I came in from filling the bird feeder and as soon as I opened the back door realised my darling needed the commode so ran into him, hoisted him from his chair (not a quick action) onto the commode. Too late. From the moment I knew he needed me I felt strange, my left leg didn't feel normal, I was stomping and it felt heavy. Was I having a stroke, heart attack, too bad I couldn't stop helping C and had to carry on. I sent up a quick prayer, please God don't let it be serious, who would look after Colin? Then came the job of cleaning C and everything around him, hoisting him again onto the bed this time and then sorting out the commode. All the time I knew there was something seriously wrong with me. It took 45 minutes before I could sit down and consider what to do next, doctor, 999 although I wasn't in pain, phone sons or a friend. My leg felt so heavy and strange. I flopped onto my recliner and raised my feet to find I had a sheep skin slipper on my right foot and my heavy gardening shoe on my left foot. I laughed.....God had answered my prayer. I no longer have to worry about my physical health but am not sure about my mental state.🤓
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Bev i hope you don't mind i told my 94 year old lady about your heavy foot/leg in the knowledge that it would make her laugh. Because she had a similar incident.
She got herself all ready for bed and as she was getting in she thought there was something wrong with her leg/foot. She needed to get up in the night and she had trouble getting her leg out of bed with it feeling heavy and cumbersome. Only to find she still had her slipper on.
I am. Colin all changed and ready to sleep, Guinea pig and fish fed, I'm in my PJs and dressing gown ready for Casualty. Hope I can get through it uninterrupted for a change.
Ohhhh I should have read the comments! jzygirl said "boot" which helped me unravel my dyslexia! I read "hose" instead of "shoe" when Bev was describing her experience. However, I got confused again when Jzygirl sprayed her "tablet" which I interpreted as her aspirin or other drug of choice...It's only 4:18 pm a haven't had any libations yet my reading is as if it was 4 am and im on my 6th drink! hahahah...
Thanks for making me laugh. We had a Catholic school near the high school I worked in called The SAcred Heart. All my dyslexic pupils called it The SCared Heart.
Yes, my mum said the same. She was sent to a convent school at 7 to convalesce after having diphtheria. She wrote a letter to her mum in London without a stamp saying she was going to run away if she didn't come and get her and the next day her mum came and took her home. I thought it a coincidence but she said her mum had received the letter and "rescued" her.
HUH??? I don't get what happened...the hose was wrapped around your leg...and you did not notice or trip over it......is that what happened....i'm too much dimwitted and/or of a SR not to have those moments ...think im having one right now
Similar thing happened to me at midnight last night NannaB when Keith decided to do one of his sliding off the toilet tricks! Took me an hour to get him up, clean him and everything else in the surrounding area, oh the joys of this sh...y PSP! All I could do after that was have a long soak in the bath (and a large vodka!), it was 2.30 am before I got to bed!
Oh dear Pat. I hope you managed to have a nap during the day or with the bath and vodka did you get a lie in in the morning.....not likely I hear you say.
We're ok thank you, had a rough few weeks with family problems and Keith getting worse, I'm starting to worry about how much longer I can cope with all this, or even if I'm strong enough! Hopefully it will pass quickly and I'll be back to normal and doing the best I can, I feel like disappearing into the blue at times and wonder whether anyone would miss me! Just feeling a bit depressed that's all!
Oh Pat how I feel for you, Ben has declined over the past few months but can still shuffle around if I'm there. I miss the conversations and laughs and mourn my life as it was supposed to be (in my head) That was not to be and I feel we have been robbed of our freedom, normal interaction with our two small grandchildren and all the other do called normal things in life. Ben manage to stay reasonably upbeat although he hates this disease with a vegence, I'm more the one who gets down in the dumps and know things are going to get progressively more difficult. I keep telling myself to stop 'Buck up' and get on with things but it's more difficult done than said isn't it. I do find my councelling sessions at the hospice a great stress reliever, being able to offload really helps. Have you spoken to your GP about your 'Blues' I think he/ she should know. Big hugs, Kate xxxx
NannaB, made me smile, remember buying my grandma a pair of slippers for Christmas and she just couldn't get her feet into them. Took them back to M&S and wxplained that they were the correct size etc, the assistant listened and then examined the slippers to find the toe stuffed with tissue paper to keep their shape. I know it wasn't ever considered a health issue like you thought yours possibly could be but similar in some ways.
Hope you managed to watch Casualty in peace and enjoy a vino. Xx
That's reminded me of when the boys were younger and we decided to go for a walk in the woods. D must have been about 4. I helped him put his boots on and as soon as we left the house he said they hurt. I took them off and shook them and put them back on him. He complained the entire length of the walk although he enjoyed splashing in the mud. When we got home he sat on the floor and took his boots off and then from each boot, pulled out a sock. They had been there since he last wore them. I felt a very bad mum telling him to stop moaning all the time. He is 37 now and has never forgotten.
I watched most of Casualty without interruption but watched it with C in his room, perched on his walker which he can't use now. It was a weepy and he had tears rolling down his cheeks which set me off. The wine helped though.
haahha Last week I told myself to check pockets good before I washed Bs cardigan . Thought I had till I pulled it out and that one hanky stuffed WAY DOWN there was now stuck ALL OVER his sweater and surrounding laundry...the dryer took care of paper on everything else but the sweater had to be air dried...I was pickin paper off that dang thing for a week!
Isn't that annoying. Man size Kleenex tissues don't break up when washed and tumble dried. The layers separate but stay whole. After one such wash and dry I took one into C and told him he could use it again. Can't be very good for the environment though if they don't break up. Yours would degrade quicker.
hi nanna hows it going and cCOLIN OF COURSE SOUNDF S LIKE THE THE BOOTS ON THE OTHER FOOT NANNA BUT YOU ARE A STRONG WOMAN WHOM I WOULD TRUST WIH ANYONE PLEASE ENJOY YOUR WINE I THINK YOU HAVE EARNT IT MA
TEYAND COLIN \YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF AS WELL BEST WISHES SEE YEDR NANNA B TAKE CARE MATE PETER JONES Q.L.D. AUSTRALIA SENIOR MOMDENTS ARE RARE LIKE [PSP MATE SO HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AT THEM LIKE I DID MATEYBUT TYHEY ARE GETTING BETTERNANNA TELLCOLIN TIO BEHAVE HIMSELF OR I WILL SEND ONE OF T BIG MOSSIES WITH SADDLES ON THEM OVER TO HIM
No!......we don't want any of those saddled mossies Peter Jones. Insects don't like Colin but they all find me very tasty. It's good to hear from you. How are you doing? I hope you haven't had any falls lately and given your dear wife too many scary moments. Spring has really sprung here now so I've been able to take Colin out in his chair. It's so good to feel the sun on our faces, even if the temperature has only just got into double figures. Is it cooling down there yet? Your cool is our hot.
Wonderful, made me laugh out loud, -not usual for me!
We have just had our evening meal at 23-05. Reason- I had forgotten we were being picked up for a play and was just cooking dinner when our friends called for us. I sent them on, turned everything off and drove us myself. I'm definitely losing it, but was cheered up by two more friends who came along this evening and discovered that they should have been there last night! X
hahahah...Well at least you have friends to remember AND forget with! Every time I see a student I remember their face sort of...and how they made me feel...if they were wonderful I feel wonderful seeing them, If they were little snots then I feel sort of anxious or soemthing...but I never EVER remember their name! B and I went to the gym where a nice young lad greeted me .,....I didn't even recognize his face and when he told me his name I was like oh...was I your teacher????upon which he gave me a rather quizzical look and said . "Yes, but you may remember me by this name." Oh, what you get married or something....always the chider! he "said no I got adopted"....and then everything about him just flooded me like a torrential rain fall.....and it was all happy feelings....embarrassed I could not remember him and so happy about his new family situation we spent most of B's workout time talking....
Patriciapmr try not to get too despondent , I think it happens to most of us . Have a dreadful moments where you think how on ear the did I cope with that , I'll never be able to keep going . I will hurt myself more than I have even now ..
Sit down and close your eyes with head dropped forward . When you recover get up and apologise to your loved one for grumbling and moaning and try to find the best way to tell them you don't mean it , can't help it , is not you I am grumbling about , its Parkinsons .
I have found as we have progressed in some ways it becomes easier , you have aids to help and Carers . Not that you want the of course and it's such an intrusion ...
It's the last day with the company we have been with from the start .
They have never been good but since a takeover to a bigger company is much worse ,
Nit even turning up , when they do Carers grumbling about care hours , not getting paid etc. I didn't blame them at all but we don't need that do we ,
So tomorrow we start all over again having to get use to different Carers . How's their turnover is better than the last one . I have had 147 different Carers ,
Bev , I was out shopping one day in Asda . Didn't feel right and like you though I was having a stroke . Wasn't saying anything to John ,
We got outside and still not right . Like you stomping my feet , looked down .
Odd shoes . I had two pairs of ver similar ones but the heels on one a bit lower , not lot what a difference it makes though .
No good when rushing to see to colin though thats a very different story . you have to have your wits about you , which is very difficult when you are juggling so may balls at the same time .
Oh no! At least I stayed indoors. It must have been awful in town.
You spoke about moaning; a few days ago I shouted, God can move mountains and man can get to the moon so why have I got a hoist that wheels like a shopping trolley going the opposite way to where I want it to go? C did a little laugh which didn't help.
Be I couldn't manage one of those hoists . I still have carpet don high doesn't help , I also have a bad neck and shoulders . Guess what has caused that !! Lol
It's why the arranged for is to have the ceiling hoists . I would never manage without it .
Our walls would take the fixed hoists and we have the portable ones .
We had to get rid of some furniture the one we now have has rather long feet on it .. They did give us the one that didn't nee the foot .
I have hot use the the feet now , part of the furniture S hip johns bed is down in the dining room that was LOl . I bought a smaller table and two chairs . I kept some back from the previous set , they are upstairs , also git a smaller sideboard. I did want to but it was the only way . I still have John with me which is the most important .
I am sure you would find it so much easier bev . The moving house takes up a lot of room as well doesn't it .
We have one hoist in the bed another over his armchair . I move the commode to either the chair or bed and transfer back and fore .
Of course I can't get John into the toilet or bathroom . The bathroom is upstairs . We do have a downstairs toilet ,
If I had thought in the beginning and had the toilet retired and uodated I would have opened it up more and had wider doors could have wheeled the commode over the toilet then .its a bit restricted though .
I have to tell you CC, my son who is...27, 28(?) went to church and shopping for shoes nonetheless ( for their young one) when he realized he still had his bedroom slippers on....."I knew something was wrong, my feet were just too comfy" ....hahah is he a JR SR?
Lol feels different indoors to walking on concrete . I am always making myself presentable to go out when I have my sitter but invariably end up still wearing my comfy house shoes .
aww thanks! mind you though there are the lucky ones who can get away with it and in moderation it can certainly be a benefit - I wasn't preaching! ( the poem not written to preach - i wrote it some time before i ever needed to go on the liver forum ) but I like this one too because of the people like you - the care givers who have so much love patience and affection AND not losing the sense of humour! xx
But your thing with the slipper and gardening shoe! I am pretty sure something similar happened to me too as it rung a bell! I think like that other lady I had gone to bed with a slipper on and then became alarmed at the "weight" from that leg!
I never even thought you were preaching. It was just a very true poem. If I go out with friends, other than to my wine group, I never drink much as I don't want to do or say anything too silly. Once, when I went to a pub with lots of collegues to celebrate something, I had one alcoholic drink and then only soft drinks. Some of the others became very loud and merry but I remained very sober. When we came out of the pub, late at night with lots of youngsters in the street, singing, shouting, laughing as they do, what did I do....fell at the feet of a policeman. I was picked up by a couple of tipsy collegues, one of them carrying my shoe that had come off and both of them almost lifting me to the taxi rank, followed by all the others laughing and saying they couldn't believe I was actually drunk. I wasn't but the story went round the school as some of the youngsters were pupils from our workplace and seeing "Miss" lying on the pavement was something you couldn't keep to yourself. Pride comes before a fall they say don't they. My punishment at thinking how good I was to stay sober. God has a sense of humour.
lol ! seeing "Miss" lying 'drunk' on the pavement! How embarrasing!! (but i'll bet they all already love you !)
Thank you for sharing that, it made me smile again!
What'smore it does seem to be true! about pride comes before fall! Again, i'm hopeless at remembering my funny anecdotes but I am sure something similar has happened to me too! - what I have tried to learn is to never be too judgemental about anyone or anything whilst feeling 'superior' as later on that person or persons often seem to be the very ones who are the ones to 'help' and then I feel 'humbled' !
Likewise me. I may pour a glass earlier but it lasts all evening unless I'm at my once a month wine appreciation group. Then I make sure C is in bed before I go out. Whoever is sitting with him, watches TV in his room with him so he doesn't feel alone when I'm enjoying myself.
Its a lovely sunny day here so I decided to do some gardening while W has a sleep. Came inside a bit sore and decided to read up posts I had missed. Glad I did cause you made me forget my aches and I had a good laugh. Thanks NannaB xx
Thankfully they have NannaB so maybe I will get some more gardening done this afternoon while W watches the horse racing at Cheltenham on TV. Sun is shining here today, hope it is shining on you and Colin. xx
Sadly not Nanny857. You must be more righteous than us. It's thick cloud and a cold wind here. We are on our own today so I hoped to do a bit of gardening but came in very quickly as it's so cold outside.
Take it easy this afternoon in your garden. You don't want more aches and pains.
I need some advice.......... We have approached the time in this awful illness, that the only way that I will be able to transfer my husband is by hoisting. Up until now, I have been able to transfer him, using a Re Turn 7600, which has been invaluable but he can no longer pull himself up from a sitting position.
We have had ceiling hoists for a while now and I do use the one in the bedroom, to get him off the bed into his wheelchair but I haven't figured out the complete logistics of when I have to do what you quoted in your post, hoisting onto a commode and then the cleaning afterwards.
Can you tell me when you get the underclothes down, is it before attaching sling to hoist or whilst on the commode and what if like you were, I was too late and there is a mess....what do you have,to put on the bed for clean ups, an old towel or do you have something that I can go and buy....something plastic maybe??
Sorry for so many questions, I probably sound a bit stupid, not being able to figure it out for myself but it would be good to know how someone else does all this.
I said the same things to myself DenB, when I first started using the hoist. Unless others know differently, and please let us know if you do, I've found it impossible to get trousers and pants on or off with the sling in place. When C is in bed at night he wears a nightshirt with a slit down the back so he can be hoisted onto the commode and be "exposed". If he sits in his chair and no one is expected to call, he sits naked from the waist down but with a thin sheet and fleece over him so if there is an unexpected caller, they wouldn't know. Unfortunately C can't indicate when he needs to go now so it's a lot easier cleaning up in bed if there is an accident. The only way I can get his pants and trousers on is to lie him on the bed with a slide sheet under him. The slide sheet makes it easier to pull his trousers up but I have to keep turning him from side to side. On the bed and chair I always put a disposable incontinent sheet. I used to use DryNights, the child ones you can get from most supermarkets which you can tuck in but our supermarket stopped selling them so now I get them from the Internet. I've tried various sorts and think the tuck in ones are best. If in bed I clean him up there using Proshield foam and spray incontinence cleaner prescribed by the GP, Depending how tired he is, once clean I sometimes hoist him onto the commode to change the sheets if necessary. If too tired, I change it by rolling him.
Unfortunately, if he is fully dressed and there is an accident, I haven't found an easy way to clean up but putting him on the bed seems to be best. Wearing a pad can help but C gets more sores if he wears them.
Thanks NannaB for providing all the tips you have learnt along the way and products you use. Think I will print it out (if i can) for when we reach that stage. xx
Bev, I need to archive this one. We haven't gotten this far but when we do I want to remember this. amazing the creative things we think of to solve our problems
Oh Nanna, I was reading and worrying along with you hoping it ended ok and when I got to the end I truly laughed out loud! Thanks, I needed it. And don't worry, the things I have been doing lately are too embarrassing to post. Our brains are in overload!
O dear I just did a very long reply and it's gone . Maybe it's just as well . I can rabbit on .
Don't know if this will help , or you are able to follow my explanation .
By this time John was unable to get outside or go any where so wore joggers all the time ..
I always split the crotch open . He is always covered with a throw .
To get him out of the chair and onto the commode I would place the toilet sling around him , as I raised and drew him over the commode would lower the trousers at the back and pull them through to the front , at the same time removing the pad , Then lower him onto the commode . The commode we have has an open front horseshoe shape .
After he finished , my tip of the day is , as follows lol .... I never keep the pan attached to the commode I keep it lower I have made a ledge for it to sit on ,. Otherwise it's hurts him of when I try to remove it . I remove the pan then place a mirror and a small light it's one of the small push lights on the ledge , I haven't found a mirror witha light as yet .
I keep the small table nearby from the nest which I use as a stool , it's just the right height for me . It's invaluable to me ..
This way I can see everything I need to cleanse without hurting my back and put creams on , . Or having him dangling too long in the sling . I am 79 have cervical sponylosis .. It's a valuable and wouldn't manage to keel the skin intact any other way in my own .
When I raise him is when I replace a pad if soiled under him and I pull the trousers back up before hoisting him back in chair or bed . The trousers help keep the pad in place ..
When the trousers need changing ,
I remove The straps of the sling from under the legs and pull the trousers down . To replace them I put the clean ones back on by pushing the legs of the trousers as far as possible up the thighs so the the straps are in front of where it gathers . RePlace the straps under the legs and when you hoist there should be enough to pull the trousers up at the back . I would think it's easier When replacing underpants there is less material obviously .
Like nanny I no longer keep trousers on him and have stopped using the pads , his skin is much better since doing so .
I bed or in his chair . I place puppy under him and use two of the wipe cloths , you can buy these quite reasonable these are soft and can be changed if soiled to save changing the puppy pads . I used them with the lads as well . I know in our case John is able to ask or make me aware that he needs the commode , at least most of the time . We are lucky in that respect ..
I do place and push a smaller pad as far as I can under his front penis for any leakage or even goes to wee . When I go out if the sitter is here I put a pad under him or if he is having a worse patch . He can have them for a few days now and then .
I hope it doesn't look as if I a, trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs
It's works really good for us
Also while on the commode I reach under and cleans the front and under make sure it's dry and put cream wher I can reach without hurting him . When he is put into o bed the he is all sorted at the back and I only have to make sure he is fresh and needs barrier cream . I use that regularly Beoanthem . Much easier to keep fresh I use SENSET foam to cleans and use the pampers baby wipes .
If anyone can come up with an easier way please let me know .or any tips ..
We have started to have new carers and they find my tips very useful lol ..they like the one wher I have put a large safety pin such as a kilt pin or kne that we use to use for babies nappies . . I put it high on the side of his armchair and use it to hook the remote onto . That way I haven't got to keep bending and won't trip over the lead .. John isn't able to use it himself and if he suddenly tried to its out of his reach .
I am not sure if I have mentioned . A physio came to assess him for the neck droop . She has given him a kneck master collar . I don't use it all the time but now and then when his had has dropped or started to drop further I use it for a while it helps a .
It looks like it's torture but because it supports the head it give a bit of respite . .
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