Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Lately we have been having many good days. As I am fond of saying, there are “good days” and “better days!” However, let’s face it. Some days are just bad.

Just when I have decided that my PWP is getting better, we had a kind of relapse. 3:00 last Tuesday morning was one of those times. Yesterday was a great, productive day. The condo was cleaned, I did laundry (never-ending task that is!), and I worked to spruce up my outdoor patio area. Being outdoors with the trees and flowers always makes me feel better! And, Monday night I had the pleasure of attending our local American Guild of Organists chapter members’ recital. After an uplifting day outside, I was able to also have an uplifting evening of live organ music to feed my soul. We are grateful that our in-home caregiver could be here to enable me to do that.

One thing that George did not do on Monday was to walk outside so he could also enjoy the beautiful weather. It was rather warm, but we figured it was more important to get a shower than it was to sweat more! Daily walks always help his sleep, so I was concerned that he might have a restless night without it. As it turned out, he did.

My physical tiredness compelled me to go on to bed. Generally, I won’t do that until I know George is settled into his bed and ready to sleep; however, I made the mistake of falling asleep. Then, around 3:00 am, George was attempting to walk into the bathroom and he fell. Getting him back into bed was no small feat. We were able to “scoot” across the floor (tile and hardwood) until he could reach the bedside where we have side rails. The bed is stable enough so he could pull himself up, and then, after about 30 minutes of moving from one room to the other, he could pull up using the side rails. He could not have done this without weekly physical therapy sessions. Afterwards, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but found it extremely difficult to fall back to sleep as I was “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

A few lessons learned from this experience:

1. Make daily exercise a priority.
2. Make medication times and bedtimes consistent.
3. Ensure that assistive devices (e.g., grab bars, bed side rails, walkers) are available and sturdy.
4. Don’t try to lift a person on the floor, rather, find a way to “scoot” to a place.
5. Keep positive, calm, and think of safe ways to move and get into a safer place.

How long will I be able to keep this up? It is a rhetorical question, but I continue to pray for daily strength (both physical and spiritual) to give him proper care.