Chris came down to see us this weekend. You know Chris, Jude's youngest son & my strong right arm. I'm glad he did, because this weekend was the biggy for Jude & I. We have had a Hospital bed sitting in the garage all week & I have been going out , looking at it & contemplating the significance of it. You see, Jude has reached a point where she is no longer able to support her own weight & needs a commode & a wheelchair to cope with life now. Our bedroom is quite big, but there isn't really enough room around our bed for me to manage her in & out of bed any more. Hence the hospital bed. To accommodate it has required a major rearrangement of all 3 bedrooms. I won't bore you with the details, but it was very much a case of all hands to the pump. The inimitable Colleen, our care giver & good friend, came round & helped as well. To be fair, her & Chris did most of the work, & I sorta hung round like a spare wotsitsname at a wedding looking lost. The bedrooms are all sorted now, with just a bit of fine tuning to do, but everything is useable now. I must admit to feeling sad looking at our double bed in the spare room now & 2 single beds in our room. I will admit though, that the increased ease of managing Jude in & out of bed helps ease the hurt a bit.
We also have a patient lifter waiting in the garage as well, but we can't use it yet, as it was minus $1600.00 worth of battery pack & lifting sling when we got it. That will help a lot with the nightly shifts from bed to commode & back. I am as gentle as i can be, but I know I hurt her arthritic leg every time I lift her.
The animals are very unsettled, with Tigs, who likes to snuggle up between us spending most of last night going from one bed to the other. Fattums isn't much better & the little dog isn't at all happy about being relegated to the foot of the bed, but there just plain isn't enough room for her up by my pillow any more. They will adapt, as will I. Time heals most things I guess.
I had to go down to The Red Shed To get a couple of things this morning, so i took advantage of Chris still being here to give the little dog a walk down in Victoria Park as well. We both love it down there. As soon as Whispa knows we are going there, she starts yipping & mooing with excitement, jumping up & down huffing & snuffing out her window. Sundays are always a nice time down there, especially with the lovely weather we had today. Sunday is the day that the Miniature Railway runs & it really is a big rite of passage for all Thames grandparents to proudly take their grand children down there & pretend that its just for the little ones that they ride it as well. I know, because I've done that. For the princely sum of $1.00 a ride, its an inexpensive way to enjoy a spring morning with the little ones.
So Whispa & I go for a walk. Its a great way to vicariously share the joy & excitement. We both enjoy the walk round under all the beautiful old Pohutukawa trees as well. The little dog gallops madly round in the wet grass thoroughly enjoying herself, while I pretend not to hug the trees. Its a lovely way to destress & recharge the batteries for the coming week.
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I feel for you. This was a big step, for both of you. I admire the way you look after yourself and how you still allow yourself to enjoy the lovely weather and the beautiful trees.
We are waiting for our bed to be raised, as Roch is having problems getting in and out. He is having difficulty turning in bed too sometimes. I try not to think about it too much but the times, they are a-changin'.
Deirdre
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