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Catching Up
I have not been on the forum for a week. Between starting Hospice and having company something had to go and the Internet was it. We are having a break between visitors until Wednesday when my Mom from Portland, Or and my sister and husband from the UK arrive. I have not seen my sister since our Dad’s death. They are coming to see Dick while he is still with us.
I have been feeling more stressed than usual and finally managed to see my Primary Care physician Friday. Between the knee pain and sleepless night my blood pressure had gone up too high for my liking. After much discussion she increased my antidepressant, added a small dose of a calcium channel blocker for my blood pressure and prescribed a few to Valium to keep on hand for those occasion when it all gets too much. The knee pain has been relieved by steroid shots in both knees and I will be getting knee braces and am using a TENS unit. I also will be getting a Handicap Placard of my own.
For every day that Dick has appointments or visitors he seems to need a day in bed. He got up for my Birthday yesterday and we went out to dinner with friends and today he is staying in bed.
We finally managed to get Dick into see the Lymphedema therapist and he will be seeing her twice a week this month and we will evaluate if it is helping. She will be teaching us at the same time how to do some of it ourselves. Also I took him over to a therapy swimming pool last week. Water at 95° and saline rather than chlorine. He really liked it and wants to do it again. I think it helped him to be where he was weightless even if he did fall back into the pool when he was drying his legs.
Volunteer Coordinator
ABLSC