First Catheter Change

Today Pete had to go back to the hospital for the first change of the suprapubic catheter.  It is 8 weeks since it was put in.  I was a bit nervous about how it would go and I think Pete was aswell as he didn't have any breakfast - I really wish he could tell me how he feels sometimes.  However it all went very smoothly and he doesn't seem to have any after effects apart from asking for more painkillers than usual as it was obviously a bit sore around the entry site.  The nurse was pleased with the site and said we don't need to keep a dressing on any more as it is nice and clean.  All further changes (every 12 weeks) can now be done by the district nurses.  I have to mention that since having it inserted Pete hasn't had any urine infections so that is a definite improvement.

Whilst Pete was having his catheter changed Mel (our daughter in law and also one of the Lovely Ladies) was taking her driving test and I am so pleased to say she passed on her first test. So the number of drivers in our family has trebled in the last month!!!  I am sure Martin is relieved as we won't have to rely on him too much in future!  Mind you, he has promised to take me out tomorrow evening so that we can nail this parking in a car park business! 

This evening Pete dropped a glass and, unfortunately, it smashed.  He gets very upset if anything like that happens - whereas pre-stroke he would have just cleaned it up and shrugged his shoulders, now it turns into something major.  I have to calm him down and assure him that it isn't a problem and accidents happen to everyone, but he finds it hard.  

Another one of the Lovely Ladies lost a dear friend of hers today, sadly to a brain tumour, but it did emphasise to me how lucky I am that I still have Pete. Not exactly the same person as before but still my soulmate. 

So I need to count my blessings when I get depressed and not feel so sorry for myself.

Another week gone

Time seems to be passing very quickly at the moment - I don't know why, but the weeks are flying by.

Pete hasn't been too bad apart from having toothache over the weekend which brought him down again, also hasn't helped his weight much as he hasn't really been eating until today.  I had to take him to the dentist on Monday which was the first time I had taken him anywhere on my own! I worried all day (appointment was at 3.20pm) about parking but Martin assured me there was space there and I would be alright.  It turned out half alright!!! I found the parking but didn't get in properly first go so had to have another try, meanwhile Pete was getting agitated as to where I was going, so I got very tense and ended up straddling 2 spaces and decided that as there was loads of room and I wasn't in anyone's way that was where I was going to stay - much to Pete's disgust and he was having a full scale strop, not quite a rage but getting there!!!!  Anyway the dentist (who has moved since our last visit) assured me they were still wheelchair friendly and, indeed, they were - the only problem being the fact there was no dropped kerb anywhere near, in fact not at all the whole length of the pavement which proved a bit of a problem but I managed in the end after much huffing and puffing and brute force!! The end result of the visit was that Pete has an infection and then needs the tooth out.  Antibiotics were prescribed and another appointment arranged but, unfortunately, that isn't until 11th June. Not looking forward to that!!! 

Pete had also come with us to Lidl last week and seemed ok with my driving apart from the fact I didn't park in disabled spaces!! Not enough room!!  I think I may have to have a lesson on how to whizz in and out of parking spaces like everyone else! Or else I can sit in a car park and watch everyone!!  It's all very stressful! 

Last Saturday was a brilliant day for me although Pete spent most of it on the bed.  My sister came up for the day and I picked her up from the station and, amazingly, I did park ok there!!  I always love seeing her as it's non-stop conversation with no effort.  Then in the evening it was out with the Lovely Ladies for our regular gossip and catch up, we went to a fish & chip restaurant and it was delicious!  Huge portions and, although we looked at the dessert menu, all decided any more and we would be sick!! Anyway a great day for me.

Yesterday Rebecca from the Stroke Association rang to see how we were doing and to say they were thinking of doing another series of sessions for carers of people with aphasia.  I reiterated how helpful this had been to me and she is hopeful she may be able to feed people to us after it finishes which would be so good. 

So there we are, another week gone and another bank holiday looming. Time flies! 

Two Weeks Later!!

No blog for 2 weeks mainly because I didn't think there was anything happening, but making notes earlier there are a few things to say!! 

Pete had his regular 3 Botox injections today, so we are hoping there will be a bit of relief for him with his right arm.  It doesn't make a huge difference any more but does release his muscles a bit, especially in his hand which gets really clenched up.  Also he has made a lot of progress with the jigsaws he does on his ipad - he is now up to 81 pieces and can do them in about 30 minutes.  It probably doesn't sound like much to you but, believe me, for him to solve a puzzle with 81 pieces in a half hour is a major achievement plus it gives him a sense of achievement which is very important.  The ipad is brilliant for doing jigsaws as he can choose himself which one to do and can choose how many pieces plus no pieces are ever missing or end up on the floor!!!  We have to buy the categories but each category costs about £1.50 and gives a choice of about 40 puzzles which I think is VERY good value as where can you buy a proper one for £1.50, never mind 40!!  And each one can be done as many times as you like with your choice of number of pieces.  

We have also started doing sounds again which is good as it was his choice to get back to it.

The only downer for Pete has been that we had to get rid of the car he had in the garage which was going to be his retirement project.  It was a Rover 820 which we have had since new (early 1990's) and, after serving us well for several years, it started to need a lot of work doing on it so Pete took it off the road and put it into the garage for him to do up when he retired.  It has been there for 8 years!!! Unfortunately, there is now no way Pete can work on it so the decision was made to get rid of it.  Pete's brother and his mate kindly came over and managed to get it out of the garage, even getting it started which was amazing.  It still looked really good but, last Wednesday, we sent it on its way.  It was a sad day as was a source of many happy memories and also emphasised to Pete that he couldn't do what he wanted any more.

Last week I also had a phone call from another carer asking to meet up - so I met her for a drink on Friday - we can't meet at home as both Pete and her husband hate to hear us talk about them!  They both know why we meet but Pete gets very angry when I talk about him (unless it is good things of course) and she says her husband is the same.  Anyway it was a relief to talk to someone who knows exactly how it is and we both offloaded and felt much better.  I am so glad she is there at the end of the phone and we both agreed that we will meet when either one of us feels the need.  It makes such a difference to know someone else is going through the same as often you feel you are entirely alone - and as I have said before, there are things you can only say to someone who knows!! 

I have been out driving a bit with Martin and also been out on my own - but definitely need to get out on my own more often. Getting from A to B is ok, but parking in a car park is still a tad tricky!!  I need at least 3 spaces (to get in the middle one), 5 spaces is better and 7 or more is ideal!!!  Need to nail this as soon as possible!  Pete hasn't been out with me yet - he is still a bit nervous yet I think but I have told him he WILL come out with me soon!!!