General Chat

At dinner last night my OH made himself a cup of coffee. I dont know how many spoons of the stuff he used. It was very black. He had another 3 or 4 cups of coffee so I decided to sleep in the spare room as he would be up to the loo all night, if he ever got to sleep. He went to bed at 9.30, got up half an hour later and when I asked what for he said he wanted a drink. He didnt believe that he had had 4 or 5 cups of coffee. After I went to bed I became aware of lights on so got up and found the lights in the toilet, bathroom, downstairs and the lounge were on. He was in the lounge. I chased him back to bed and turned them all off. I dont know if he got up again. After I tried to get back to sleep I got up at 1.30 and had half a sleeping pill, which took half an hour to put me out. Sleep, what is that?
He has gone walking this morning with our vol. firefighter.
Huia.

Thanks Det, I didnt know about those. Will enquire.

Just nudging to see how everyone, and those they care for, are.

Hi all

Sorry to hear Huia that the Day Care facility isn’t secure. Although you may be concerned, I’m sure that they are keeping tabs on OH, so if you can, let him stay there until you can find somewhere else.

Jean – You can buy (or get on prescription) little tins of pureed food intended for adults. I’ve no idea if they are suitable for diabetics, but wonder if they would be suitable for a couple of OH’s snacks? No chewing and would go down easily. I think they are *fortified* with vitamins etc.

I learnt yesterday that the daycare centre where I took my OH last Wednesday is not a secure centre. He kept going outside looking for me. I will have to look for something else.

Huia.

We have been told to give OH plenty of fattening foods, meat, cheese, cream fried fish and choc biscuits! They also want him to see the cardiologist again.
I am supposed to feed him three small meals and three snacks a day. a snack being sandwiches, beans on toast, califlower cheese etc. With a small appetite I cant see him doing it, but we'll try.

Nudge for Bridget/Bossyboots

'NUDGE'

We have an appointment on Tuesday to see if the diabetes specialist can offer any help with OH's condition. He can have a blood reading of11 at bedtime and go down to 3 by the time he wakes up. Its very difficult to deal with.

After 3 or 4 undisturbed nights my OH was up to the loo 4 times, about 11.30, 12.30, 1.30 and 2.30. I didnt think he had had all that much to drink at dinner time. Then at 6.30 he was by the bed offering me some toast. I dont eat toast. And I dont much like being woken at 6.30 when I have had only a few hours sleep. He had been for a 2 hour walk yesterday morning with our vol. firefighter and these long walks seem to leave him confused and unsettled. I will have to ask the doc if I should stop them (but he wont want to) or give OH a sleeping pill before bed when he has had one of those days.

Huia.

Hi Sharron

It is funny how perceptions of "disabled" in some minds means physical but of course we are aware of the "brain" falling readily into this category as well. So we handle the "raised eyebrows" or "tut tuts" as graciously as we can. Although it has been suggested as appropriate I have never bothered applying for a disability label for parking the car. The toilet is quite another question for "when you gotta go, you gotta go!"

Hi Jean (Monmouth)

We have had two scary incidents of T.I.A.'s in the last week. One at home and one on Tuesday. fortunately we could use a cafe seat for the five minute recovery period. People are always very helpful I find and that can be a boon for caring while I go and get the car to a handier position. Our doctor say they are like mini strokes. BH is generally perky once it has passed.

Jean (Monmouth), my friend has an OH who has diabetes and he doesnt look after himself too well. She has often had to call for an ambulance for him. It must be very scary.

Huia.

If all the other cubicles are in use and there is nobody who is obviously disabled waiting,I will use a disabled cubicle.I have been tutted for this but feel that I have done nothing wrong.

Of course the disabled should have priority but,by using it when nobody else wants to I don't think anybody is being deprived of anything.

Would like to have gone to the Swansea meet, but dont feel comfortable with leaving OH to his own devices that long as he tends to have very low blood sugars at the moment and they come on suddenly. Its no joke trying to bring him round.

No big arguments! I dont think OH was very happy but I was able to go to the Botanic Gardens carpark nearby and slept soundly for over 2 hours, didnt need to keep half an ear open, it was wonderful. I might suffer tonight as he will probably be confused and get up in the middle of the night, but at least I am not as dog-tired as I was this morning.

Huia. (I took a photo of 'my' statue in the carpark!)

Keep you fingers crossed that today goes well. I will be dropping him off at the carecentre (at a rest home) at 10, will pick him up at 4.00. He doesnt know yet. He will probably object but he will be told that my health cannot run to 24 hours 365 days a year caring for him. If he doesnt want me to collapse and finish up in hospital he must let me have the occasional break like this while others look after him.
A rather nervous Huia.

Hi Huia

The best I have found (there has hardly ever been an emergency) is the toilet for the disabled now in may public buildings. I have not been asked for the disability sticker which I never bothered with to this point and that would be pointless as it would be on the car.
Oh dear, more raised eyebrows!
Neither do I carry one of the cards which surreptitiously explains the condition to others for that was what I thought my tongue was designed for.

Bob, that is a thought. When we are in town and husband wants to go to the toilet I decide to go too. He usually waits outside for me when he has finished but one day in Devenport he didnt wait (or not long enough) and went looking for me. Luckily as I was about to panic somebody saw him coming back. Perhaps I will have to take him in to the ladies with me where there are separate loos. There are the new type loos which are good, one of a group of 3 is big enough for us both to get in.
Huia.

Hi Huia

Our whole family know the feelings you have expressed and everyone does their best in the meantime. It is good to be able to ring a daughter for a distraction when things do not go smoothly which has been the case this morning. However we are off to coffee shortly with one, rather later than normal, but that's OK. Generally time is not greatly important in the scheme of things except only in the case of getting to the toilet, but fortunately (very, very, very) that is not a problem at all (yet). Must say I have seen some raised eyebrows of ladies waiting when they see the two of us come out. What must they be thinking???

Hi Jean (Monmouth)

I am very thankful for the willing acceptance of a generous helping of porridge sprinkled with bran, wheat germ, raw sugar and trim milk in the morning. Lunch is a fresh apple scroll roll from the baker followed by a variety of fruit which I cut up. I told our doctor, when weight was down to 46kg. that the evening meal time was always an effort and often left untouched. I also make sure everything is cut into bite-sized portions but have drawn the line at feeding (and that probably would be impossible anyway). He suggested a supplementary drink "Ensure plus", a total supplementary food drink made by Abbott Laboratories. It comes in four flavours although we stick to vanilla and this is often given a little later than lunch. I used to take a can to the day care centre but they said that it was no longer needed, for the fresh scones for morning tea and light lunch was readily accepted.

I do not know how it would fit into a diabetic's nutrition regime but no doubt your doctor or pharmacist could advise. Best of luck!