Pain management and activity monitoring is my norm and that is what I will do during this healing process. The discharge instructions said no bending over, lifting or lying flat. The increased pressure could rip out the stitches. I do not want that to happen, so I am reminding Ben as needed. One week of oral antibiotics and topical antibiotic ointment then a follow-up visit with the doctor to check the healing. After this I am guessing he will be discharged.
Ben had a scheduled procedure completed yesterday. His lower eyelids drooped too much. This was causing his tears to run out and down his cheeks. Not only was this annoying for him but it was causing or contributing to his eyes being too dry. The tears were not flowing into the tear ducts properly. I was surprised at how quickly the procedure was completed. It took about 30 minutes. The procedure was a success; now I hope the healing will be successful to resolve his dry eyes. Last night was rough for Ben. He was having quite a bit of pain after the numbing wore off. The swelling is minimal so far. Unfortunately, he is not the most cooperative, compliant patient and is not icing the incision area as often as he was told to do. The pressure from the weight of the cold pack hurts so he doesn't want to use them. This is probably contributing to the bruising he is developing, some of which was inevitable. On the positive side, he is sleeping with his head elevated to minimize swelling. Yippee!
Pain management and activity monitoring is my norm and that is what I will do during this healing process. The discharge instructions said no bending over, lifting or lying flat. The increased pressure could rip out the stitches. I do not want that to happen, so I am reminding Ben as needed. One week of oral antibiotics and topical antibiotic ointment then a follow-up visit with the doctor to check the healing. After this I am guessing he will be discharged.
2 Comments
Here I am wide awake in bed since 2:30 am trying to help my husband who is not feeling his best. I am not sure why he woke up cool and clammy but he did. At least an hour of tossing, turning, repositioning from the head of the bed to the foot then back to the head while complaining of pain in his arms, legs and feet; only to start the cycle over and over again before deciding to get up for something to eat. This is exhausting for both of us. It is now 4:30 am. We have been up to the kitchen for something to eat and now we are back in bed. This is a familiar routine.
It is now 4:45 in the morning. As we lie here in bed I noticed Ben’s breathing is becoming more regular and easy telling me he is relaxing and maybe, just maybe he is on the verge of falling asleep. I pray for him. I ask God to be merciful to Ben and give relief for his suffering. Parkinson’s disease drastically effects Ben’s quality of life and in turn, negatively effects my quality of life. 4:56 am. Ben is asleep. Time for me to join him. I really struggle with this blog. I am exhausted daily and think why write a blog that shares the same story over and over again. Maybe I should forget about this blogging idea. Maybe I should throw in the writing towel. I cannot understand why something continues to nag me; encourage me to write my thoughts and feelings about our life together, but something does nag me so here I go again.
I will think about what to write next and then do it. For now I will say we are trying to live life to the fullest. I believe in making memories with those I hold dear to my heart. There are so many ways to make memories. We are vacationing as much as possible while we are able to and regularly, we have dinner with each of our daughters. We just returned from a long weekend at the Indiana Dunes. We went to the National Park but the State Park is awesome too. Lake Michigan is a great place to relax, soak up some sun, and go swimming or boating. Traveling with my husband is not too difficult. He does become slightly disoriented during the evening and nighttime hours. We just never leave him alone.
Here we go again! Another fall. This time we did not end up in the emergency room (ER). Thank God. Ben was sitting at the kitchen counter on a bar stool. This is Ben's favorite place to sit for a bit when he is not planning for a nap. Unfortunately, the counter height stools do not allow for feet to rest on the floor. Instead, feet must rest on the foot ledge of the stool. I believe it is more comfortable for Ben to place his feet on the footrest of the adjacent stool or at least he thinks it is more comfortable. The reality showed me an unsafe condition exists when Ben does this. He got his feet tangled as he tried to stand up. The result was a fall backward to the floor. The chair was thrust backward into the wall which caused a hole in the wall. Now we will need to patch and paint, but just the wall. Patch and paint were not necessary this time for my husband! We both got a chuckle out of this. Life...... makes me smile.
At 5:15 am I woke to an all too familiar sound, the sound of Ben falling. Next thing I heard was his voice as he hollered to me for help. I ran down the stairs to find him on all fours in front of the toilet. I was able to help him up and to a chair. I evaluated him for obvious injuries but did not see any scrapes or bruising. He was experiencing a lot of pain. I always worry about internal bleeding after any falls because my husband takes a blood thinner. I got Ben settled in his recliner, gave him is morning medication, minus the blood thinner, and some Tylenol for pain. Now it was time for me to get some rest. I slept with one eye open to make sure Ben did not develop breathing problems. We were able to sleep for a couple hours before he started to complain about increased pain. I was sure this would end in a trip to the emergency room (ER) but was willing to wait until Ben was willing or wanted to go. Everyone needs to feel control over their life. Chronically ill people lose so much control that it is nice when circumstances allow for them to exert their will or control. Ultimately, we did end up in our local emergency room. The x-ray showed a slightly displaced fractured rib. Ouch! No wonder he continued to complain about pain. He was experiencing pain with every breath which leads to shallow breathing and the possibility of a pneumonia developing. The ER doctor gave him an incentive spirometer (IS) and instructions to use it every hour while awake to prevent pneumonia. Typically, Ben won't remember to use the IS as often as recommended so I remind him to use this great little device. I think using an IS would benefit everyone.
It is Tuesday, January 3, 2023. The sky is gray and filled with moisture. My husband is full of energy and desire to do something. I am tired and in pain from my outbreak of shingles which happened over the holidays, probably due to the stress associated with the season. What a fine pair we are.
I find myself becoming increasingly anxious when he is feeling confined because I know he’s going to try and find stuff to do and it always creates more work for me. He doesn’t always realize his own limitations and puts himself in harms way. I worry about him because I love him. I get mad at him because I love him. I think I need a vacation to restore my mental health. We are planning a quick trip to Florida. Ben will come with me. I am finding our time in Florida is more relaxing than time in Ohio but I miss our kids and grandkids when we are gone. Welcome 2023 and goodbye 2022. I haven’t been very good about posting on this blog. I have been letting every day stressors get in the way of living a full, happy stress, free life. I need to change that so I can stay healthy to care for my husband. my New Year’s resolution deals with self-care and preservation. It’s like being on the airplane that’s going down, if you don’t grab oxygen for yourself, you can’t help others. So, wish me luck because I’m gonna need it. My plan is to be deliberate each and every day. I’m not gonna lose spontaneity altogether because I believe you need a little spontaneity in life. More to come but for now I wish you a blessed new year.
Yesterday was a day filled with anxiety for my husband and myself. I am not quite sure why. We really did not have any unpleasant events happen. Ben was very focused and pushed himself to pull weeds around the yard. Previously, I bought a little garden scooter to make it easier for Ben to participate in yard work. It works well and he likes to use it. I probably stress myself out trying to keep our world, our home accessible for Ben. I realize how important it is for Ben to stay mentally and physically active to post-pone the disease progression. As I think back, maybe Ben just pushed himself too much and became too tired. He fell asleep in his chair after coming in the house for the evening. He slept for a couple of hours in his chair, then woke up and said he wanted to take a bath to relax before going to bed.
As we went to bed Ben told me he was not going to be able to sleep well. I suggested he use reverse psychology on himself; to tell himself he is feeling good and relaxed so he can have the best mind-set to fall asleep and to sleep well. This did not work, if he tired it. Ben was up several times during the night to raid the refrigerator. He roams around inside the house because he is board or because he is having pain. Those restless legs of his just give him fits. He does have a dog to help him manage his pain, but there are some nights that he thrashes all over the bed almost non-stop. I was sound asleep but about 4:00 am I awoke to hear my name and Ben yelling "help me". He told me he hit hard. I asked what happened. Ben said he was not sure what happened; he thought he was sitting down on a chair but landed on the floor with no chair around him. We have hard wood floors so I am sure this did hurt. The first thing that goes through my mind is Did he hit his head. He takes blood thinners and head trauma could be disastrous. Next, I worry about other broken bones that might require medical treatment, maybe even a surgery. Surgery can be the downfall (no pun intended) of an older person with health issues. I thank God I did not see any bruising. I was able to assist him to get up off the floor and go back to bed. Nothing broken and all body parts seem to be working as well as prior to this fall. No obvious impact to his head or face. I was able to breath a sigh of relief. Today has been uneventful. Ben has slept most of the day, waking for meals and his medication, but then back to sleep. Today he sleeps in his chair in the garage, his chair in the house and also in bed. We now have a master bedroom with handicap accessible bathroom on the main floor of our home. It is very handy and much safer for Ben. He no longer has to climb the stairs for bed or access to his clothing. I am able to worry less. I am curious what others are doing to help their loved one who has Parkinson's disease to remain safe in their own home. Comment below. Thanks. |
AuthorMy name is Carolyn. I enjoy helping others and this may be why I chose a career in health & safety. As a registered nurse, I have prayed with patients, provided hands-on care for the sick, education & wellness coaching for those looking to improve their health and safety training for those working in construction or general industry. Archive
July 2023
Categories |