boxing (with his fists) a door down the end of a corridor. Was he a patient?He was fully clothed underneath the gown which was open at the back.He sauntered towards the Brown Suite and pulled out a pair of medical scissors from his pocket and started to swing them round his finger.It was now becoming less like ' Deliverance' and very much more like  'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest!'I was relieved when Will and Dulchy appeared and we were able to escape out into the warm winter's day."You are walking too fast with that," called Angus after me as I was pushing the walker out.Angus had said her X-ray looked good and she would not be called in again.Dulchy was discharged.

Radiation poisoning?

Trace and Jen left after lunch.We got ready to take Dulcie for her chest x-ray.We packed the wheel chair in Roxy just in case as this was the first time that Dulcie had been out of the house for nearly a fortnight.She managed the 13 steps down to the car very well and didn't want a rest at the bottom and got straight into the car.Luckily there was a parking space right outside Terry's X-ray shop.We went in and it was packed!The girl had told me yesterday there was no need to book an appointment but here we were in a queue.The receptionist looked a bit frazzled and Terry when, he popped his head out, looked particularly seedy. His shirt had far too many buttons unfastened for a professional man with a beer belly. He looked very sweaty and his hair glistened with extra grease. I pondered whether it was grease that he had misguidedly added or just the unavoidable consequence of working next door to a Chinese Takeaway!"Terry is passionate about meeting new people. He is a bubbly and colourful character." The poster about the proprietor reminded me from the wall."Stop breathing Graham....NOW!" Shouted Terry out of sight....sounding very unbubbly and uncolourful.Dulcie raised her eyebrows."Is this where I'm having my X-ray?" She asked."Stand up straight Graham! Right......stop breathing.......NOW!"An Asian couple were also waiting. Jane came out from the back and called a name and they got up. The woman was  either pregnant or had a large abdominal tumour....either way she walked as if she was wearing very uncomfortable  knickers.I was waiting for Dulcie to comment upon her 'arse'....but thankfully she didn't.A younger Asian couple came in."That's a lovely dress," said Dulcie.....it was.Graham limped out and sat to wait for his films.Terry popped into and out of view looking more seedy and sweaty at each appearance. He was wearing trainers.........TUT! I doubt he ever broke into a jog.I was aware that the furniture arrangement did not leave much room for Dulcie's walker to get past when she was finally called so surreptitiously pulled the small magazine laden table towards me a few inches."Dulcie!" Called Terry, "Let's take some pictures!" ........ugh!She got up and wheeled her walker past the magazine table......I had judged it right but she was thwarted by a large vase of assorted twigs that added nothing to the ambience of the place..."Let's just move this tube thing," said Terry, whisking it away and plonking it next to the receptionist behind the desk."Go with her," I hissed at Will......he did.I never heard Terry give any loud instructions to Dulcie like he had given them to Graham.She was about 10 minutes. Will said that she had to change into a gown and stand in front of the X-ray plate with her head up. Will said Terry had said that it would be ok for Will to stand next to her....but Terry left the room and  hid behind a lead curtain every time he took a 'picture'!Terry didn't look healthy.....and he was losing his hair....it was not a good sign!Will said that Terry was really nice with Dulcie........if that is not a sure sign that Will has radiation poisoning I don't know what is!I present further evidence to you now.......

I rest my case!

Dr Hew and the Electrolytes!

Post Frogknot I am back at work.Shirley left Monday lunchtime. She was sad to go and we were sad to see her go.Things are better than last week, though our case manager......who is Gay....is suggesting that Transition Care ends at the end of June. She does  not feel it is the right programme for Dulcie. She reckons that showering help for Dulcie should continue and that can be provided by Blue Care who previously came to help with cleaning.She is putting forward an application for us for respite, particularly in case of emergencies should Will and I become ill and there is no one to turn too. There is also a chance of a few hours a week of someone covering for me to allow me sometime to myself."We recognise there is such a thing as carer burn out," she said.I can recognise it too.We await an 'interview' to determine success or not.Trace and Jen arrived yesterday for a few days. It is lovely to have them here and a distraction for Dulcie. On our own the day can be quite dull with only 3 possible places for us to move between....her dining chair, her reclining lounger and the verandah. Long silences are punctuated by Dulcie raising her head, as it rests on her arm at the table, and asking the same question she asked 10 minutes earlier. Each time I answer as if for the first time but my heart breaks a little more.She is down, but not out and definitely not resisting any help or reminders I give her. I am more relaxed and not as quick to pounce on her mistakes realising that it is now just forgetfulness.While we were away at Frogknot QML came and took more blood for testing as requested by Dr Hew. Today Marie rang and said that Dr Hew would be visiting at 1.00pm.Annette waas here at 10.00 for Dulcie's shower and she washed her hair and Dulcie put her rollers in.I sat on her walker in front of her lounger, just before 1.00 holding a mirror, while Dulcie pulled out her rollers and brushed her hair."I'm going grey" she moaned."It looks great," I said.Dr Hew arrived. He thought she looked much better. Her electrolytes were not affected by the Lasix and so was to remain on 2 tablets a day for the time being. They have certainly helped reduce the swelling in her feet and her breathing is better. The results of her blood tests showed an increase in white blood cells suggesting infection somewhere......bladder or chest. I had to take a urine sample to QML and he suggested a chest x-ray too and restarted her on antibiotics."Do I leave this urine sample with you? " I asked the Pharmacist down by Woolies.She looked aghast!"No we don't take urine samples here, " she said, "please leave it at the Doctors next door".It seems Dr Wang's surgery is a QML drop off point.There was no one at the reception desk and the bell you press for attention had been removed....just an empty plastic shell remained screwed to the desk top.Eventually the receptionist sauntered in from the back like a reluctant teenager full of the joys of a funeral."Can I leave this with you?" I asked."Not in that bag," she said. I had wrapped it in a grey plastic shopping bag.She held open a small clear bag and I put the sample bottle in."I'm not looking," said the receptionist, "I don't go near them. I once made the mistake of putting my hand in a bag with a sample in and they had not put the lid on properly. I ended up with someone else's pee all over my hand"That must have been the moment she lost her will to live!We left her sulking and collected the antibiotics." I'll just check if they will do the chest x-ray at the place I had my renal scan," I told Trace and wandered off to see them.I went in.Terry was lurking in the background....I didn't look but I could feel him lurking and sensed him peeping round the corner."We can do your x-ray now" said the receptionist....I bet Terry was already slipping his hands into tight rubber gloves....."Oh, it's not for me," I said, "It's someone else." I could sense Terry's disappointment and his shadow slipped away.We did not need to make an appointment just drop in tomorrow when we are ready.Something to look forward too.....and a change of scene from the dining chair, the reclining lounger and the verandah.

Tawny Frogmouth.