Recording incidents !

[Kelly55]

I'm sure lots of you do this already but as well as my diary I also got a calendar from the blind association and use colour coded stickers for falls, catheter volume, bowel movements, meds info and appointments. Gives quick reference when needed and quicker than writing out each time!

[abirke]

Good job.... the highly organized find ways to be highly organized!

AVB

[Heady]

Sounds like too much hard work for me! But great idea, keep it up!

Lots of love

Heady

[cabbagecottage]

The consultants keep asking me to keep a diary for jOhn .

No I consider myself quite an organised person .. But in this case , and I have often tried but nit very successful

I start off with good intentions and I know it will help them and us but get so tied up with after everything it seems to roll into one ,

Once he is settled in the morning I attempt to have my breakfast , I started it at nine .its now ten and have just finished . It was only crunchy nut cornflakes !!

The carers are very good but the work doesn't start really unil they have left . . Giving him breakfast , drinks , making comfortable .. Not easy !!

Walk into kitchen and get a toilet call oops too late I had given him Movicol . He isn't Incontinent but neither of us can move that quickly .

I get hot so turn heat down , get cold turn back up . . Clean up after wards .

Go into kitchen to sort that out . Start, don't finish . Someone at th door . Phone rings .

Dam another commode call , I need the toilet at the same time .

By the time you have done all that you can't remember wher u started and I need to lay down .

So anyon got any ideas for the diary lol other than employing a secretary .

[Satt2015 in reply to cabbagecottage]

Omg!!

Sounds just like our days!!

Stress stress stress

And then before you know it, it's bedtime and then up again the next day for exactly the same!!

Tiring isn't it?!!!!

X

[Amilazy]

Hi my way is to have secretary pad by TV when M first goes to bed for night usually have hour of quiet before the night trips start. I write up the day it took discipline at first but now can do in ad break in NCIS or whatever I may miss some falls or chokes but usually get most. A page a day dated cheaper than diary and can give to Nurses as evidence as required but never let them take it. They can copy it on. Best wishes Tim

[Kelly55]

There is always so much to do and I always find myself starting another task before finishing the last or toilet calls/choking etc disrupts and several hours later I'll notice a half folded laundry pile! That's why I got the stickers, easy just to put an appropriate coloured sticker on calendar (I even forget that sometimes!) but good as quick reference for number falls and bowel movements etc. I've found I've started slacking on the diary entries... But my night PA that helps out keeps a diary of all night time disruptions. I'm quite slack at the night times myself tbh but used to have a sleep cycle app on my phone that records your sleep patterns so would use that to see times up at night.

Although I think having a secretary would be the best option! The paperwork for all different hospital visits and consultants etc is a full time job in itself! 😨

[cabbagecottage]

aftI have been using the pad Tim . I have always called Johns off times as switching in and off .

the Parkinson's nurse has asked for something more definite . me ell what can I say .

after he takes his sinemet

his face collapses loses control of mouth tongue saliva , head draws forward chin in chest and he curls in . as this happens I take one of his pillows away and lay him back .trying to make him as comfortable as possible. his mind is fine but slows down and spdoesnt reply . he isn't sleeping but he isn't really awake if you know what I mean .. he normally stay like it for about three hours .

his on times are not very long because he take his other sinemet 4/5 hrs between so it started all over again ..that goes in most of the day . he normally sleeps all night .

thn suddenly he can have a not such a bad day , cannot plan because I don't know when that day is coming .

maybe I should just write ditto lol..

he remembers everything in fact he often has to remind me ,

can anyone relate to this .

[ketchupman]

For my wife, the only thing I really need to track is the bowels, since she sometimes doesn't go for over 10 days. I keep a wall calendar in the bathroom, right next to the commode. So when she does go, I put a circle around the date. If she goes a whole lot (like giving birth), I put multiple circles around it. By tracking this, I can easily tell when she's really overdue and will start with the meds. Found that Senokot works really great. Usually she also needs a Fleet enema to get her going. Whatever it takes ... makes us both happy. Nothing like a good poop.

Ketchupman

[Kelly55 in reply to ketchupman]

One of the guys in the local PSP group said when he's having trouble he calls in Dyno Rod ! 😆 mum has troubles too but I try to encourage her to have a movicol laxative drink (on prescription!) and dulcolax tablets. She also loves liquorice and prune juice thankfully which help too. But worst case if my sticker chart tells me it's overdue we also have suppositories! Too effective in my opinion lol

[ketchupman in reply to Kelly55]

Yes, we've done the suppositories, but you never know when they kick in. Unfortunately she doesn't know she's gone and then we have a mess in her Depends. And if it's been there for a long time, like overnight, then there is a good chance it gets up in the lady parts and can lead to a UTI. I like the enema because I usually get immediate results. Of course, I'm saying this without being the one having it done. But she really doesn't seem to mind.

[Kelly55 in reply to ketchupman]

Haha as long as she's happy that's the main thing! Mum is plagued by UTIs bless her and even daily antibiotics don't seem to help ! The latest offering from the GP was to use the shower head .. ! Mum also thankfully is aware of her movements usually too and although we might not always catch it in time we are at least able to deal with things relatively quickly !

[cabbagecottage in reply to ketchupman]

What's a fleet enema

[ketchupman in reply to cabbagecottage]

Fleet is a popular brand name of single use enemas that you can buy at the pharmacy or grocery store (in the USA). I forget not everyone around the world has the same products available. But I'm sure you guys have some form of these.

[cabbagecottage in reply to ketchupman]

Is it similar to a suppository

[ketchupman in reply to cabbagecottage]

Not a all. A suppository is a drug that you insert into the rectum and allows it to melt/dissolve over time. An enema is a container of water (usually either saline or sometimes mineral oil). The bottle contains about 4.5 ounces. You insert the long tip of the bottle up the rectum and then squeeze the bottle. You have to tell the patient to try to hold it and not release the fluid right away, otherwise you probably won't get much results. I always played a game with my wife and would have her do a countdown from 25 slowly with me. Once we hit zero, it was "blast off" time. Probably 75% of the time I got some solids, which always made me happy. When your loved one doesn't go over a week's time, it would make you happy too.

Ketchupman

[cabbagecottage]

Hurray looks like I'm back in and getting e mails again ..